2 exrtra days in Normandy Recommendations?
 

We are going to Normandy in September. We have reservations for 2 nights in Honfleur at the La Maison de Lucie and for 3 nights at the Chateau de L'Isle Marie in Picauville. We have reserved a 2 day D day tour with Battle bus. We have 2 additional days to explore Normandy. We will have a car and would like to spend 2 nights exploring another area of Normandy and would appreciate your suggestions for the area and where to stay.

The area around Rouen is full of good sightseeing; check out the Michelin Green Guide to Normandy.

Le Bec-Hellouin southeast of Pont-Audemer is a beautiful village and a nice contrast with Rouen.
Beavan-en-age and Pierrefiite en age are two designated beautiful village where we stopped for lunch. I love the Pays D'Age, the region centered on Lisieux, a land of orchards and meadows with the grazing spotted cows whose milk makes the great Nrman cheese Camembert. And from the orchards the Calvados and hard cider. This is the area that is pepperd with the Chaumieres
those traditional thatched and timber -framed houses and barns. If you go further south, you'll see the houses are of stone. Have wonderful trip.

The Bayeux tapestry is wonderful, and the town is quite lovely. Unlike many in the neighborhood, almost untouched by WW II and the invasion.
It's not a long drive to Mont Saint Michel.

The abbey, including an old and a new church, at Le Bec Hellouin is certainly worth a visit. Not far from there is the huge ruined abbey of Jumièges; don't miss the nearby village.

You will love the Chateau de L'Isle Marie. We stayed their last year with our two children and it was a highlight of the trip. Be sure to do the hotel dinner one night-it is hosted in their barn, the food is delicious and you sit with all the hotel guests. I believe is was life changing experience for my now 15 yr. old because we sat with the Danish Rep. to NATO on military issues. My son now wants to do foreign service.

Any how back to your questions. the tapestry in Bayeux is wonderful. Also visit the Deat Man's Corner Museum-very interesting. The hosts at the Chateau can give you ideas-just write to them. They arranged a wonderful private tour guide for us.

The adjoining towns of Deauville-Trouville (sp?) were a fun respite from the levity of the D-Day beaches. Shops, nice restaurants and the casino were fun. My favourite part of our trip was visiting the Canadian cemetary at Beny-sur-Mer...if you're American, you would probably prefer the U.S. cemetaries.

Hi
We are leaving next week for Normandy also. We were intending to drive to Carnac in Brittany also, but changed our plans. We are going to visit Mont St, Michel in Normandy and then drive into Brittany for a town I've read about in 2 guidebooks. Dinan, is supposed to have a very nice medieval center and not be too large, as we are trying to avoid large towns etc. We are planning to visit for about 2 wks.

Dinan is indeed attractive. Because it is well-known for that, it is heavily touristed particularly, it seems to me, by English visitors. If you do not have any mobility problems, be sure to walk from the centre down rue du Jerzual to the port. The town also has impressive walls, and you can have an easier walk on the ramparts.

You might profitably look into adding Fougeres into your itinerary.

You might want to follow the Route des Marais , especially seeing Beuvron en Auge. Too bad it's not later in the month you could take in the cidre festival

Keeping this--to add the list of little villages--hoping to route my way through them on the way to Honfleur--following Underhill's abbey suggestions.