Caen

hamsterboy

Hey all
Heading to Caen among other places next week.
Any recommendations for things to do /see/eat etc???
Will have the car with me too so anything within driving distance would be good too...

Cheers

HB

otnomart

This summer I changed trains in Caen, while heading to Bayeux.
In Bayeux you can visit the Cathedral, Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings, Commonwealth graveyard, and Battle of Normandy Museum.
Good cider and galettes (buckweat crepes) drink/food-wise.

Spanish Eyes

Visit Bayeux. Lovely spot. There is a WW2 cemetery and museum there that is really interesting.

Then go to Arromanches. That's where the WW2 stuff is. And the mulberry harbours etc.
http://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/arromanches-564-2.html

Then on the road back to Cherbourg (if that's your route), you can visit all the Normandy Beaches.

It is an amazing area alright.

hamsterboy

Hey all. Yes have been to Bayeaux before.. Will be spending a night there again...
Also have not a lot of interest in WW2 stuff
Cheers for the replies

HB

ScouseMouse

I went there a few years back with practically no research but was surprised.

The family did the tapestry which they said was super. We stayed in a little hotel in Arramanches off tripadvisor called Le Mulberry. Was lovely and visited the surrounding area. The mother in law is quite religious and mentioned St Therese of Lisieux Catherdral. We took a spin down to it and she was struck in awe.

Whatever floats your boat there. We drove down from Cherbourg and stopped off at St Marie Eglise. This is a little one horse town with a church made famous in the movie, The Longest Day. A paratrooper came down and got snagged on the church tower and got stuck. Was interesting and has a museum.

I think I have loads of photos, if interested I will set up a dropbox share.

otnomart

Rouen is lovely and just over 100 KMs away from Caen.
Gothic cathedral, historic quarter, art museum with Impressionist paintings.

Claire de Lune

Hi there,

In Caen city centre check the Castle, City Hall, Abbaye aux Hommes, Hotel d'Escoville, Maison des Quatrans, eglise st Pierre.

Place st Sauveur is buzzing on market days (not sure what day though!) The harbour area (port de plaisance) is a nice spot for evening drinks. For food check quartier du Vaugueux, it's the restaurant quarter.

Colline aux oiseaux is a nice park with playground and animals if you are travelling with children.

Cabourg, Honfleur and Deauville are lovely seaside towns, but only if you visit them in the summer.

The absolute must see in the area anytime of the year is the Mont Saint Michel. It's an hours drive from Caen on the motorway. Amazing place.

Oh and make sure you eat in a creperie at some stage and drink local cider at some stage!

ScouseMouse

On the subject of cider, my wife had a bottle of it in a nice restaurant in Arramanches and we tried to buy some to bring home. Could not find it ANYWHERE!

On the way home, we stopped off in the local hyper market and found it in the discount section. It was something ridiculous like 1 euro or 1.99 a bottle. I emptied the shelf!

Left the boxes behind and just slotted the bottles into the little gaps left in the Ford Galaxy. It was so funny. Customs in Rosslare didnt even try to inspect us - we were legal anyway.

BailMeOut

Pointe du Hoc is a must see as is the nearby American Cemetery. Mont Saint-Michel is also only over an hour away if you have car.