Editing Lower-Normandy (section)

=<FONT COLOR="#660000">'''What to visit in the Region'''</FONT>=

Lower-Normandy is a very beautiful region, one of the most beautiful part of France when it's sunny. 

Depending on what you want to visit, the Lower Normandy offers to tourists lost of marvelous sights to visit :


== Mont Saint Michel ==

[[File:mtstmichel.jpg|400px|center|]]


[[File:mtstmichel2.jpg|400px|center|]]


Obviously, the most famous sight of Lower Normandy is ''Le Mont Saint-Michel'':

There are different ways to enjoy the Mont Saint Michel, the first one is obviously to visit the village on the rock. It's free except the parking fee if you come by car. Try to visit the Mont during the night. You'll get the privilege to own it practically for yourself. It's really worth it.

If you are courageous, you can climb all the stairs to reach the "Merveille", this is the nickname of the abbey build at the top. To visit this part of the mont you have to pay. Different option for the visit are available. (all the details here : [http://mont-saint-michel.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/bdd/page/visites]).

The best period to get there is during the mid season otherwise it's so crowded during summer or the time may be awful during winter. To visit the Mont plan to spend half a day.

An original way to enjoy the Mont Saint Michel is to cross the bay by foot. This walk allow you to enjoy the landscape with lot of birds, sandbanks, sea and even if you are very lucky observe some seals. This walk lenght is around 6km one way and need two hours and half.
Be careful, because of the tides and the drifts (the gap between lowest tides and highest can reach up to 13 meters, and the drift up to 10km/h) you should not go by yourself. Guides drive you across the bay. the start of the walk is located at Genêts [http://www.decouvertebaie.com]

Finally if you have more time, you can use a path that follows the seaside. The path is marked all its way long. If you follow the GR223 [http://www.gr-infos.com/gr223.htm] in its all, it will bring from Mont Saint Michel to Honfleur.

how to get there :

- By public transport : reach the station of Pontorson from Rennes or Caen (Rennes-Caen line timetable[http://www.ter-sncf.com/Images/Caen-Rennes_tcm24-21611.pdf]) and after catch the bus that leads you to the Mont (timetable[http://www.mobi50.com/ftp/FR_lignes/Ligne%206_ok.pdf])

- By car : from Rennes or Caen drive along the A84 highway and then use the exit number 33 and follow the signposts "Mont-Saint-Michel"

== Bayeux and the "D-Day" beaches ==

- in '''Bayeux''', the town center, the "tapisserie" (museum about the story of William the Conqueror which owns one of the most beautiful tapestry of the world) and the cathedral. 
Informations about Bayeux : [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux]

[[File:Bayeux.jpg|400px|center|]]

- The '''"D-Day" Beaches''' : ''Les Plages du Débarquement'' [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plages_du_d%C3%A9barquement_alli%C3%A9_en_Normandie]

[[File:mapdday.jpg|400px|center|]]

== Caen, the capital of the region ==

'''Caen''' it's the city of William the Conqueror. With Romanesque '''abbeys''', 11th Century '''castle''' and the '''Memorial''', a Museum for Peace.
Following the terrible bombings in 1944, Caen has been able to preserve it's magnificent architectural heritage.
Caen it's aslo the town of "100 clock towers" (Saint Etienne Church, The Church of the Trinity, Saint Pierre Church, Saint Jean Church, Saint Sauveur Church...)

- The '''Men's Abbey''' ''(Abbaye aux Hommes)''
[[File:caen-abbaye.jpg|400px|center|]]

- The '''Ladie's Abbey''' ''(Abbaye aux Dames)''

- The '''Castle''' : the largest fortress in Europe ''(Le château ducal)'' with the Museum of Normandy

- The '''Memorial''' : With 400 000 visitors per year it's the leading national museum of the region. The Caen Memorial thus invites all visitors to think of the Peace. [http://www.memorial.fr]

- Wiki CS Caen : [http://couchwiki.org/en/Caen]

== Granville and the west coast of the region ==

- in '''Granville''', the port, the casino, the ''Vieux Granville'' (Old center)... [http://www.granville-tourisme.fr]

== Chausey Islands ==

'''Chausey''' are islands 20 km in the west of Granville. To get there you need to take a boat from Granville [http://www.vedettejoliefrance.com/] or Saint-Malo[http://www.compagniecorsaire.com/]. The boat drop you on the main island. Here you can walk all around the island ( Takes 2 hours or so) and envoy the beaches located into small coves.

If you can go there during the equinox tides, you can try to catch some shrimps or sea foods in the small flaques around the rocks left by the low tide.

[[File:2003 07 09 - Granville, Chausey 032.jpg|400px]] [[File:2003 07 09 - Granville, Chausey 033.jpg|400px]]

== The center of ''La Manche'' department ==
=== (Coutances, Saint-Lô ...) ===

- in '''Coutances''', the Cathedral and the streets of the city

== The north of ''La Manche'' department ==
=== (Le Cotentin, Cherbourg...) ===

- the '''Cotentin''' [http://www.cotentin-tourisme.com]

On the east coast: Saint-Vaast and the tatihou island, Barfleur, lovely typical fisherman harbour

On the west coast: Vauville, with its exotic park, la Hague, "port racine", the most little harbour of France

== The center of the region ==
'''Suisse Normande, Bocage Virois, (South of Calvados and Orne)...'''

- the''' ''Suisse Normande''''' : Pont d'Ouilly, Clécy...

La chapelle Saint Clair, un des points culminants de la suisse Normande, 306 d'altitude:

[[File:IMG 4567.JPG|400px|center|]]

- the '''''Bocage Virois'''

- Vire (The church "Notre-Dame", the church "Sainte-Anne", the Dungeon and the "Porte Horloge"

- The Church of Malloué

- La Chapelle sur Vire

- The Lake of "La Dathée"

- The Forest of Saint Sever


- the '''''Bocage Flérien'''

- Flers (The Castle, The Churh "Saint-Germain")


- the '''''Bocage Domfrontais'''''

The abbey of Lonlay l'Abbaye :

[[File:lonlay.jpg|200px|center|]]

== The south of the ''La Manche'' department : ==

=== Mortain ===

Mortain is a nice spot for climbing. There you will find also some nice pathway that lead you to waterfalls, the small one and th big one. If you are coureagous you can go up to the small chappel to enjoy the lookout. If your are lucky you may see the Mont Saint michel which is more than 40 km away

=== Abbaye d'Hambye ===

== Le ''Pays d'Auge'', Deauville, Honfleur... ==

- '''The ''Pays d'Auge''''' : Lisieux, Beaumont en Auge, Livarot, Camembert...

- '''The ''Côte "Fleurie''"''' : Deauville, Cabourg, Honfleur...
Côte Fleurie, it's the Normandy coast of the Pays d'Auge (east of the department of Calvados). With famous resorts : Honfleur, Trouville sur Mer, Villers sur Mer, Houlgate, Cabourg, Deauville.
	
'''Deauville''' is a famous city for many festivals (Asian and American film), it's also one of the beaches closest to Paris, therefore, with great crowds on weekends and shops and restaurants are often very "chic ". Deauville is also famous for its horse racing, and the casino on the face of the beach and the famous ''Planches Deauville''.

''Honfleur'''is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine, very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. It's beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet...

etc ...

== The ''Cotentin'' ==

Located at the top north of the ''Manche'' department. In my opinion it's one of most the beautiful landscape of Normandy. Envoy the cliffs, the look-out on the channel islands...

[[File:Hague.JPG|center]]

Here the famous French poet Jacques PREVERT choose to finish his live. You can visit his former house and its nice gardeen.

The biggest city of this area is '''Cherbourg'''. There is a very interesting museum about the abyss[http://www.citedelamer.com/uk/default.asp].