DK Travel : Normandy : Deauville and La Côte Fleurie

Deauville and La Côte Fleurie

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Between Honfleur and Cabourg, the Norman coastline becomes a playground: resorts, casinos, watersports, sunshine, sandy beaches backed by wooded hills. It all started in Trouville, which triggered the 19th-century rage for sea bathing. Next comes racy, romantic Deauville – created in the 1860s by a trio of wealthy entrepreneurs, embellished in 1910 with boardwalk, casino and racecourse. In contrast, Touques and Dives-sur-Mer have historic links with William the Conqueror, while stately Cabourg is forever associated with Marcel Proust.
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Top 10 Sights

1. Deauville

Racehorses pounding the beach at sunrise, a glamorous wooden boardwalk, the glittering casino, the sumptuous Hôtel Normandy, the Bar du Soleil, the Pompeian Baths, designer shops, marinas, racecourses, extravagant mock-Tudor villas – a glossy picture.
2. Trouville-sur-Mer

In contrast to its neighbour Deauville, Trouville exudes a terrific, happy-go-lucky air – due in part to its south-facing waterfront boulevard, trawlers and fish market, aquarium, children’s amusements, and wonderfully florid 1912 casino and town hall.
3. Touques

3. Touques

The vestiges of William the Conqueror’s castle can be visited at Bonneville, above his port of Touques. In the neat town centre stands the 11th-century church of St-Pierre.
4. Manoir des Evêques

Dip your toes into the beautiful Pays d’Auge with a visit to the half-timbered Manoir des Evêques, one of its loveliest buildings.
5. Villerville

5. Villerville

This friendly little seaside town, surrounded by woods and meadows, has become a village des livres , specializing in books.
6. Mont Canisy

Mont Canisy rises above Deauville, with views from Le Havre to the Orne; underground is a warren of German bunkers and tunnels.
7. Falaise des Vaches Noires

A walk at low tide between Villers and Houlgate takes you past the “cliff of the black cows”, rich in fossils.
8. Houlgate

Like Villers-sur-Mer, Houlgate is a family resort notable for its Neo-Norman architecture, all half-timbering, gables, turrets and towers.
9. Dives-sur-Mer

9. Dives-sur-Mer

The former port from which William set sail to conquer England boasts a magnificent oak-framed market hall and the church of Notre-Dame, founded in 1067.
10. Cabourg

10. Cabourg

Take tea at the Grand Hôtel, so vividly described by Proust in A la recherche du temps perdu and, like Cabourg itself, still redolent of those genteel 19th-century days.

Practical Information

In Deauville, Bar du Soleil and Bar de la Mer on Les Planches are great for people-watching. If you are looking for regional specialities, try Le Kraal, overlooking the marketplace. In Trouville, eat moules-frîtes at one of the many water-front restaurants, such as Les Vapeurs. Dress up to visit Deauville: it will make you feel the part. Access to Deauville beach is free; its gaily coloured parasols – folded in a way unique to the town – are, however, quite expensive to hire. Office du Tourisme: pl de la Mairie, Deauville 02 31 14 40 00 Jardins du Casino, Cabourg: 02 31 91 20 00