visit Normandy
Destination
Falaise, birthplace of William the Conqueror
Few character properties offer both the tranquillity of a large estate, the beauty of a private park and immediate access to a vibrant historic town. The medieval castle of William the Conqueror, one of the best-preserved in Normandy, stands a 5-minute walk from the estate.
The centre of Falaise can be explored on foot from the house: local markets, shops, restaurants and heritage are immediately accessible. Falaise is also home to the Memorial of Civilians in Wartime, adjacent to the château — an accessible and moving visit.
The domain at the centre of everything
|
Falaise Castle |
5 mins on foot |
|
Vendeuvre Castle |
15 mins |
|
Caen & the Memorial |
30 mins |
|
Normandy, Switzerland |
30 mins |
|
Pays d'Auge |
30 mins |
|
Ouistreham (beach) |
35 mins |
|
Cabourg |
45 mins |
|
Bayeux Tapestry |
45 mins |
|
D-Day Beaches |
1 hour |
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Honfleur |
1 hour |
|
Deauville · Trouville |
1 h – 1 h 10 |
|
Mont-Saint-Michel |
1 hour 30 minutes |
|
The Cliffs of Etretat |
1 hour 30 minutes |
|
Paris (by train via Caen) |
2 hours 30 minutes |
Build your stay
History and heritage
The region is an open-air history book: Falaise Castle, the Caen Memorial, the D-Day landing beaches (Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Arromanches), now UNESCO World Heritage sites, the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer and the Montormel Memorial make up a memorable itinerary.
Nature & outdoor activities
Thirty minutes from the estate, Swiss Normandy offers spectacular landscapes ideal for hiking, kayaking and climbing. The cycling loops of the Pays d'Auge wind through hedgerows and orchards, while the beaches of Cabourg, Deauville and Trouville are perfect for a day out by the sea.
Gastronomy & local produce
PDO cheeses (Camembert, Livarot, Pont-l’Évêque), ciders, Calvados and Pommeau from the Pays d’Auge, fish and seafood from Norman ports. Local markets in Falaise, direct-from-producer sales, and exceptional dining in Honfleur and Deauville.
Getaways & a change of scenery
Mont Saint-Michel, 1.5 hours from the estate, is one of the finest excursions in France. Honfleur and its timber-framed houses, Bayeux and its famous tapestry, and the cliffs of Étretat (1.5 hours) complete an exceptional sightseeing programme.
The joy of running
Falaise can be experienced on foot from the house, basket on your arm. On Saturday mornings, the market sets up under and around the Halles, with nearly eighty traders. The pastry and chocolate shop Chapuis, recognised by Gault & Millau, provides the morning croissants and evening desserts. The wine cellar Terroir Dit Vin showcases artisan wines, ciders and calvados, and offers tastings. The butchers Ruffier and local, the Osmose cheese shop and the antique dealer in the centre complete these addresses that we frequent ourselves.
A typical family week, working from home
A week is the ideal format: neither too short for the region, nor too long for the itinerary. Here is the one we recommend, to be rearranged according to the weather and your preferences, with the swimming pool serving as a daily highlight at the end of the day.
Monday
Falaise on foot: William the Conqueror's castle, the Civilians in Wartime Memorial, the town centre shops. The Saint-Pierre-en-Auge farmers' market.
Tuesday
The D-Day landing beaches: Arromanches, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
Wednesday
Mont Saint-Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, an hour and a half's drive away.
Thursday
Swiss Normandy: hiking, kayaking or via ferrata, thirty minutes away.
Friday
The gourmet Pays d'Auge: the Château de Vendeuvre and its gardens, cider, calvados and cheeses from local producers.
Saturday
The sea: Ouistreham 30 minutes away, Deauville and Trouville an hour away, or the cliffs of Étretat an hour and a half away, and Falaise market to pick up a picnic
An entire city to explore on foot
The castle, and what remains of William's town
William the Conqueror's castle is 400 metres from the house: Romanesque keep, Talbot tower, ramparts, and a guided tour using augmented reality tablets that clothes the empty rooms and keeps children enthralled for a whole hour. Around it, the medieval town still surfaces: the Porte des Cordeliers, the equestrian statue in the square, the church of La Trinité with its ship’s prow porch, and Arlette's Fountain with its wash house below, where the Conqueror's mother used to do her laundry.
Three museums, three registers
The Memorial of the Civilians in Wartime, adjacent to the château, tells the story of the Second World War from the perspective of those who suffered it without choosing it: concise, child-friendly, and one of the most striking in the region. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Automates Avenue lines up more than three hundred animated automata in a reconstructed Parisian street, those from the Christmas window displays of the Galeries Lafayette and La Samaritaine between 1920 and 1960. The André Lemaître space completes the trio with canvases by the painter from Falaise and a Micro-Folie, a digital museum featuring hundreds of masterpieces.
Saturday morning, under the market hall
It's the highlight of the week: nearly eighty traders set up under and around the covered market, a ten-minute walk away. You do your household shopping there, then finish off at the town centre artisans, Chapuis for pastries and desserts, the Ruffier and du Terroir butchers, the Osmose cheese shop, and the Terroir Dit Vin wine shop for some artisanal cider or calvados. The rest of the week, the shops and eateries in the centre are more than enough to avoid having to get the car out.
Walking around town
Falaise lives up to its name: the Ante valley opens up at the foot of the castle and the paths climb steeply. The Three Castles loop, which starts from the Parc de la Fresnaye, runs alongside the river before climbing up to the Mont Myrrha promontory, from where the fortress is revealed in its entirety. Allow two hours and 280 metres of elevation gain. For a shorter outing, the Château de la Fresnaye park and its fitness trail can be enjoyed as a family, just a few streets from the house.
And in the evening, we walk home
That’s the advantage of being in the town centre: you have dinner at a restaurant, go to the cinema or a show from the cultural season, and walk home without having to look for parking or get behind the wheel. The swimming pool stays open until sunset, and the top-floor cinema room takes over on rainy evenings.
