Normany cottages and gites - holiday properties throughout Normandy

NORMANDY

A Norman Manor House

Normandy holiday rentals: A varied, historic region just west of Paris, Normandy boasts a beautiful, rugged coastline and some of France's most important historical sites. Its proximity to Paris means that the capital city is an easy day trip away. View our Normandy cottages and gites below, or search for your perfect holiday property.

Read our mini guide to Normandy

read less...

Though the region makes an excellent destination for a seaside holiday, it may be best-known as the site of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. History buffs and those with respect for the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives here will want to visit the D-Day beaches and the numerous World War II museums, memorials and graveyards scattered across the region.

Moving farther back into the area's history, you can trace the path of William the Conqueror or see the footprints left by Joan of Arc. In Rouen, you can visit the Tour Jeanne d'Arc, where she was imprisoned, and can see the place du Vieux, where she was burned at the stake in 1431.

Normandy played a central role in French art as well, inspiring the Impressionist movement in the 19th century. Claude Monet was born in Giverny and today it's possible to visit some of the landscapes he painted. To see excellent collections of Impressionist art, head to the Fine Arts Museums of Rouen and Caen. In Le Havre, visit the Malraux Museum, which overlooks the sea and has many works by local artists.

Don't miss Mont St. Michel, an impressive rock topped with an even more impressive medieval monastery. The entire structure is converted into an island at high tide, and watching the tide sweep in is a marvelous sight in itself. Other monasteries and religious sites worth visiting are the cathedral in Rouen (the city is known as the 'City of a Hundred Spikes' because of its fantastic churches) and the newer ?glise St. Joseph in Le Havre, a modern creation built in the 1950s.

A Norman Manor House

Winters are cold and summers hot in Normandy, but the sea does a great job of regulating the climate along the coast, meaning that extremes are rare. The best times to visit are in June and September, when the weather is warm but the summer crowds haven't yet arrived.

A Norman Manor House

The closest major airports are Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, which are about an hour and a half from Normandy (more depending on where in the region you're headed). Regional airports in Caen and Deauville have regular domestic flights and a few flights to and from London.

From the UK, the ferry is another quick and easy option. Several companies make the journey year-round across the English Channel.

Trains are an easy way to get around too. From the UK, you can board the Chunnel train. Once in Paris, different lines head to Upper and Lower Normandy.

If you choose to drive, the A13 motorway joins Paris with Rouen in just 1 1/2 hours.

A Norman Manor House

Walking and cycling are popular in Normandy. The government has recently created twelve itineraries, (dubbed 'Active Normandy') leading visitors in the footsteps of Santiago de Compostela pilgrims or of the Allies on D-Day. Lush gardens and varied plantlife fills the countryside, making even a short walk or excursion memorable. On or off these itineraries, Normandy is an excellent destination for walkers and bikers because of its quiet roads, varied landscape and well-connected provincial towns.

Golf is also popular, and Normandy is considered one of France's top golfing areas. There are 37 year-round courses, and golfers can tee off on a cliff overlooking Normandy beaches or on a course sitting beside an historic manor house.

Fishermen are drawn to Normandy for the excellent salmon fishing in its rivers. This is also a popular place to fish brown trout and sea trout; it's widely agreed that Normandy has the best sea trout fishing in France. Other fish, like pike, are found here too.