Grand tour of Normandy

Rouen has the memory of Norman medieval life carved into the timber of its half-timbered houses: the old centre is one of the richest in France, with over two thousand colombage buildings crowding around the Cathédrale Notre-Dame — the one that Monet painted in thirty-four different versions to capture the changing light on the pink sandstone. The cathedral's cast-iron spire, the tallest in France, pierces the grey Norman sky with an almost surreal audacity. Place du Vieux-Marché is where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431: the modern church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, evocatively shaped like a flame, stands on the very spot today. The Gros-Horloge, the Renaissance astronomical clock set into an arch on Rue du Gros-Horloge, is the city's iconic symbol. The Saturday market and the brasseries around the Abbey of Saint-Ouen complete the portrait of an authentic and deeply moving Normandy.

Deauville is the «21st arrondissement of Paris»: so Parisians call it as they fill its Belle Époque hotels, the Casino Barrière and the Planches — the famous boardwalk where beach huts bear the names of stars from the Festival du Cinéma Américain — every August weekend. Norman villas with their polychrome brick and slate roofs, thoroughbred racing at the racecourse, designer boutiques — everything in Deauville exudes discreet luxury and the holiday atmosphere of another era. Trouville, separated only by the Touques river, is more authentic and popular, with its fish market, fishermen's nets and a seafront of informal bistros. The Côte Fleurie stretches toward Honfleur: a picturesque fishing harbour, reflections of seventeenth-century houses on the water of the Vieux Bassin, birthplace of Impressionism and a refuge for artists to this day. A short itinerary that distils centuries of Norman charm.

Caen spreads along the banks of the Orne, a Norman city reborn from the ashes of the Second World War with a determination written in every stone. The medieval castle built by William the Conqueror stands at its centre, its keep and ramparts sheltering two museums: the Musée de Normandie and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. The Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames, Romanesque masterpieces commissioned by William himself, mark the city's skyline. The Mémorial de Caen is one of Europe's most important museums dedicated to twentieth-century history and the meaning of peace. Caen is a city that carries the marks of history with dignity, turning them into an invitation to reflect.

Cherbourg faces the English Channel from the northern tip of the Cotentin peninsula, with one of the world's largest artificial harbours built at Napoleon's command to shelter the French fleet. The city has a deep-rooted maritime vocation, and the Cité de la Mer — housed in the Art Deco transatlantic terminal from which ocean liners once departed — recounts the history of underwater exploration, with the submarine Le Redoutable open for internal visits. The covered market is the daily heartbeat of Cherbourg life, with fresh Atlantic fish, Norman salted butter and calvados. It is the natural starting point for exploring the Cotentin peninsula, with its cliffs, D-Day beaches and the Parc Naturel des Marais du Cotentin.

Mont-Saint-Michel is a natural and architectural phenomenon without equal in Europe: a tenth-century Benedictine abbey built on the summit of a granite islet that the sea surrounds completely at high tide. Access is on foot or by shuttle across the causeway — or, for the more adventurous, on foot across the sands with an authorised guide — and the ascent towards the abbey offers successively more extraordinary views over the bay. The medieval village lanes at the foot of the abbey, with their shops and restaurants serving salted-butter omelettes, have become part of Norman gastronomic legend. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, the «Wonder of the West» never fails to move its visitors.

Alençon is the city of lace, capital of a craft tradition recognised by UNESCO in 2010 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: the point d'Alençon, made entirely with a needle, is considered the finest and most precious of all European laces. The Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle holds extraordinary collections that trace its centuries-old history. The church of Notre-Dame, in Flamboyant Gothic style with a Renaissance porch, and the lanes of the historic centre complete the portrait of a city that has known how to preserve its identity. Alençon is also a starting point for exploring the Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park and the bocage landscapes that surround it.