Deauville-Trouville

Twin towns on the beach, divided only by the River Touques, Deauville and Trouville compete for the title of Most Extravagant Norman Town. The two towns have distinctly different atmospheres, but it's easy (and common) to shuttle between them. Trouville—whose beaches were immortalized in the 19th-century paintings of Eugène Boudin (and Vincente Minelli's 1958 Oscar-winner, Gigi)—is the oldest seaside resort in France. In the days of Louis-Philippe, it was discovered by artists and the upper crust; by the end of the Second Empire it was the beach à la mode. Then the Duc de Mornay, half brother of Napoléon III, and other aristocrats who were looking for something more exclusive, built their villas along the deserted beach across the Touques (more than a few of these were built simply as love-shacks for their mistresses).

Thus was launched Deauville, a vigorous grande dame who started kicking up her heels during the Second Empire, kept swinging through the Belle Époque, and is still frequented by a fair share of Rothschilds, princes, and movie stars. Few of them ever actually get in the water here, since other attractions—casino, theater, music hall, polo, galas, racecourses (some of the world's most fabled horse farms are here), marina and regattas, palaces and gardens, and extravagant shops along the Rue Eugène-Colas—compete for their attention. Fashionable avenues like Rue des Villas and Place Morny also entice. But perhaps Deauville is known best for its Promenade des Planches —the boardwalk extending along the seafront and lined with deck chairs, bars, striped cabanas, and an array of lovely half-timber Norman villas—the place for celebrity-spotting. With its high-price hotels, designer boutiques, and one of the smartest gilt-edge casinos in Europe, Deauville is often jokingly called Paris's 21st arrondissement.

Trouville—a short drive or five-minute boat trip across the Touques River from its more prestigious neighbor—remains more of a family resort, harboring few pretensions. If you'd like to see a typical French holiday spot rather than look for glamour, stay in Trouville. It, too, has a casino and boardwalk, an aquarium and bustling fishing port, a lively Sunday morning market, plus a native population that makes it a livelier spot out of season than Deauville.