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An excellent base for exploring the Risle Valley, this small market town is watched over by an 11th-century keep.

Popularized by Napoleon III, the famous cheese was first made here by Marie Harel around 1790. Some nearby farms still use her original method.

If you’re hiring, book child seats in advance. Stock up with water, food and games before journeys.

Using waxworks, this museum in an old monastery reconstructs the everyday life of the monks.

Until 1936, when it was bought by the state, this imposing red-brick château had been in the Le Veneur de Tillières family for almost 500 years. Founded by Jean de Carrouges in the 14th century, it has all the attributes necessary for a grand château: moats, terraces, a park and gardens, and a particularly elegant 16th-century gatehouse with four pepperpot towers (see Autour d’un Piano, Château de Carrouges).

The beautiful park of this 16th-century château, with its romantic turreted gatehouse, is loveliest in May and June when the rhododendrons are in bloom.

Its fairy-tale turrets, ornately carved pediments and steep-sloping roofs reflected in the limpid, green waters of its rectangular moat, this dainty early-Renaissance château is as enchanting as the family name is curious. It was built mainly during the 15th and 16th centuries, with a west wing – now the living quarters – added in the 18th. You can wander in the grounds or take a short tour of the interior, furnished in predominantly 18th-century style.

There’s more than meets the eye to Cherbourg, especially since the opening, in 2002, of its latest attraction, La Cité de la Mer (see Cité de la Mer, Cherbourg). For a good view of the port, drive to the hilltop Fort du Roule, which houses the Musée de la Libération, recalling the events leading to Cherbourg’s liberation on 27 June 1944. Most activity is centred on the flower-filled market square, pl Généralde-Gaulle, and along shopping streets such as rue Tour-Carrée and rue de la Paix. The town’s collection of fine art in the spacious Musée Thomas-Henry includes portraits by Jean-François Millet (see Gruchy). Parc Emmanuel Liais has small botanical gardens and a densely packed Musée d’Histoire Naturelle.

This pretty stone-built village in the Suisse Normande (see La Suisse Normande, La Suisse Normande) boasts one of Europe’s largest model railways (see Musée du Chemin de Fer Miniature), but its main attraction is the wide range of holiday activities on offer.