Calvados

Visit Calvados

Rich in both history and natural beauty, Calvados is home to the Normandy landing Beaches and the Bayeaux tapestry and several very popular coastal resorts. A perfect place for relaxing - or exploring!

Selected places to visit in Calvados

Calvados, Normandy highlights

The Calvados department is located in the Lower Normandy region, on the coast of northern France. Caen is the principal town in the department. Highlights of your visit to Calvados include:

- the Normandy Landing Beaches, where the troops landed to begin the invasion of France in the Second World War, continue to be a very popular destination and there are various associated locations such as the war cemeteries and museums explaining the history of the 'debarquement' as it is known in France. Start a visit perhaps at Arromanches.

- the 19th century coastal resorts, especially those on the so-called 'normandy Riviera' such as Cabourg, Deauville, Trouville, Houlgate and Honfleur each have great appeal and numerous fine examples of 'belle epoque' architecture.

See also Villers-sur-Mer and Villerville, and head also for Dives-sur-Mer, the town from which William the Conqueror launched his fleet to conquer Britain

- the town of Bayeux is an indispensable stop to see the cathedral and of course the Bayeux tapestry

- several important historical monuments, including William the Conqueror's castle at Falaise and also a large number of historic churches, manor houses and castles - ask at the local tourist offices when you arrive for those in your selected region

- the important pilgrimage site at Lisieux

The attractive countryside of Calvados contains orchards, small scale agriculture, and numerous attractive farmhouses, villages and small towns. Calvados is well known for the high quality of the local farming produce, so make sure you visit the markets so you can sample these.

For a different type of scenery head to the north-west of the Calvados department towards the Cotentin Peninsula and discover the coastal cliffs and marsh environment in the Natural Regional Parc called the 'Parc naturel régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin' or the more craggy cliffs and wooded hills along the Orne River in the region known as 'Swiss Normandy'.

Tourist Routes in Calvados

To add extra interest and make your visit even more of a success we suggest you follow one (or more) of the several way-marked routes that pass through particular scenic regions, focussing on particular attributes eg scenery, cider, Normandy traditions.

These include:

• the 'Normandy cider route' which starts from Cambremer and includes many picturesque villages and towns such as Beuvron;
• the 'Route des Moulins' around Creully;
• the 'Route de la Suisse Normande' (between Thury-Harcourt and Condé-sur-Noireau, in the south of Calvados);
• the 'Route des Gorges de la Vire' (around Le Beny-Bocage in the south-west, north of the town of Vire and the 'bocage-virois' region);
• the 'Route des Traditions' between Caumont l'Eventé and Villiers to the west.

See a list of all Calvados communes

Page in French? See Calvados (Francais)