Lower Normandy

Overview:

Located to the northwest of Paris, the region of Normandy embraces Monet’s wonderful gardens at Giverny, the historic city of Rouen, and along the coast, the picturesque port of Honfleur, and the world-famous D-Day beaches and the Normandy coastline where on June 6, 1944 the Allies made their major offensive, reinforcing the turnaround in World War II. Decades have passed but abandoned pillboxes remain, the floating harbor endures, and museums document the events of the war. Turning inland, you visit historic Bayeux to marvel at its almost-thousand-year-old tapestry and the hinterland of Normandy with rolling farmland and villages of half-timbered houses—an area famous for its cheese. The region's western edge boasts the famous Mont Saint Michel, a sightseeing venue that has attracted legions of visitors for hundreds of years.