DK Travel : Normandy : Pays d’Auge

Pays d’Auge

No one has rated this yet.

Rate it

Review this attraction

Are these details incorrect?

Orchards of apple and pear, thatched houses and half-timbered manors tucked into the hills, fat brown-and-white cows, immaculate studs, farmhouses selling cider and cheese – that’s the Pays d’Auge. Stretching north to the Côte Fleurie (see Deauville and La Côte Fleurie), bisected by the River Touques, the region perfectly encapsulates the distinctive charms of Normandy. The highlights described here are a delightful selection of villages, views, manors, châteaux and abbeys – and, of course, a Camembert museum and a Calvados distillery.
In Lisieux, you can visit Les Buissonnets, Thérèse’s childhood home, as well as the Cathédrale St-Pierre, where she attended mass. For recommended cafés and restaurants in Beuvron, Pont l’Evêque and Lisieux (see L’Aigle d’Or, Pont-l’Evêque)

Top 10 Highlights

1. Lisieux

The principal town of the region is inextricably linked with Ste Thérèse, who achieved posthumous renown for her book, Histoire d’une âme (Story of a Soul), and was canonized in 1925. On her account, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock here every year.
2. Château St-Germain-de-Livet

A visit to this enchanting château feels like entering a private world. Outside, turrets, towers, timbers and cleverly patterned brick; inside, oak furniture, Renaissance frescoes and thick, creaking floorboards.
3. Manoir de Coupesarte

A short track off the D47 brings you to the most romantic of all the Auge manors. It’s privately owned, but you can enter the adjoining farmyard to see the late-15th-century timbered, turreted house.
4. Vimoutiers

4. Vimoutiers

In the centre of Vimoutiers is a statue of Marie Harel, credited with inventing Camembert in the sleepy village of that name. The Musée du Camembert tells the story.
5. St-Pierre-sur-Dives

The market town huddles round its huge, sheltering church, all that is left of the rich Benedictine abbey that once stood here (see Eglise Abbatiale, St-Pierre-sur-Dives). The monks originally constructed the town’s venerable market hall.
6. Château de Vendeuvre

There’s plenty to do here: step back into the 18th century in the elegant château itself; visit the museum of miniature furniture (see Musée du Mobilier Miniature, Vendeuvre); or wander in the delightful “surprise” water gardens.
7. Château de Crèvecour-en-Auge

A rare chance to look inside a medieval lord’s moated, fortified Auge manor. The former agricultural buildings house a museum of oil prospecting, connected with the Schlumberger Foundation.
8. Beuvron-en-Auge

One of the loveliest, and most popular villages in the area. Charming houses, each one striped with old beams and dripping with geraniums, cluster around the main square. There is a fine manor house.
9. Clermont-en-Auge

In the village, look for St-Michel-de-Clermont, a charming chapel offering a fine panorama of the Pays d’Auge and the marshland beyond.
10. Maison des Calvados, Cormeilles

10. Maison des Calvados, Cormeilles

At this distillery, you can learn about the process of making the cider brandy Calvados – and, of course, taste the results.

Practical Information

Beuvron-en-Auge makes a good place for lunch, with plenty of choice, including gastronomic Pavé d’Auge (see Pavé d’Auge, Beuvron-en-Auge), cosy Boule d’Or (see Auberge de la Boule d’Or, Beuvron-en-Auge), a crêperie and tearooms. Driven in numerical order, the sights listed here make an excellent circular tour. Office du Tourisme: 11 rue d’Alençon, Lisieux 02 31 48 18 10 Château St-Germain-de-Livet: Open Feb–end Sep, mid-Oct–Nov: 11am–5pm Wed–Sun Adm charge Château de Vendeuvre: Open May–Sep: 11am–6pm daily Adm charge Château de Crèvecour-en-Auge: Open Apr–Jun, Sep: 11am–6pm daily; Jul, Aug: 11am–7pm daily; Oct: 11am–6pm Mon–Sat, 2–6pm Sun Adm charge Maison des Calvados: Open Apr–Oct daily Adm charge