We had a very good weekend between Rouen, Honfleur, Etretat, the Bay of Somme (Baie de Somme) and the Opal Coast (Côte d’Opale)
For our weekend in Normandy, we stayed for 2 nights in a magnificent guest house, situated at 12 km from Rouen:
Accomodation : Chambres d’Hôtes Lambert Rouen
Address : 2630 route de Duclair, 76150 Saint-Jeandu-Cardonnay, France
Location : 49°29’47.7″N 0°59’17.6″E
2 nights, from Aug.14 2020 to Aug.16 2020
Price: € 142
Booked with Booking.com
We were received with a warm welcome. Our host, Ms. Lambert is available and very helpful. She advised us to do a wonderful circuit until Etretat. Breakfast is very good and it is served in a room with authentic decor. The accomodation is located in a quiet area, 15 minutes from Rouen, 50 minutes from Etretat and Honfleur. The place is pleasant. We highly recommend.
We arrived a little late, we went to Rouen to eat and explore the city. You can find a parking lot in front of Rouen Town Hall (Hôtel de ville de Rouen) : 49°26’34.5″N 1°05’53.2″E
The city is lively in the evening and the bars and restaurants are full of young students. We like it.
To eat, we tried a crêperie in « Eau de Robec » street : « La Cornaelle » (49°26’29.4″N 1°06’01.4″E)
Saturday Aug.15
A very good breakfast is served by our host in a wo,derful place :
Goal of the day: Discover Honfleur with its beautiful port and Etretat famous for its cliffs:
At Honfleur, we parked at a free car park not far from the port (49°25’02.6″N 0°13’40.8″E).
Honfleur is a charming port city where it is pleasant to stroll. You cannot miss the old basin : vieux bassin (49°25’13.0″N 0°13’59.2″E) located in the heart of the city.
Second stop of the day : Etretat with its famous cliffs. After crossing the majestic Bridge : Pont de Normandie, we arrive at Etretat. We parked at the foot of the path that climbs towards the cliffs (49°42’04.8″N 0°11’58.8″E). The path goes next to a golf course and arrives at the top to offer a view on the cliffs. It was a nice walk of about 4 km on foot.
You have to be well motivated but the landscape is magnificent and your effort will be compensated :
This path will allow you to see the famous cliffs of Etretat:
And also the beach of Etretat :
Sunday Aug.16
Program of the day : See the Bay of Somme (Baie de Somme) and the beaches of the Opal Coast (Côte d’Opale). First stop: Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme to see the Bay of Somme. We parked at the marina and took a good 30 minute walk to admire the bay:
The bay is huge, and to see the seals, you need to be well informed about the high tide and low tide times. The 3 recommended locations are:
- Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme (50°11’36.6″N 1°36’36.3″E)
- Port of Crotoy (50°12’53.5″N 1°37’46.7″E)
- Berck lighthouse : Phare de Berck (50°23’53.7″N 1°33’38.5″E)
We didn’t have the chance to see the seals, but we had a nice walk until the beach of « Plage de Saint-Valery-sur-Somme » (50°11’25.2″N 1°37’32.2″E) :
Before going home, we take a detour via « Berck-Plage » and « Le Touquet-Paris-Plage ». Two seaside resorts popular for summer vacations, but in times of Covid-19, the atmosphere was less lively.
My Trip Memories 