Visiting the Northern France
This is a summary of my trip visiting the North of France, from Dunkerque to Mont St. Michel.
The original trip was from Brussels to Paris and it lasted for three days, all the trip was done with a rented car, the best way to have freedom to visit everything you want when you want.
It is an highly recommended trip, you will find places from the XIII century like the famous Mont St. Michel or if you prefer some recent history, there are many museums about the Second World War, specially about the D-Day.
The Begining
Entering in France, the trip started visiting Dunkerque & Calais, two nice coastal cities with some nice buildings.
Dunkerque & Calais
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeMore information about Calais
- Visiting gardens of Calais, France: a Flemish Town H...
Around public gardens in a small, walkable area in the centre of Calais are found a number of structures of historical note. The garden area in front of the main façade of the Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville )... - Visiting the Old Town of Calais, France: memories an...
There being so much of historical and cultural interest in Calais, this article does not attempt to be comprehensive. The Old Town alone of Calais, despite having suffered much war damage of the years, has...
First Night in France
The first night was passed in the small city of Abbeville. Although we expected to be just a place to sleep, it was also a place to visit.
A typical place without touristic places with a city center that seemed frozen in time, being the Church the center of attention.
Abbeville
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeWhile in the Motor Way
The landscape in Normandy is awesome, it is very green and you can see the typical small villages.
Of course you may want to have a more special trip and drive in the smaller roads, passing by these villages. The choice of the Motor Way is due to the time you take from place to place.
Village in Normandy
Second Day
Starting From Abbeville you can go directly to Etretat and visit on of the images used to describe Normandy.
Etretat
Another Coastal City - Le Havre
Le Havre is another beautiful city and one of the biggest in France, mainly due to its Port and industry. You will see great landscapes and a very nice city next to the English Cannal/ La Manche. However be prepared to see an heavily industrialized area when entering the city.
The weather that you can see in the photos is considered a typical day in Normandy, fortunately it did not rain.
Le Havre
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeAfter Coastal Cities - Caen
Caen has some historical buildings that were built during the Reign of William the Conqueror. It is a great place to visit and it has a magnificent Castle in the top of a hill. The location of the Castle gives you a very good spot to take some photos to the whole city.
Caen is also known as one of the places where the fighting between Axis and Allied took place. The city was taken from the Axis forces one month after the D-Day, but before that it was a target of an intense bomb campaign.
You can also find some very cheerful gardens in the city, so you may expect a great city to visit, and lots of different things to admire.
Caen
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeMore about the Second World War
- Invasion on the Normandy Beaches, D-Day 6th June 194...
The invasion fleet sailed through the night of the 5thJune 1944 from its assembly points between Weymouth and the Isle of Wight. As dawn broke the signals were given and soldiers emerged from an assortment of landing craft with others waiting behind - The Preparation and Build Up for the Allied D-Day i...
The preparation for the D Day landings involved the training and stationing of a huge number of men- almost 3/4 million and the preparation of heavy armour and vehicles
Arromanches - One of the Disembarkment Beaches
In Arromanches you may expect to see the remnants of the War. It is an historical place and highly touristic.
Arromanches
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeOther Disembarkment Beach
If you want to visit the places where the D-Day took place, there are many coastal areas and museums to visit.
I decided to visit the Utah Beach Museum and it was worth it. You can see some photos and visit the website to see if you are interested.
Utah Beach Museum
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeThe Last and Best
Mont St Michel was the last stop of the trip, the expectations were high and the place was the biggest reason for such a trip.
Even thought the expectation were really high, there was no disappointment at all. Mont St Michel is one of the greatest places to visit, the feeling is amazing.
- Travel to France: Mont-St-Michel small tidal island
One of my favorite places and also one of the most amazing tourist attractions in France is St-Mont-Michel, a little rocky island at the mouth of Couesnon River in Normandy. Also known as St Michael’s Mount, it is well-known for the medieval Benedict