2015 Normandy Travel Trade Edition by Normandie Tourisme

NORMANDY

TRAVEL TRADE EDITION 2015

Welcome to

Normandy!

Find out all you need to know about Normandy on our website

Normandy is easily accessible by plane, train or by road. The region is just a two hour drive from Paris and its airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, or from the port of Calais. If you take the train from Paris in just over an hour, you will arrive in Normandy’s main cities. With four local crossChannel ports, there are also regular sailings from Britain and Ireland. Whether you plan on a dedicated trip or are looking to include the region

as part of a wider tour, Normandy remains the ideal destination with a mixture of France’s best countryside, heritage, culture, food and entertainment. Our 2015 guide is full of practical information and inspirational ideas to help you plan your next trip to Normandy. Please note that the Tourist Board’s Clubs have brochures available for professionals on the following dedicated themes: historical sites and monuments, parks and gardens, golf, outstanding hotels & restaurants, cycling, horse-riding and remembrance tourism.

A très bientôt en Normandie

14, rue Charles Corbeau 27000 Évreux - FRANCE Tel: 00 33 (0)2 32 33 79 00 Fax: 00 33 (0)2 32 31 19 04 E-mail: contact@normandy-travel-trade.com

Normandy Tourist Board

Couleurs sélectionnées sur la carte

! Cover photo: © Thierry Seni - © Goodluz - fotolia.com

Whether you are a tour operator, a group travel organiser, a coach company, an incoming agency, an association or a school, we look forward to wel co min g yo u s o o n to No rm an d y, this incomparably beautiful region of France.

www.normandy-travel-trade.com 6 good reasons to come to Normandy

Birthplace of Impressionism

As the spiritual birthplace of Impressionism, Normandy has inspired many great artists to create images which live on in the collective consciousness today. With its unique lighting, magical seascapes, dramatic monuments and dreamy countryside, Normandy offered the perfect backdrop for Impressionist painters.

D-Day and the Battle of Normandy

Steeped in our common history, Normandy invites you to go back in time to retrace the footsteps of William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart and Joan of Arc and explore the rich medieval history of Normandy's architectural heritage with its chateaux, abbeys and museums.

On June 6th, 1944 Normandy became world-famous for the part it played in D-Day when Allied troops broke through Nazi defences to liberate occupied France in WWII. Today Normandy has many sites, museums, monuments and events which commemorate and celebrate this key period in modern history.

Gastronomic Normandy

Home of the horse

Normandy is internationally renowned for its world famous sites: the Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay, Etretat and its dramatic cliffs, the D-Day Landing Beaches, Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny, Rouen with its majestic cathedral, the Bayeux Tapestry, the Haras du Pin and Deauville to name but a few…

Medieval Normandy

The major sites

With its worldwide reputation for equestrian excellence, Normandy is an obvious destination for horse lovers. Home to two national studs, the Haras du Pin and Haras de Saint-Lô, the region also hosts many major horse races and events and also offers the visitor the chance to get in the saddle.

Normandy is a true gourmet's treasure trove with its emblematic cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, Neufchâtel, Pont L’Evêque and apple-based drinks such as Calvados, cider, Pommeau and perry. Seafood is plentiful, however if you prefer meat dishes, roasted lamb from the salt meadows around the Mont-SaintMichel is a must.

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Côte Fleurie [D3 to E3]

The seaside towns of Honfleur, Trouville, Deauville, Cabourg to name but a few along the "Flowered Coast" were made popular in the 19th century when sea bathing became a fashionable pastime for the French bourgeoisie.

Lisieux, the second most visited site of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes, is renowned as a site of pilgrimage dedicated to Sainte-Thérèse. The Basilica was built in her honour and remains the largest church built in France during the 20th century.

Bagnoles-de-l’Orne [D5]

[B3 to D3]

With its narrow cobbled streets and cathedral at its heart, Bayeux is the perfect example of a medieval Norman town. It is also home to the world famous Bayeux Tapestry, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Lisieux [E3]

Caen [D3]

The D-Day Landing Beaches

The capital of Lower Normandy is a thriving modern city with outstanding historical sites including William the Conqueror’s Ducal Castle, the Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames, together with the peace museum, Mémorial de Caen, which takes an in-depth look at 20th century history.

A gem of Belle Epoque architecture, this elegant nineteenth century spa town is set in the Orne countryside and offers a casino, racecourse, lake, cycle tracks and golf course.

The Mont-Saint-Michel, a major French tourist attraction, remains an international place of pilgrimage to this very day and the Bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel is included on the UNESCO list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites. This medieval architectural Wonder of the Western World dominates the surrounding landscape, rising out of the bay, which provides the natural show of the greatest tidal ranges in Europe.

Mont-Saint-Michel [B5]

Bayeux [C3]

Located at the top of the Cotentin peninsula, Cherbourg harbour boasts the world’s longest artificial roadstead which is 4km long. The Cité de la Mer museum bears testimony to the maritime tradition of the town.

Cherbourg [B2]

Normandy’s Channel coast is world-famous for the part it played on 6th June 1944, when Allied troops broke through Nazi defences to liberate occupied France and to change the course of World War II. The Allies launched simultaneous landings of U.S., British, Canadian and French forces on five separate beaches along this stretch of Normandy coast which were specifically codenamed Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah.

Rouen [G3]

A veritable Museum-City on the banks of the Seine, Rouen leaves no visitor indifferent, with its medieval half-timbered houses, its paved streets and its gothic churches and Notre-Dame cathedral. Artists flocked to this port city which is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

Le Havre [E2]

With its white cliffs, picturesque villages, the meandering Seine River offers beautiful scenery, notably from the vantage point at Château Gaillard [G3], the medieval fortress built by Richard the Lionheart.

Seine Valley

Just a short distance from Paris, this quaint artists’ retreat on the banks of the Seine became the home of Monet, father of the Impressionist movement. His world famous house and gardens plus the Musée des Impressionnismes can be visited today.

Giverny [H4]

Etretat

Etretat is a romantic seaside village on the Côte de Nacre overlooking the Channel which is a constant source of inspiration to artists and writers with its dramatic white cliffs and chalk needle.

This major European port combines the attractions of a modern, vibrant city with the charm of a seaside resort. Rebuilt in modernist postwar style by Auguste Perret, the concrete poet, Le Havre is recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.

Etretat [E2]

Haras du Pin [E4]

Known as the "Versailles of Horses", Le Pin National Stud is the oldest and most prestigious national stud in France and was founded in 1715 by Louis XIV.

This "City of the Dukes" is internationally renowned for its UNESCO-listed needle point lace and is ideally situated on the edge of the Normandy-Maine Nature Park for trips into the countryside.

Alençon [E5]

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Perche [F5] The regional conservation area of the Perche bears a rich natural and architectural heritage with rolling hills, forests, typical “bocage” hedgerows, Percheron horses, charming small towns, manor houses and sumptuous chateaux…

Forthcoming major events

©Thomas Jouanneau DFA SBP

The Mont-Saint-Michel becomes an island once more

Listed as a Unesco World Heritage site since 1979, the Mont-SaintMichel has recovered its island status after 10 years of construction work. 2014 will see the end of the construction phase with the opening of a new pedestrian bridge and in 2015 the old causeway will be removed marking the completion of the project. With the new means of access and transport, the aim is to preserve the bay’s natural environment and to ensure that the Mont goes back to being an island once more. www.bienvenueaumontsaintmichel.com

The 2016 Normandy Impressionist Festival The Festival Normandie Impressionniste is now an established event in the Normandy calendar and has welcomed nearly a million visitors to date. The next festival is planned from April to September 2016 with Impressionist portraits as the central theme. A wide variety of festive and cultural events will happen all over Normandy from fine art exhibitions to luncheons on the grass, sound and light shows to musical concerts. www.normandie-impressionniste.eu

Two new sites in Rouen in 2015

The Panorama XXL will be a unique site in France and will be built on the dockside of the Seine. It is effectively a giant rotunda which will give a 360° panoramic view of the circular paintings by the German artist, Yadegar Asisi. A painting of Rome at the time of Emperor Constantine the Great in 312 AD will be the opening exhibit from January 2015 followed by Amazonia in autumn 2015. And in spring 2016 a panorama of Gothic Rouen in the Middle Ages with Joan of Arc as the central theme will be on display. www.rouentourisme.com

Historial Jeanne d’Arc - Joan of Arc History Centre

Tom Schulze 2011 © asisi

Panorama XXL

Rouen is the city where Joan of Arc was tried in 1431, burned at the stake and where the trial that finally exonerated her in 1456 took place. The new Joan of Arc History Centre, the Historial, with its interactive displays will open in spring 2015 in the premises of the Rouen Archbishop’s Palace, housing the salle de l’Officialité where both of her trials took place and where you will also be able to marvel at the two crypts together with 15th century rooms and tower. www.rouentourisme.com

New! Museums, sites and visits Mémorial de Caen [D3]

The Caen Memorial, Centre for History and Peace, has recently opened a new exhibition space that recreates General Richter’s subterranean bunker, with inventive staging that highlights the military aspects of the German Occupation, as well as the history of the Atlantic Wall. http://normandy.memorial-caen.com

Manufacture Bohin – Saint-Sulpice-sur-Risle [F4]

The only working needle and pin factory in France today has opened its museum with visits of its production workshops. www.lamanufacturebohin.fr

Claude Monet’s house and gardens - Giverny [H4]

The bedroom of the painter Blanche Hoschedé-Monet, Claude Monet’s stepdaughter and daughter-in-law, is now open to viewing by the public. www.fondation-monet.com/en

Le Palais Bénédictine – Fécamp [E2]

The President of the French Barmen’s Association who is also the Head Barman at the Deauville 5 star Normandy Hotel now heads up new cocktail workshops which use Bénédictine as the key ingredient. www.benedictinedom.com

Musée Airborne – Sainte-Mère-Eglise [B3]

A new building in the shape of an airplane’s wing with a section dedicated to former American President, Ronald Reagan. www.airborne-museum.org/en

William the Conqueror's Route - Géfosse-Fontenay to Falaise [B3 to D4]

This new 120 km trail, broken into 11 stages, corresponds to the future King of England’s night ride when he was nearly assassinated. www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk/en/activities/on-horseback/overnight-hikes.php

D-Day Paratroopers Historical Centre - Saint-Côme-du-Mont [B3] – June 2015

Extension to existing museum with a new building in the shape of an American aircraft hangar, to welcome groups on site. www.paratrooper-museum.org/en

Chateau du Champ de Bataille – Le Neubourg [F3] – 2015

Property of Jacques Garcia, the French interior designer, the Chateau du Champ de Bataille has now opened its gardens to the public (greenhouses and the dream pavilion – visits exclusively for groups). France’s largest private park. www.chateauduchampdebataille.com

Hotels Hôtel Novotel – Le Havre [E2] – summer 2014

Opening of a relaxation area with a gym, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna in this 134 room, 4 star hotel. www.novotel.com

Hôtel Le Landemer – Urville-Nacqueville [A2] summer 2014

New 10 room, 3 star boutique hotel with a seaview and gourmet panoramic restaurant just 10 km from Cherbourg. www.le-landemer.com/en

Hôtel M’Gallery - Trouville [E3] – February 2015 Opening of a 103 room, 4 star hotel with spa centre. www.mgallery.com

Hôtel Océania – Le Havre [E2] – end 2015

Opening of a 107 room, 3 star hotel with a brasserie restaurant. www.oceaniahotels.com

La Presqu’île de la Touques 5 star holiday village – Deauville [E3] – end 2015 Opening of 134 holiday flats on the marina in this new Pierre & Vacances holiday village. www.pierreetvacances-immobilier.com

Radisson Blu Hotel - Rouen [G3] – 2016

Opening of a 91 room, 4 star hotel with a well-being centre and seminar rooms in central Rouen. www.radissonblu.com

(Subject to alteration)

www.normandy-travel-trade.com

www.normandy-travel-trade.com the website dedicated to travel trade professionals The Normandy Tourist Board now has a website for travel trade professionals. This website features all the information you need including a log book and an interactive map, together with a photo library to help you organise your next trip to Normandy… 2

For brochures, photo library, downloads

To get to Normandy, weather and tides

Everything Normandy has to offer

Normandy

Your space and log book