Upper Normandy tourist attractions. 1. Seine Maritime

Last Updated on 19/04/2024

Main Upper Normandy tourist attractions are a picturesque Alabaster coast with chalk cliffs. The castles here and there are in most cases not the most outstanding and more like the estates of not too rich nobles. Nice villages with old houses. Calvados and Camembert. Gardens planted by talented gardeners. The beaches are pebbly, in some places at low tide you can find sand, which becomes more in the north.

Upper Normandy. Seine Maritime. Rouen region
Rouen old town
Lower Normandy. Calvados and Orne. What to visit
Lower Normandy. Map. Manche

Everything important that you can see in the region – with notes and links.

• 1 – top
• 2 – very good, although not so well known
• 3 – good for a short vacation or a layover. Several medium-level interesting places
• 4 – local or specific, not for everyone

Marks without brackets – I was there (there are links to the posts). With brackets – I wasn’t there. Of course, the notes are subjective

Upper Normandy tourist attractions from Le Havre to Dieppe

Upper Normandy beaches

Let’s start our journey along the Alabaster Coast from Le Havre. There are beaches in cities

St-Jouin-Bruneval
Etretat,
Yport,
Fecamp
Veulettes-sur-Mer,
St. Valery-en-Caux,
Veules-les-Roses,
St. Aubin (11, wide sandy beach at low tide – other villages further north also have sandy beaches),
Quiberville,
Ste-Marguerite-sur-Mer,
Pourville-sur-Mer,
St-Martin-en Campagne,
Criel-sur-Mer,
Mesnil-Val.

access to the sea in the form of secluded valleys (the so-called dry “hanging” valleys Valleuse) – in the villages:

la Poterie-Cap-d’Antifer,
le Tilleul,
Vaucottes,
Senneville
Sotteville-sur-Mer,
Varengeville-sur-Mer (Vasterival, Moutiers),
Belleville-sur-Mer,
Berneval-le-Grand.

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1. Le Havre

Le Havre was almost completely destroyed during the war, it is not at all necessary to stay there. But you can stop by to see modern architecture, visit the MuMa Museum of Contemporary Art (you can see Monet, Degas, Renoir, etc.) and the Natural History Museum.

In the suburbs: the abbey L’Abbaye de Graville (10-13th. centuries) with an art museum.

Near Abbey of Montivilliers (link)
Octevelle sur Mer: aquarium Aquacaux (link)

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2. Etretat

Etretat is described in more detail on the Etretat page.

Walking along the rocks and beaches takes most of the day. But if time and energy remain, the city offers two more residences: the residence of the Queen of Spain with 19th century interiors and the residence of Maurice Leblanc with interiors from the early 20th century. And also a new garden Les Jardins d’Étretat (link)

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3. Yport

A simplified version of Etretat. The impressionists also painted here, there are also white cliffs, but there are no such picturesque rocks.

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4. Fecamp

Read more about Fecamp

The main historical attraction of Fecamp is the Benedictine abbey, which houses a museum of winemaking and local art. On the outskirts of the city towards Etretat there is a rope park, on the northern slope there are fortifications of the Second World War, an observation deck and a church.

Fecamp is reachable by bus from Le Havre, Etretat, Breaute and Yvetot.

Senneville is a small village following Fecamp north along the coast. There is a small secret exit to the shore (see photo report)

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5. Les Loges, Maniquerville

The bus from Etretat to Fecamp passes through the villages of Les Loges (there is a rope park) and Maniquerville (a farm with a museum of farming – www.lafermenormande.com).

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6. Bretteville-du-Grand-Caux

Here you can visit the cider museum (www.ecomuseeducidre.fr).

Near: Epreville – snail farm

Public transport – Le Havre – Fecamp bus via Goderville.

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7. St-Maclou-la-Briere

Museum of Traditional Norman Life (maison.traditions.no.free.fr (UPd 2023 closed) ). There is no public transport here.

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8. Amfreville-les-Champs

Local produce farm and flax museum (link).

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9. Saint Vallery en Caux

Museum in the building of 1540, where, according to legend, Henry 4 stayed – exponats about the history of the region, the history of fishing, paintings.

Bus from Dieppe or Fecamp.

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10. Ermenouville

Small rose garden and manor Chateau Mesnil Geffroy. It makes sense to visit exclusively during the rose blossom season (June-July). It’s too expensive without flowers.

11. Veules les Roses

Wide sandy beach

Above – a monument in the form of a cannon at the cliff. Here was the last place of evacuation of the French during WWII. Some jumped off cliffs. The ship covering the evacuation ran aground. People were taken away in smaller boats, and the crew of the ship covered them to the last. The survivors were taken prisoner. The remains of the ship are visible at low tide. The guns have been removed from this ship.

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12. St. Margerite sur Mer, Varengeville sur Mer

Public transport – bus from Dieppe.

In St. Margerite – Garden Vasterival. For individual travelers, there is a strictly defined time, see on the website (link).

In Varengeville sur Mer two important gardens:

Le Bois des Moutiers (art garden)

Read more

and Shamrock (the largest collection of hydrangeas in the world, flowering time from July, Jardin Shamrock ).

In addition, there is Manoir d’Ango – castle 16th century and an old church on the cliffs above the sea.

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13. St. Pierre-le-Vieux

Palace Chateau Herbouville. (link)

Tourist atrractions along the Seine

A bus runs through the towns along the Seine from Rouen to Caudebec-en-Caux and from Caudebec-en-Caux to Le Havre.

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14-15. Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville

14. Half-timbered mansion of the 16th century Manoir de Villers ( www.manoirdevillers.com ).

15. Abbey church Saint-Georges (link) in the village Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville. A beautiful Romanesque church, the remains of a monastery, a garden in the French regular style.

Read more.

Near rope parc Normandy Adventure Space

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17. Jumieges

Picturesque abbey ruins (link).

Read more

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18. Chаteau d’Etelan

Gothic palace 15th century (link).

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19. Lillebonne

Excavations: Roman amphitheater, Gallo-Roman theater. Archaeological Museum. (link)

Next – Seine-Maritime Part 2, Eure´
More Normandy Topics – #Normandy.