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On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the eastern coast of the Cotentin Peninsula, code-named Utah Beach, received thousands of American troops, backed up by paratroops dropped inland around Ste-Mère-Eglise (see D-Day Beaches).

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.

Calm and lovely on a sunny spring day, rugged and wind-swept during a winter storm, this furthest prong of Cotentin is stunningly beautiful. Its stone villages, majestic cliffs, jagged rocks and hidden coves are more reminiscent of Brittany than Normandy, and the presence of a vast nuclear power station slap in the middle does not detract – at least too much – from the glorious coastline (see Nez de Jobourg).

The band of low-lying marshes and water meadows stretching across the base of the Cotentin Peninsula has been formed into a fascinating regional park with a rich birdlife, as well as houses made of clay and straw. Carentan is the gateway town, with a reception centre at Les Ponts d’Ouve (on the D913 between Carentan and St-Côme-du-Mont), in the centre of a watery landscape. An exhibition and video introduce the park to visitors, who explore on foot or by boat.

The compact and comforting lines of Lessay’s abbey church, St-Trinité, make it one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Dating from 1098, it was almost destroyed in 1944, but has been magnificently reconstructed using original materials. The interior is plain and lovely, with fine stained glass adding warmth. Sleepy Lessay’s big moment comes in the second week of September, when thousands converge for the convivial three-day Foire de Ste-Croix (see Foire de Sainte-Croix, Lessay).

One somehow doesn’t expect to find a great cathedral in this isolated corner of France, but here it is: a soaring stone rocket crowning the hill around which the town is gathered. In the 13th century, with the aid of the de Hauteville family, who had prospered in Sicily and southern Italy, a new Norman Gothic building was surmounted on the remains of the previous, fire-damaged Romanesque one. Its remarkable octagonal lantern above the altar rises to 41 m (135 ft), and its many towers, spires and pointed arches sweep the eye skyward. In town, the flower-filled Jardin des Plantes makes a perfect setting for some of the concerts that take place in Coutances during the annual Jazz sous les Pommiers festival in May (see Jazz sous les Pommiers, Coutances).

As it winds towards the sea, the River Vire cuts deeply through granite schists to form a ribbon of water amid glorious countryside. Towpaths border most of the river between Vire and St-Lô, so you can picnic, cycle, walk or horse-ride alongside. Condé-sur-Vire is the place for canoeing, while at Roches de Ham, the granite terrain leaps up to form a towering 80 m (260 ft) rock face above the river. Here are magnificent views of the verdant valley – and a welcome little crêperie and cider bar in summer. Nearby, La Chapellesur-Vire makes a perfect picnic spot. The grandiose chapel that dominates the village has been a place of pilgrimage since the 12th century. At Torigni-sur-Vire, the Château de Matignon houses a fine collection of tapestries.

Tucked beneath a wooded escarpment by the River Sienne, Hambye’s roofless remains have an immediately calming effect on visitors. The monastic buildings have been restored, and host exhibitions and concerts.

At first sight, Granville seems an unlikely setting for one of Normandy’s most popular seaside resorts, but it has two distinct faces. Ramparts enclose the upper town, which sits on a rocky spur overlooking the Baie du Mont-St-Michel. The walled town developed from fortifications built by the English in 1439 as part of their assault on the Mont. The Musée de Vieux Granville, in the town gatehouse, recounts Granville’s long-established sea-faring tradition. The chapel walls of the Église de Notre-Dame are lined with tributes from local fishermen to their patroness, Notre Dame du Cap Lihou. The lower town is the resort, with casino, promenades and public gardens. From the port, there are boat trips to the Îles Chausey, a scattering of low-lying granite islands.

For 800 years, this pretty little town – in every nook and cranny of which there are copper pots and pans for sale – has been the capital of copper (see Copper). In the Atelier de Cuivre, you can see the craftsmen at work, while the atmospheric Fonderie des Cloches gives a fascinating insight into the making of bells (clay, horse dung and goat hair are some unlikely components). Another local craft, lacemaking, is explained at the Musée de la Poeslerie.