Normandy tourist information

Flag of France: the Trikolore: white the colour of the king stands between the colours of Paris which are blue and red, symbolizing since the revolution the constrained power of the king.

Geography and nature

The hills in Normandy are rarely higher than 200m but the area ‘Swiss Normandy’ doesn’t get its name for nothing and the highest point in Normandy in the Forest von Ecouves is 417m high. To the west the landscape is dominated by the landscape type des bocage with hedges and forests breaking up agricultural countryside. The east is covered with endless fields, the Seine divides Normandy into Haute-Normandie in the east and Basse-Normandie in the west. The coast of Haute-Normandie is defined by

chalk cliff and pebble beaches and Basse-Normandie has long sandy beaches with dunes. The Gulf-Stream particularly in the west makes for a mild climate allowing palm trees to grow.

Tourism

Mont St.Michel is after the Eiffel tower the most visited monument in France and the majority of the visitors are French (80%). The French like the seaside so mostly head to the coast. Visitors within Normandy divide up according to their tastes: The Basicila von Lisieux is a goal for pilgrim tourists, the Monet-House in Giverny attracts arts lovers and Rouen attracts city fans. The British, Normandy’s No.1 foreign tourists head for the D-Day beaches as do the Americans and Canadians.