About a 20-minute drive — close enough to base yourself in one and visit the other for an afternoon.
Discover Authentic Normandy Coasts: A Local Travel Guide by Mercure
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Normandy Coasts, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Our map pins local favourites such as the Chausey Islands, Marcel Proust's Cabourg and Vasterival beach.
Top 5 Things to Do in Normandy Coasts
Deauville
Famous for its wooden boardwalk, the Planches, lined with beach cabins named after film stars — a nod to the town's American Film Festival, held here every September.
Honfleur
The Vieux Bassin harbour, ringed by tall, narrow houses, has drawn painters for over a century — Monet among them. Don't miss Sainte-Catherine, a wooden church built by shipwrights after the Hundred Years' War.
Étretat
Part of the Alabaster Coast, where chalk cliffs run over 140km between Le Tréport and Le Havre. Étretat's own arches — the Porte d'Aval and the Aiguille needle offshore — are the most photographed stretch of it.
Cabourg
A resort built almost entirely in the Belle Époque style, with a seafront promenade named after Marcel Proust, who stayed at the Grand Hôtel and used the town as inspiration for Balbec in his novels.
Trouville-sur-Mer
Deauville's older, less polished twin, separated from it only by a harbour bridge. Its fish market on the quay is worth the walk over, especially early in the day when the catch is freshest.
Explore Normandy Coasts's Best Local Spots with Our Interactive Map
What's on the map in Normandy coasts
We've mapped local spots along the Normandy coast.
Coast & islands
Chausey Islands
Off Granville, an archipelago of 52 islands at high tide and 365 at low tide, with tides of up to 15 metres. A 45-minute boat ride takes you to Grande-Île, with its chapel, signal station and lighthouse.
Off Granville · Archipelago · Perfect for nature
Vasterival beach
Down a staircase through a steep wooded valley, Vasterival opens onto miles of Alabaster Coast with Dieppe in the distance. Go at low tide – at high tide, the beach disappears.
Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer · Beach · Ideal for scenery
La Cité de la Mer
A Cherbourg park devoted to underwater exploration, with 17 aquariums and a nuclear submarine to climb aboard.
Cherbourg · Ocean park · Great for families
Musée de la Libération
On Roule mountain above Cherbourg, a museum on civilian life from occupation to reconstruction.
Cherbourg · Museum · Perfect for history
Parc Emmanuel Liais
A 'Remarkable Garden' in central Cherbourg, full of exotic plants brought back by 19th-century sailors.
Cherbourg · Garden · Ideal for a stroll
Le Parapluie de Cherbourg
Tour the famous umbrella maker's workshop, with a view over the port – and leave ready for any weather.
Cherbourg · Workshop · Great for souvenirs
Château des Ravalet
A 16th-century Cotentin Renaissance château in an 18-hectare listed park.
Tourlaville · Château · Perfect for gardens
Festival des Traversées Tatihou
A summer music festival on Tatihou island, which you reach on foot at low tide from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue · Festival · Made for summer
Belle Époque & flavours
Cabourg, in Marcel Proust's footsteps
Proust stayed at Cabourg's Grand Hôtel from 1907 to 1914 and turned the town into his fictional Balbec. Walk the Promenade Marcel Proust to the Villa du Temps retrouvé and step into the Belle Époque.
Cabourg · Literary heritage · Perfect for culture lovers
Summer evenings at Cabourg racecourse
Every Tuesday and Friday evening in summer, trotting races at Cabourg racecourse, with tastings, entertainment and fireworks. Entry is €3, free for under-18s.
Cabourg · Racecourse · Ideal for a summer evening
Pavillon Augustine, Trouville
Very fresh fish and shellfish on a terrace overlooking Trouville's port, with a piano and vocal duo on Saturday evenings.
Trouville-sur-Mer · Restaurant · Made for seafood lovers
Caramels d'Isigny
Isigny is famous for its butter and cream – and for caramels made with both. Visit the factory, then the shop.
Isigny-sur-Mer · Confectionery · Perfect for sweet souvenirs
Off-Courts festival
A free short-film festival screening outdoors in Trouville every late summer since 2000.
Trouville · Festival · Great for film lovers
Le Bas Fort Blanc
A panoramic land-and-sea restaurant with a terrace right on the beach in Dieppe.
Dieppe · Restaurant · Perfect for sea views
Les Voiles d'Or
Chef Tristan Arhan cooks the day's catch alone in the kitchen, on the cliffs of Le Pollet.
Dieppe · Restaurant · Ideal for seafood
Comptoir à Huîtres
A Parisian-style brasserie on the quay, serving seafood and the catch of the day. Oysters first.
Dieppe · Brasserie · Made for oyster lovers
Le Turbot
Chef David Lefebvre's harbour-view restaurant, known for its marmite dieppoise.
Dieppe · Restaurant · Great for local dishes
L'O2 Mer
Contemporary cooking with local produce, for a quick lunch or a gourmet pause.
Restaurant · Perfect for lunch
FAQ
It helps. There's no direct train to Honfleur or Étretat, so a car — or at least careful bus timetable planning — makes moving between towns much easier.
Early morning or late afternoon light works best for the arches, and it also means fewer people on the clifftop paths.
Take a 45-minute boat ride from Granville to Grande-Île.
Marcel Proust stayed at Cabourg's Grand Hôtel from 1907 to 1914 and used the town as the model for Balbec in In Search of Lost Time.
Every Tuesday and Friday evening in summer, from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
Where to Sleep in Normandy Coasts
See our Mercure hotels across Normandy Coasts, ideally placed to explore these picks.