Paint like Claude Monet

Normandy’s beautiful Alabaster coast (Côte d’Albâtre) with its high, white chalk cliffs was a favourite spot for impressionist painters including Monet and Pissarro. In the same spirit, join a four-hour painting workshop with local artist Sophie Justet, working outdoors on easels on the clifftops above the town of Fécamp, and learn to capture the play of light and colour on the landscape.

Off-road electric scooter adventure

For another, more active, way to explore the Alabaster coast, try an off-road electric scooter adventure near Dieppe. Heading out from Quiberville-sur-Mer, take in clifftop views, wetland and woodland areas, and learn about the history, plant life and rapid coastal erosion of this stretch of the Normandy coast. The tour ends on the beach at Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer – don’t miss its much-photographed second world war bunker – with delicious local food and an aperitif, all enhanced by the backdrop of a gorgeous Normandy sunset.

Sample camembert on the cheese route

No cheese is more emblematic of Normandy than camembert, deliciously rich, oozy and encased within a velvety-soft white rind. It’s one of four PDO-certified cheeses (protected designation of origin) produced in Normandy, along with Pont-l’Evêque, livarot and the heart-shaped neufchâtel. You can visit all the villages that produce them – and, obviously, sample a lot of cheese in the process – by following the Normandy Cheese Route. So pack a couple of baguettes and a picnic blanket, and enjoy the taste of Normandy at its best.

The tidal bore at Mont-Saint-Michel

The Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel has one of the largest tidal ranges in Europe, with the water sweeping in over a distance of 15km and rising up to 15 metres. It surrounds the iconic island and abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel – leaving it protruding from the sea like a medieval wedding cake. For the ultimate view of the tidal bore rushing inwards, watch from the abbey’s stone terrace. Then head down into the streets below for the quintessential Mont-Saint-Michel foodie treat – an enormously fluffy omelette cooked over a wood fire – a celebrated 19th-century recipe.

Cycling tour of Giverny

Claude Monet lived in the village of Giverny for more than 40 years, and some of his greatest paintings are associated with his garden in this village in Normandy. Explore Giverny by bike, stopping off to visit the artist’s studios, the Ancien Hôtel Baudy (where a panoply of painters stayed, including the likes of Rodin, Sisley and Renoir), and Monet’s grave. Then explore the gardens themselves on foot – exquisitely beautiful, you’ll be able to see the ponds that inspired Monet to paint his iconic series of water lilies.

See the Bayeux tapestry

Whatever you know of the Bayeux tapestry – the 70-metre-long pictorial record of the Norman conquest, and the 1066 Battle of Hastings – nothing really prepares you for standing in front of the real thing. Embroidered in wool thread on linen, this is one of the great wonders of medieval art, packed with detail, and beautifully presented in a darkened setting with the focus entirely on the tapestry. The audio guide, in 16 languages and a kids’ version, is engaging and rather witty. The Bayeux Tapestry Museum closes in September 2025 for renovations, so best to get in now.

Cité de la Mer

Located in the grand setting of the former transatlantic liner terminal in Cherbourg, the Cité de la Mer is a must-see, whether or not you’re travelling with kids. The highlight is the exhibition dedicated to the most famous vessel to have docked here – the Titanic – which called in at Cherbourg on its way between Southampton and Queenstown (modern Cobh), before setting sail on its fateful North Atlantic journey. Titanic: Artefacts and Stories tells the history of some of the ship’s passengers through 43 objects recovered from the wreck’s debris field.

Caen – Abbaye-aux-Hommes

Founded in 1063 by William the Conqueror – in part to restore relations with the papacy, which he had offended by marrying his cousin Matilda of Flanders – Caen’s Abbaye-aux-Hommes is an impressive example of Norman architecture. It’s also the location of William’s tomb – ransacked over the centuries, and now containing only one thigh bone. Spared from second world war bombing raids as it was a civilian shelter, it’s been home to city hall since 1965. It’s definitely worth joining one of the guided tours. Matilda, for her part, founded the nearby Abbaye-aux-Dames.

The D-day Museum in Arromanches

Reopened in 2023, the D-day Museum in Arromanches tells the story of Mulberry B, the artificial port constructed here on Gold beach in June 1944, immediately after the D-day landings. Designed and built in secret and shipped in pieces from England, Mulberry B saw the landing of some 2.5 million troops and 500,000 vehicles during the 10 months of its use. Founded in 1954 on the 10th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy, the museum has now been completely rebuilt and significantly enlarged, offering a more modern and immersive experience.

Brittany Ferries

The most convenient way to arrive in Normandy is by ferry. Brittany Ferries has daytime and overnight sailings from Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistreham), Cherbourg and Le Havre, as well as from Poole to Cherbourg, and sailings to Brittany. With award-winning onboard restaurants, comfortable ensuite cabins, and the refreshing lack of airport chaos, combine to make the journey itself a memorably enjoyable part of your holiday in Normandy. And watching the French coast draw closer – especially at dawn, from the window of a cabin after a comfortable overnight sailing – is hard to beat.