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With no international flights to Normandy, air travellers must fly to Paris or Lyon, and connect with an internal flight to a regional airport. Twin Jet runs a Monday-to-Friday service between Paris-Orly and Cherbourg. Air France operates regular flights from Lyon to Caen and Rouen.

Fly-drive deals tend to be better value than independent car rental. They can be booked through airlines, tour operators and travel agents, and sometimes include accommodation. The Travel e-Shop lists a number of companies.

From mid-April to the end of September, P&O have four sailings a day (five on Sat) from Portsmouth (journey time around 5 hours by day, 7 or 8 hours by night); for the rest of the year, they have two a day. During the same period, they also run the high-speed Seacat (journey time a little under 3 hours) twice a day. Brittany Ferries operates one or two sailings a day all year from Poole (around 4 hours by ferry; 2 hours by Seacat).

P&O have the monopoly on this route, with up to three sailings every 24 hours from Portsmouth (journey time 5 hours by day, 8 hours by night).

Two companies run the service between Newhaven and Dieppe: Hoverspeed (one to three 2-hour Seacat crossings per day, Mar to Oct), and Transmanche (two or three roll-on-off ferries a day all year round; 4 hours by day, about 5 hours by night).

Brittany Ferries runs the Portsmouth–Caen route, with three boats a day (journey time 6 hours by day, a little under 9 hours by night). You step off the ferry in the traditional fishing port of Ouistreham, a short drive from Caen.

The most romantic way to arrive in Normandy is from Paris by river. Two companies organize a seven-night Seine cruise from Paris to Honfleur: Viking River Cruises and CrosiEurope Alsace Croisières. Their itineraries differ, but both include stops at Vernon, Rouen and Caudebec.

The excellent national rail network, SNCF, runs a fast, direct service to Rouen, Le Havre, Caen, Bayeux, Cherbourg and Granville from Paris, which links to other European cities via Eurostar. SNCF also offers rail-drive packages.

The Autoroute de Normandie A13 toll motorway starts in Paris and runs south of the Seine to Caen, from where an extension leads to Bayeux and Cherbourg. Other motorways link Normandy with the northern Channel ports and Brittany. By French law, you must carry ID, a driving licence, and car ownership and insurance details (it’s also advisable to take out emergency breakdown cover). You must add headlight beam deflectors to a right-hand drive car, and carry a fire extinguisher, red warning triangle and first-aid kit.

The cheapest but least relaxing way to get to Normandy. Eurolines and Intercars run coaches between European cities and Paris; from there, you must use a local bus company to reach your destination – for names and numbers, contact local tourist offices.