Normandy runs along the Channel from the Breton border to the Somme, and for visitors it splits into three trips that rarely fit in one day: Mont Saint-Michel at the far western end, the D-Day beaches around Bayeux and Caen in the middle, and the chalk cliffs of Étretat on the Alabaster Coast in the east. Between them sit Rouen, the medieval capital on the Seine, and Honfleur, the painters' harbour at the river's mouth.
Mont Saint-Michel and Omaha Beach are on the France page; each of the three trips has its own page here. One thing to know for late 2026: the Bayeux Tapestry is on loan to the British Museum in London until July 2027, while its museum in Bayeux is rebuilt.
Walk Rouen's old town from the cathedral to the Vieux-Marché
Rouen
A full dayNo booking needed
A few hours' walk takes you from the cathedral Monet painted more than thirty times to the square where Joan of Arc was burned.
What it is
Rouen, the medieval capital of Normandy on the Seine, packs its half-timbered old town into a walk of a few hours.
How to do it
Start at the cathedral, whose west front Monet painted more than thirty times in 1892 and 1893 in every light. Walk west under the Gros-Horloge, the 14th-century astronomical clock set in a Renaissance arch over the street. The street ends on the Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned on 30 May 1431, now marked by a modern church named after her. East of the cathedral, the Gothic church of Saint-Maclou and the Aître Saint-Maclou, a former plague cemetery with carved timber galleries, complete the loop. Direct trains from Paris Saint-Lazare make it an easy day trip.
Good to know
You can climb the Gros-Horloge belfry for the view over the roofs, Tuesday to Sunday.
Walk Honfleur's Vieux Bassin and its timber church
Honfleur
Half a dayFree
Tall slate-fronted houses ring the old harbour that drew Boudin and Monet, near a church built almost entirely of wood.
What it is
Honfleur sits at the mouth of the Seine, across the Pont de Normandie from Le Havre, and its heart is the Vieux Bassin, the old harbour lined with tall, narrow slate-fronted houses that drew Boudin, Monet and the other painters of the estuary.
How to do it
Walk round the basin to the Lieutenance, the old governor's house at the harbour mouth, then up to the Place Sainte-Catherine. Its church is built almost entirely of wood, with its bell tower standing apart across the square; it is free to enter outside services, and the tower is visited on the ticket of the Musée Eugène Boudin, which shows the painters of the estuary and closes on Tuesdays.
Good to know
The town is small and fills on summer weekends, so come early or stay for the evening, when the day visitors have gone.
Reach Mont-Saint-Michel across the bay, by shuttle or on foot
Normandy
Half a dayBook ahead
Leave the car behind and cross the bay to the Mont by shuttle or on foot, then climb through the village to its abbey.
What it is
Cars stop on the mainland. The abbey's entrance sits at the top of the village, up many steps.
How to do it
From the paid car parks, the free shuttle called Le Passeur runs to the foot of the Mont from at least 07:30 to 23:00, or you can walk the causeway; the abbey says to allow 45 minutes to an hour from the car parks to its entrance. The abbey opens 09:00 to 19:00 from May to August and 09:30 to 18:00 the rest of the year, last entry an hour before closing, and a ticket cost €16 from April to September 2026 and €13 from October.
Good to know
To see the Mont as an island, plan around a big spring tide. To walk the tide flats themselves, go with a guide certified by the prefecture, for example from the Bec d'Andaine at Genêts: the flats hide quicksand and the tide here rises and falls by about 14 metres.
Walk Omaha Beach and visit the Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy
Half a dayFree
Stand among the graves on the bluff above Omaha Beach, then go down to the sand and the steel sculpture the tide half covers.
What it is
The cemetery sits on the bluff above Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-Mer: 9,389 graves, and almost 1,600 names on the Walls of the Missing. At Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Anilore Banon's steel sculpture Les Braves, put up for the 60th anniversary in 2004, stands on the beach and is partly covered at high tide.
How to do it
Entry is free, and it is closed on 25 December and 1 January. The path from the cemetery down to the sand has been shut since 2016 for security reasons, so drive or walk to the public beach access nearby. Back at the cemetery, the flag is lowered in a ceremony one hour before closing.
Good to know
Plan ahead for 2027: ABMC expects every visitor, individuals included, to pre-register, with reservations starting in summer 2027.
Time needed
Half a day
Best time
Stay for the flag lowering, one hour before closing
For history, the D-Day beaches, with Bayeux or Caen as a base. For a single famous sight, Mont Saint-Michel, with a night nearby to see it without the day crowds. For coast and walking, Étretat and the cliff path. Rouen and Honfleur suit a first or last day on the way from Paris, and Monet's garden at Giverny, on the France page, is an easy stop on the same road.
How to combine them
Trains from Paris Saint-Lazare reach Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Bayeux, so the eastern half works without a car: Rouen, then Le Havre for Étretat by bus, then Caen and Bayeux for the beaches. Mont Saint-Michel is better reached via Rennes, by TGV from Paris Montparnasse and a coach. A week by car covers Rouen, Honfleur and Étretat in two days, the beaches in two and the Mont in two, moving west.
Getting around
The beaches, the cliff villages and the countryside of the Pays d'Auge are spread out and thinly served by buses, so a car saves most time. Without one, use the region's Nomad trains and coaches, the city buses of Le Havre, Caen and Rouen, and the guided minibus tours of the beaches that leave from Bayeux.
When to go
May, June and September are the best months: long days, fewer crowds than in August and mild weather, though rain is possible in any season. Around 6 June the D-Day anniversary brings ceremonies, festival events and full hotels along the beaches. At Mont Saint-Michel the spring tides that surround the rock come about every fortnight, so check the tide table before you fix dates.
Questions travellers ask
How many days do you need in Normandy?
Five days to a week covers the three main trips: two days for the D-Day beaches, one or two for Mont Saint-Michel and one for Étretat, plus Rouen or Honfleur on the way. With only two days, pick one area rather than driving between them.
Can you visit Normandy without a car?
Partly. Trains from Paris reach Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Bayeux, coaches serve Étretat and Mont Saint-Michel, and minibus tours cover the beaches from Bayeux. The countryside and the smaller coastal villages are hard to reach without a car.
Where is the Bayeux Tapestry in 2026 and 2027?
In London. Its museum in Bayeux closed in September 2025 for rebuilding, and the tapestry is on show at the British Museum from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027. The museum in Bayeux plans to reopen in October 2027.
Is Normandy a day trip from Paris?
Rouen and Giverny are, at around an hour from Paris. The D-Day beaches, Étretat and Mont Saint-Michel are possible as long coach-tour days, but each deserves at least one night.
