Road Trip to Normandy and Brittany
Taking road trips is a great way to explore a country. While many of these destinations can be done as day trips from Paris by train, I recommend renting a car and doing overnighters. Having a car allows for more flexibility where you can take your time, visit the small villages for picture taking or “dégustations” (tastings) of local treats, and stopping along the way to enjoy a delightful picnic.
Honfleur– Known for its beautiful, old and picturesque port, Honfleur historically became popular due to its prime location on one of the principal rivers of France. Honfleur thrived during the boom of maritime trade and later became one of the principal ports for slave trade in France. Artists such as Eugène Boudin and Claude Monet later frequented Honfleur for paintings. Today, Honfleur is enjoyed by Parisians and visitors alike as a day-trip or weekend get away from Paris.
Arromanches- Today Arromanches is a quiet little village filled with quaint boutiques, cafés, and touristy souvenir shops. But in the 1940’s, this peaceful town was at the center of war and destruction. Situated along the coastline designated as Gold Beach during the D-Day landings, Arromanches was one of the sites used for two Mulberry Harbors. You can still see remnants of these harbors sitting on the sand.
Omaha Beach – Taking Omaha Beach during German-occupied France was to be the responsibility of US troops on 6 June 1944. But very little went according to plan and the United States suffered heavy causality that day alone. Nonetheless, although there were severe losses, the beaches were secured causing a crucial turning point during WWII. This day known as D-Day marked the beginning of the end of Hitler’s Nazi regime as it paved the way for successful allied invasions. Families of soldiers who were killed decided to bury their loved ones in France. The American Cemetery is located here and is the site of nearly 10,000 buried soldiers.
Mont St. Michel – The dramatic abbey of Mont Saint Michel has served as a place of pilgrimage since the 700’s AD and continues to do so, although today, tourists far outnumber pilgrims. The structure you see was designed with a purpose and represented the feudal society that built it- at the top God, then the abbey and monastery, merchants, housing, and at the very bottom outside of the walls was for fishermen and farmers. During the revolution, the atheistic government turned this site into a prison detaining 300 priests who refused to renounce their beliefs. Today, Le Mont St. Michel is a designated as a UNESCO world heritage site with millions of visitors coming here each year.
Brittany– The birthplace of the crêpes while also being famous for their incredibly delicious oysters, the region of Brittany (Bretagne in French) is an intriguing seacoast village with medieval towns. It is one of the Celtic nations with the province having officially joined France in the 1500’s. The people of Bretagne called the Bretons have kept much of their heritage from southwest Great Britain. The cuisine, culture, customs, and even the language is unique from any other part of France. A great destination to get a feel of the diversity the country has to offer.
