Group Travel Discover La Manche, the Normandy Peninsula
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group Travel Discover la Manche, the Normandy Peninsula... Mont Saint-Michel and its bay © Marc Lerouge - CDT50 Poole Cherbourg Deauville Saint-Lô Caen Granville NORMANDY Mont Saint-Michel By ferry From Great-Britain and Ireland Poole to Cherbourg / Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Cherbourg / Brittany Ferries access... Rosslare to Cherbourg / Irish Ferries & Stenaline Dublin to Cherbourg / Irish Ferries From the Channel islands (Manche Îles Express) By road Jersey, Guernsey, Sark (via Jersey) to Granville La Manche is served by two motorways: Jersey to Carteret the A13 coming from Paris and the A84 serving Guernsey, Alderney to Diélette the whole of the west of France. By plane to Saint-Lô By train Paris Roissy CDG + train: 330 km / 205 miles Paris - Cherbourg / Saint-Lazare station Nantes Atlantique + train: 270 km / 167 miles Paris - Granville / Montparnasse station Rennes Saint-Jacques + train: 160 km / 99 miles Paris - Rennes (TGV) with a bus transfer Caen-Carpiquet + train: 70 km / 43 miles from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel Cherbourg-Maupertus (aerodrome) + train: 80 km/49 miles facts listings & figures... & labels... Surface area 2 sites are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites: Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay, the Vauban towers of Hougue 5 938 km² and Tatihou in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue (east of Cherbourg). 6 ISLANDS 2 «Towns of Art and History»: Coutances and the Clos du Cotentin Mont Saint-Michel, Tombelaine, Chausey, (around Bricquebec, St-Sauveur-le-Vicomte and Valognes). Tatihou, Îles Saint-Marcouf, Île Pelee. 1 «City Applied Arts»: Villedieu-les-Poêles. Length Width 1 «Loveliest Villages in France»: Barfleur (east of Cherbourg). 150 40 to 360 km km 57 km 4 «Family Plus» towns: Agon-Coutainville, Hauteville-sur-Mer, of coastline Barneville-Carteret and Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët. More informations on www.manche-tourism.com More informations on www.manche-tourism.com LA MANCHE, NORMANDY PENINSULA From Mont Saint-Michel to the tip of Cotentin... Of the 5 Normandy departments, la Manche is the most westerly. It is a Normandy postcard: very green with its luxurious gardens, picturesque with its brown and white cows under apple trees, mouth-watering with its cider, camembert and AOC-labelled cream... La Manche also has a place in the history books of Normandy: the Vikings, William the Conqueror, the D-Day landings... La Manche is a department with a defined character, and is proud of its uniqueness. Here, instead of built-up shores there is a coastline strewn with jagged cliffs and fine sandy beaches. From Mont Saint-Michel to the Landing Beaches passing through the Cotentin, the 360 kilometres of coast make it one of the departments in France which looks out most on the sea. The archipelago of the Chausey islands and the Channel islands can be made out on the horizon. Here, instead of big cities, there is a rural and verdant environment inland, punctuated with villages and small towns rich in heritage, often unexpected. La Manche is easily accessible for a stay conducive to discovery and learning. Discover all the unmissable places in this brochure: Mont Saint-Michel, the maritime towns of Cherbourg and Granville, the D-Day landing sites, the wild and unspoilt nature, the cuisine, the leisure and sporting activities. Find practical information on all types of accommodation as well: hotels, restaurants, campsites, bed and breakfasts, holiday resorts... Tourism professionals - whether you are a general or specialist (cycling, walking, horse-riding, rented properties...) tour operator, travel agent, coach operator, consolidator, e-commerce website - become an advocate for la Manche! “Latitude Manche” is with you and ensures an easy interface with la Manche professionals. Utah Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont The Chausey archipelago © Mathilde Mochon - CDT50 © Jérôme Houyvet - CDT50 The old transatlantic harbour station of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin © Jérôme Houyvet - CDT50 More informations on www.manche-tourism.com More informations on www.manche-tourism.com 3 La Manche, land of wonders La Manche has an exceptional cultural heritage! Come and (re)discover Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay, listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. This masterpiece, which has so long been under threat, is little by little re-establishing itself in its natural space. Come and admire it at high tide! Discover the «Towns and Regions of Art and History» of Coutances and Valognes. These towns and regions have a rich history and the heritage which has witnessed this is everywhere: Coutances cathedral, the abbeys of Hambye and Lessay, the private mansion houses of Valognes, the chateaux of Pirou, Saint-Sauveur le Vicomte and Bricquebec... Don’t miss as well Villedieu-les-Poêles, a town labelled «City and the Applied Arts» for its great tradition of copper craftsmanship which dates back to the Middle Ages, and Saint-Lô, capital of horses. Mont Saint-Michel Hambye abbey La Fonderie de cloches (Bell foundry), Villedieu-les-Poêles- © Marc Lerouge - CDT50 © Anibas Photography - CDT50 Rouffigny © Anibas Photography - CDT50 La manche, maritime towns Facing out to the sea, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin and Granville are un- missable towns. Protected by the biggest harbour in the world, Cher- bourg today is an international marina. A maritime town, Cherbourg is home to the Cité de la Mer, which offers the chance to discover great underwater worlds. Granville, a privateer city, retains traces of an eventful past. The image of the fashion designer Christian Dior holds an important place in the heart of this town, where he was born. The west coast of la Manche is punctuated by numerous beach resorts, including Agon-Coutainville and Barneville-Carteret. Long sandy beaches, villas and traditional stone houses... these lively re- sorts are a much vaunted seaside holiday destination. To the south east of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Saint-Vaast la Hougue, an active The beach cabins of Barneville-Carteret © Grégory Mignard - CDT50 fishing port, marina and oyster ground, is today a lively beach resort. La Manche islands, so far, but so near Islands can be made out off the coast: the archipelago of the Chau- sey islands off Granville, a mass of nature and biodiversity where it is said that there are as many islets as there are days of the year, Tatihou Island, accessible by amphibious craft from Saint-Vaast la Hougue, an unusual place where historical heritage and nature re- serve live together, the Channel islands, with their very British feel! Carteret, Granville and Diélette offer access in 45 to 60 minutes to the islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney or Sark. Fort of la Hougue, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue Corbiere Point, Jersey © Estelle Hertault - CDT50 © Mathilde Mochon - CDT50 4 More informations on www.manche-tourism.com More informations on www.manche-tourism.com La Manche, land of Freedom On 6th June 1944 and for the following weeks, la Manche lived through a decisive phase in the Second World War: the D-Day landings. Don’t miss the chance to visit several sites and mu- seums in the Sainte-Mère Eglise region and on Utah Beach. You will be immersed in the atmosphere of the period, whether in the daily life of Occupied France or in the battles of the soldiers who risked Sainte-Mère-Église church Utah Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont © Mathilde Mochon - CDT50 © Grégory Mignard - CDT50 their lives for our freedom. La Manche, wild and unspoilt nature With its 360 kilometres of coast, la Manche offers countryside which will take your breath away: cliffs, dunes, bays and harbours. Don’t miss La Hague, north-west of Cotentin, a wild land with jagged rocks and cliffs by the sea, or the coast of harbours, a unique chain in France of 8 harbours which spread from the Cape of Carteret to Granville. Inland, the bocage, the moors, the marshes... You will be left with no choice but to marvel at the vast array of nature which prospers all along the territory. Discover the regional nature reserve of the marshes of Cotentin and Bessin, where marshes and polders intrude in a traditional bocage landscape. Taking a Harbour of La Sienne, Pointe d’Agon boat ride is a great way to discover this territory, where flora © Grégory Mignard - CDT50 and fauna are so rich and varied. La Manche, the art of living in a French style! Land and sea supply la Manche with a large range of marvellous products. As in any self-respecting Normandy territory, there is butter, cream, camem- bert, apples, cider and Calvados. But la Manche also offers the top of the range in shellfish and fish. As a livestock area, la Manche is also able to offer meats with delicate flavours, like salt meadow lamb. There are a variety of all Apples from Cave Herout, Auvers © Estelle Hertault - CDT50 types of fruit and vegetables as well, with Créances carrots leading the way! Oysters from market, Granville Ferme de l’Isle, Moyon © Marc Lerouge - CDT50 © EstelleUtah Hertault Beach © - GrégoryCDT50 Mignard - CDT50 More informations on www.manche-tourism.com More informations on www.manche-tourism.com 5 LA MANCHE, By bike: the natural and wellness breaks... Offer your clients a moment of relaxation! Well-being centres architectural heritage can be and a thalassotherapy institute offer relaxation and recuperation breaks. Jacuzzis, steam rooms, saunas, marine hydrotherapy discovered by riding the treatments, aquagyms, the possibilities are endless! department’s cycle network. 3 renowned routes are available to all the public: The «Veloscénie», a 442 km route running between Paris and Mont Saint-Michel The «D-day Landing Beaches/Mont Saint-Michel» route, which alternates greenways and country lanes. The «Tour de Manche», a «Cycle West» European project joining Normandy and Brittany with the south- west of England along 1,200 cyclable kilometres. Thalassotherapy, Prévithal, Donville-les-Bains © Prévithal On horseback: as a horse-rearing area, LA MANCHE, la Manche offers land- discovered on foot, scapes and a coastline by bike on horse- which are conducive to back, over water..