DK Travel : Normandy : Central Normandy

Encompassing the whole of the Département of Calvados and much of Eure, this region is the true heart of Normandy. From the earthly pleasures of Deauville to the heavenly aspirations of Ste-Thérèse’s Lisieux, from the rural idyll of the Pays d’Auge to the architectural magnificence of the Château de Beaumesnil, from the Bayeux Tapestry to the Impressionist paintings inspired by the enchanting seaport of Honfleur, central Normandy is brimming with variety and interest. William the Conqueror – born in Falaise, buried in Caen – dominates the region’s history, as do the events of D-Day, 6 June 1944, and the subsequent Battle of Normandy, played out on its wide, sandy beaches and in its attractive, historic and now carefully restored towns.

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Pont-Audemer

In the charming town centre, encased like a jewel in its nondescript surroundings, water and half-timbered houses are the defining features.
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.
Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent, Ranville

Famous for its roof decorations and finials (épis de faitage ), this pottery also produces faïence animals, many of them life-size, as well as hand-decorated table-ware.
Prieuré de St-Gabriel, Brécy

Set around a courtyard, the lovely honey-stone buildings of this former daughter house of the Abbey of Fécamp are now occupied by a horticultural school. They can be viewed from the outside only.
Souterroscope, Caumont-l’Eventé

With 125 m (410 ft) of tunnels, strange rocks, beautiful minerals and even an underground rainbow, this former slate mine is a good choice for a rainy day.
St-Pierre, Thaon

No longer in use, this little church is a lovely sight in its isolated setting, hidden by greenery at the tip of a valley. A gem of Romanesque architecture.
Ste-Foy, Conches-en-Ouche

This Flamboyant Gothic church is graced by some of the finest stained glass in Normandy. Its tall spire is a precise copy of the one knocked down in a storm in 1842.
Tourist Trains

PontauRail run a restored 1952 train at a leisurely pace between Pont-Audemer and Honfleur. The ACFVE train starts from Pacy-sur-Eure and winds its way down the lovely Eure Valley.
Vallée de l’Eure

Easily accessible from Paris, the lush Eure Valley is a popular weekend destination for city dwellers. The stretch of the Eure between Chartres and the Seine is sometimes referred to as the Valley of the Mistresses, since it passes first the château of Louis XIV’s secret wife, Madame de Maintenon (just outside Normandy in Île de France), then Château d’Anet, commissioned by Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II. From Anet, the D143 and D836 follow the river past attractive Ivry-la-Bataille and Pacy-sur-Eure, with its fine 13th-century church. A lovely stretch at Cocherel comes next, then Château d’Acquigny, set in a landscaped park. The Eure ends at Louviers, which has a small but pretty old quarter near its 13th-century church of Notre-Dame (see Notre-Dame, Louviers).
Verneuil-sur-Avre

Chequered walls and turrets catch the eye in this fortified town on the old Franco-Norman border, as do the 13th-century Tour Grise and the striking tower of Ste-Madeleine (see Notre-Dame, Verneuil-sur-Avre).