DK Travel : Normandy : Places of interest

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Pont-l’Eveque

This workaday Pays d’Auge town is famous for its cheese. Nearby, at Château de Betteville, the Belle Époque motor museum is worth a visit.
Pontorson

Pontorson is something of a gateway to Mont-St-Michel. Its 12th-century church is a fine example of Norman Romanesque.
Port Racine

En route to Cap de la Hague, France’s smallest port is tucked beneath the road. From here, follow signs to Jardins Prévert, an oasis at the head of a wild valley.
Putot-en-Auge

This sleepy Pays d’Auge village has little more than a church (with a fine Romanesque portal, and a cemetery for Allied soldiers), manor house and little brick-built mairie (town hall), but it somehow encapsulates the rural delights of the Auge region. Nearby Criqueville-en-Auge is also worth a visit for its enchanting manor house.
Querqueville

Beside the hilltop church, surrounded by a cemetery packed with ornate marble tombs, stands St-Germain, the oldest (10th century) chapel in western France.
Reptilarium du Mont-St-Michel

Meet snakes, lizards, crocodiles and tortoises.
Restaurants

Most are child-friendly, have highchairs, and offer an inexpensive menu d’enfants .
Riva-Bella

The people of Caen, on the River Orne, are proud of their close connection to the sea, and here, at the mouth of the river, is “Caen-sur-Mer”: the attractive ferry and yachting port of Ouistreham and the bustling resort of Riva-Bella, with its superb sandy beach and jolly main street, rue de la Mer.
River Trips

Organized trips with unique views of the countryside include ones on the Douve and Taute in Cotentin (see By Boat).
Rouen

Founded by the Romans around 50 BC, the capital of Haute-Normandie occupied a strategic site on the Seine – the last point where the river could be bridged. From the end of the Hundred Years’ War, when the French retook the city from the English, Rouen prospered through textile production and maritime trade. In the 20th century, industry expanded on the south bank. The north bank’s many treasures – including streets of half-timbered houses and the magnificent cathedral – attract thousands of visitors every year (see Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Rouen).