Family Holidays: Normandy family holidays and breaks
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Why
The British and the Normans have been staring at each other across the Channel
for a long time, though mostly in opposition, and are united by a turbulent
history. Beautiful in a low-key way and very easy to get to, the region is studded
with enchanting seaside towns, ancient harbours, Romanesque and Gothic architectural
treasures, medieval monasteries, Impressionist paintings and some unspoilt and
charming countryside, parts of it bordering the Seine. The dramatic Mont-St-Michel
is France’s most-visited attraction outside Paris,
and the Bayeux Tapestry is also world famous. Normandy’s renowned produce,
meanwhile, will ensure that you will eat like kings and queens at a fraction
of the price you do at home.
- Top left: ‘Trotteur’ (trotting horse) on Deauville beach
- Top middle: Rouen view
- Top right: Monet's house of 43 years in Giverny
- Bottom left: 12th-century Château-Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy
- Bottom right: Mont St-Michel
When
Things get ferociously busy, and correspondingly expensive, in July and especially
August, particularly on the Norman Riviera, yet this is when there’s most
on for families, including kids’ beach clubs (‘Clubs Mickey’).
In spring, early or late summer, or autumn, you’ll have many attractions
virtually to yourselves (except on a holiday weekend), but you’ll need
to plan ahead for rainy days – the weather is as changeable as in Britain.
Winter is generally a no-no, although you might consider a Christmas shopping
trip to chi-chi Deauville, which puts on the glitz with its Noël au Balcon
street arts festival complete with Santa’s cottage on the place du Marché
(serving hot chocolate and mulled wine), a parade, puppet theatre, fire-eating
and more.
How
Car ferries from the UK arrive at Dieppe, Le Havre, Ouistreham (near Caen) and
Cherbourg: operators are Brittany Ferries , Transmanche and LD Lines. Check for
deals to Normandy in one go with our favourite
ferry travel partners, including Ferry Savers. The cheapest
and quickest cross-Channel ferries are Dover to Boulogne, Dunkerque and Calais
(P&O), these ports are still within
easy reach of the Seine-Maritime (the most easterly area of Normandy).
St-Malo in Brittany can also be a handy port
for those visiting western Normandy.
You can also bring your car via Eurotunnel,
a quick and easy ride (you don’t even get out of your vehicle), from which
it’s an unstrenuous drive into eastern Normandy.
Or come through the Tunnel on Eurostar,
another great option for stress-free family travel. Eurostar and RailEurope
(buy tickets from TheTrainline) both
offer onward journeys from Calais/Paris/Lille to Norman destinations Rouen,
Le Havre, Deauville-Trouville, Caen and Cherbourg.
The only low-cost airline currently serving the area is Skysouth,
taking you from Brighton to Le Havre or Caen.
Otherwise, fly to Paris (Orly, Roissy-Charles
de Gaulle or Beauvais (check deals with British
Airways, or see Ryanair for the last) and continue by internal flight, train
or even bus. You could also fly to Dinard in Brittany
(with Ryanair), from which it’s a short hop into western Normandy.
For car-hire price comparisons, see our carhire
page.
Stay
There are some very grand seaside hotels for those who fancy a splurge –
in Deauville the Normandy Barrière
has children’s clubs, a pool and even a special kids’ restaurant,
while Le Grand in Cabourg is famous
for its associations with Proust. Otherwise, as in most of France, there’s
a good choice of family-friendly B&Bs, gîtes, apartments (some attached
to hotels), campsites, (see our France camping
guide), and of course Les Bois-Francs
Center Parcs Europe. Also browse family hotels in Normandy with
partners Active Hotels ). For more ideas, see the Normandy section of our article on Self Catering holidays in France
Do
Visit the 8th-century Benedictine abbey of Mont-St-Michel
clinging to its rocky outcrop, which inspired the design of Minas Tirith in
Lord of the Rings. Explore its higgledly-piggledy cobbled (and steep) alleyways,
see the son-et-lumière show at the Archéoscope, and take at look
at its eerie crypts and maritime and historical museums. Then venture into the
Mont’s spectacular bay of quicksands, which once swallowed hordes of pilgrims,
but strictly by guided walk or by tractor-drawn cart – the tides are Europe’s
fastest-moving.
Those with little kids shouldn’t miss nearby Alligator
Bay, which includes a ‘farm’ of 300 tortoises that you can pet.
Get a close-up look at the Bayeux
Tapestry, a sort of early comic strip recounting the Battle of Hastings
and Norman Conquest. See if you can spot the depictions of dragons and of Halley’s
comet.
Learn about the D-Day landings, and global war and peace in general, at the
Mémorial de Caen,
with loads of hands-on displays for older kids and a free crèche for
under-11s.
Take younger kids to Festyland
just outside Caen, where more than 30 prehistoric, Viking, William the Conqueror
and pirate themed rides and attractions provide a fun introduction to the region’s
history.
Hit the beaches of the Norman Riviera, in one of the string
of resorts that became fashionable among Parisians in the 19th century. School
holidays see kids’ entertainment galore, and there are great hotels, restaurants
and shops. Those with toddlers will appreciate the vast beaches at Deauville
and Cabourg best of all.
Zoom over the Pont de Normandie arching dramatically over
the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur – it briefly held the
record for the world’s longest cable-stay bridge when it was built in
1995.
Admire the luminous-white cliffs of the Alabaster Coast with
its natural archways that inspired Monet – spot his favourite one at Etretat,
said to resemble an elephant dipping its trunk in the water
Visit medieval Rouen
where Joan of Arc burnt at the stake and Monet came to obsessively paint the
cathedral. As well as wandering around its streets full of quaint half-timbered
houses and its excellent museums, you can pick up a free children’s trail
at the tourist office, led by a friendly gargoyle.
Wonder at Château-Gaillard at Les Andelys, a architectural
masterpiece of a fortress built by Richard the Lionheart on a clifftop by the
Seine. Now in ruins, it’s a romantic spot for some play-acting and history-telling,
and there are great guided tours too.
Stimulate kids’ interest in art by taking them to Monet’s
garden at Giverny, which inspired his water-lilies and other famous works.
See our recommendation for children’s books about Monet's garden below.)
Eat
Normandy is famous for its rich dishes, many cooked in the superb regional
cream or featuring the fabulous local cheeses (including Camembert). But there’s
also apples, which sneak into both savoury recipes and desserts – every
town and village has its own apple tart recipe, or try flan normand, an apple
pie with flaky pastry (served, naturally, with cream). Mum and Dad might also
appreciate the apples in the form of the local Calvados and cider. Pears are
good here too, and there’s a yummy local rice pudding, tergoule, flavoured
with cinnamon. Then there’s the seafood – faultlessly fresh, and
perhaps most child-friendly when served as a creamy marmite Dieppoise (Dieppe’s
fish stew) – and the melt-in-the-mouth pré-salé lamb, which
grazes on the salt marshes around the Mont-St-Michel.
Cost
You can expect to pay from around £40 per night at a budget hotel to
£350 per night at a luxury hotel, (2 adults and 2 children), to around
£4, 800 per week for a huge villa sleeping 12 at the height of summer.
Camping can be a very economical holiday, with ferry crossing included, and
can cost from as little as £99 per family for a week, so it can be well
worth looking for those extra special camping
offers. As a general rule, the cost of living in France is about 25% lower
than in Britain, though clearly this varies widely between major cities like
Paris and more remote areas. Everyday expenses are affected by the fact that
VAT is payable on food, although you will be enjoying it so much you may not
even notice!.
Travel reading
by Rhonda Carrier
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Put the Fun Back into Family Holidays with this very useful guide, full of tips and dedicated to sussing out kid-friendly accommodation, restraints and activities.
by Laurence Anholt
Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Fantastically colourful book providing a simple and intriguing introduction to Monet for children, with the help of Julie and her wandering dog.
