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Family Holidays: Normandy family holidays and breaks
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Why
The British and the Normans have been staring at each other across the Channel for a long time, though mostly in opposition, and are united by a turbulent history. Beautiful in a low-key way and very easy to get to, the region is studded with enchanting seaside towns, ancient harbours, Romanesque and Gothic architectural treasures, medieval monasteries, Impressionist paintings and some unspoilt and charming countryside, parts of it bordering the Seine. The dramatic Mont-St-Michel is France’s most-visited attraction outside Paris, and the Bayeux Tapestry is also world famous. Normandy’s renowned produce, meanwhile, will ensure that you will eat like kings and queens at a fraction of the price you do at home.
- Top left: ‘Trotteur’ (trotting horse) on Deauville beach
- Top middle: Rouen view
- Top right: Monet's house of 43 years in Giverny
- Bottom left: 12th-century Château-Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy
- Bottom right: Mont St-Michel
When
Things get ferociously busy, and correspondingly expensive, in July and especially August, particularly on the Norman Riviera, yet this is when there’s most on for families, including kids’ beach clubs (‘Clubs Mickey’). In spring, early or late summer, or autumn, you’ll have many attractions virtually to yourselves (except on a holiday weekend), but you’ll need to plan ahead for rainy days – the weather is as changeable as in Britain.
Winter is generally a no-no, although you might consider a Christmas shopping trip to chi-chi Deauville, which puts on the glitz with its Noël au Balcon street arts festival complete with Santa’s cottage on the place du Marché (serving hot chocolate and mulled wine), a parade, puppet theatre, fire-eating and more.
How
Car ferries from the UK arrive at Dieppe, Le Havre, Ouistreham (near Caen) and
Cherbourg: operators are Brittany Ferries , Transmanche and LD Lines. Check for
deals to Normandy in one go with our favourite
ferry travel partners, including Ferry Savers. The cheapest
and quickest cross-Channel ferries are Dover to Boulogne, Dunkerque and Calais
(P&O), these ports are still within
easy reach of the Seine-Maritime (the most easterly area of Normandy).
St-Malo in Brittany can also be a handy port
for those visiting western Normandy.
You can also bring your car via Eurotunnel, a quick and easy ride (you don’t even get out of your vehicle), from which it’s an unstrenuous drive into eastern Normandy.
Or come through the Tunnel on Eurostar, another great option for stress-free family travel. Eurostar and RailEurope (buy tickets from TheTrainline) both offer onward journeys from Calais/Paris/Lille to Norman destinations Rouen, Le Havre, Deauville-Trouville, Caen and Cherbourg.
The only low-cost airline currently serving the area is Skysouth, taking you from Brighton to Le Havre or Caen. Otherwise, fly to Paris (Orly, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle or Beauvais (check deals with British Airways, or see Ryanair for the last) and continue by internal flight, train or even bus. You could also fly to Dinard in Brittany (with Ryanair), from which it’s a short hop into western Normandy.
For car-hire price comparisons, see our carhire page.
Stay
There are some very grand seaside hotels for those who fancy a splurge – in Deauville the Normandy Barrière has children’s clubs, a pool and even a special kids’ restaurant, while Le Grand in Cabourg is famous for its associations with Proust. Otherwise, as in most of France, there’s a good choice of family-friendly B&Bs, gîtes, apartments (some attached to hotels), campsites, (see our France camping guide), and of course Les Bois-Francs Center Parcs Europe. Also browse family hotels in Normandy with partners Active Hotels )
Do
Visit the 8th-century Benedictine abbey of Mont-St-Michel clinging to its rocky outcrop, which inspired the design of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings. Explore its higgledly-piggledy cobbled (and steep) alleyways, see the son-et-lumière show at the Archéoscope, and take at look at its eerie crypts and maritime and historical museums. Then venture into the Mont’s spectacular bay of quicksands, which once swallowed hordes of pilgrims, but strictly by guided walk or by tractor-drawn cart – the tides are Europe’s fastest-moving.
Those with little kids shouldn’t miss nearby Alligator Bay, which includes a ‘farm’ of 300 tortoises that you can pet.
Get a close-up look at the Bayeux Tapestry, a sort of early comic strip recounting the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest. See if you can spot the depictions of dragons and of Halley’s comet.
Learn about the D-Day landings, and global war and peace in general, at the Mémorial de Caen, with loads of hands-on displays for older kids and a free crèche for under-11s.
Take younger kids to Festyland just outside Caen, where more than 30 prehistoric, Viking, William the Conqueror and pirate themed rides and attractions provide a fun introduction to the region’s history.
Hit the beaches of the Norman Riviera, in one of the string of resorts that became fashionable among Parisians in the 19th century. School holidays see kids’ entertainment galore, and there are great hotels, restaurants and shops. Those with toddlers will appreciate the vast beaches at Deauville and Cabourg best of all.
Zoom over the Pont de Normandie arching dramatically over the Seine estuary between Le Havre and Honfleur – it briefly held the record for the world’s longest cable-stay bridge when it was built in 1995.
Admire the luminous-white cliffs of the Alabaster Coast with its natural archways that inspired Monet – spot his favourite one at Etretat, said to resemble an elephant dipping its trunk in the water
Visit medieval Rouen where Joan of Arc burnt at the stake and Monet came to obsessively paint the cathedral. As well as wandering around its streets full of quaint half-timbered houses and its excellent museums, you can pick up a free children’s trail at the tourist office, led by a friendly gargoyle.
Wonder at Château-Gaillard at Les Andelys, a architectural masterpiece of a fortress built by Richard the Lionheart on a clifftop by the Seine. Now in ruins, it’s a romantic spot for some play-acting and history-telling, and there are great guided tours too.
Stimulate kids’ interest in art by taking them to Monet’s garden at Giverny, which inspired his water-lilies and other famous works. See our recommendation for children’s books about Monet's garden below.)
Eat
Normandy is famous for its rich dishes, many cooked in the superb regional cream or featuring the fabulous local cheeses (including Camembert). But there’s also apples, which sneak into both savoury recipes and desserts – every town and village has its own apple tart recipe, or try flan normand, an apple pie with flaky pastry (served, naturally, with cream). Mum and Dad might also appreciate the apples in the form of the local Calvados and cider. Pears are good here too, and there’s a yummy local rice pudding, tergoule, flavoured with cinnamon. Then there’s the seafood – faultlessly fresh, and perhaps most child-friendly when served as a creamy marmite Dieppoise (Dieppe’s fish stew) – and the melt-in-the-mouth pré-salé lamb, which grazes on the salt marshes around the Mont-St-Michel.
Cost
You can expect to pay from around £40 per night at a budget hotel to £350 per night at a luxury hotel, (2 adults and 2 children), to around £4, 800 per week for a huge villa sleeping 12 at the height of summer. Camping can be a very economical holiday, with ferry crossing included, and can cost from as little as £99 per family for a week, so it can be well worth looking for those extra special camping offers. As a general rule, the cost of living in France is about 25% lower than in Britain, though clearly this varies widely between major cities like Paris and more remote areas. Everyday expenses are affected by the fact that VAT is payable on food, although you will be enjoying it so much you may not even notice!.
Travel reading
Frommers® Normandy with Your Family (Frommer's Normandy with Your Family)
by Rhonda Carrier
Put the Fun Back into Family Holidays with this very useful guide, full of tips and dedicated to sussing out kid-friendly accommodation, restraints and activities.
The Magical Garden of Claude Monet
by Laurence Anholt
Fantastically colourful book providing a simple and intriguing introduction to Monet for children, with the help of Julie and her wandering dog.
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Les Bois-Francs Center Parcs Europe, Normandy
from €405*
Set among gently sloping hills and apple orchards of picturesque Normandy
* from €405 for a 4 bed villa for 4 nights self catering
Résidence P & V Omaha Beach, Normandy
from £222*
Newly constructed luxury resort, relaxing location with pools, sauna and play areas
* from £222 per apartment for a short break
P & V Branville Holiday Village, Normandy
from £248*
10 hectare estate with tropical aqua park, kids clubs, circus school, and more
* from £248 per apartment for a short break.
P & V Deauville Golf Resort, Normandy
from £262*
Apartments in peaceful and secluded setting with heated pool, play areas and more
* from £262 per apartment for a short break.