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Villerville is located on a cliff between Honfleur (9 km) and Trouville/Deauville (6 km). It’s an old fishing-village, without a port, where they used to sail with flat-bottomed boats which were pulled on the beach. At low tide the old mussel-banks whose exploitation was banned after World War II are an attraction for the mussel lovers. Sometimes the shrimpers, up till their armpits in the sea, can be seen pushing their nets ahead of them. At high tide the sea reaches the boulevard and the beach will washed over altogether. Several times a year there is a book-market where old editions of all sort of books may be found. In the summer there is the monthly ‘brocante’. Villerville’s surroundings are charming and numerous interesting villages are within close range. Honfleur is the best preserved old Normandy port and it is the first place one reaches after crossing the Pont de Normandy towards the Calvados region. It has no beach due to the river Seine having left so much slib-deposit over the centuries. The old port is still in use as the canal towards the beautiful ‘Vieux Bassin’ is regularly dredged. The ‘Vieux Bassin’ is used for private yachts, the fishing vessels stay in the outside port where you can buy fresh fish. Trouville is a seaside resort and has been so ever since Napoleon III visited it in the 1760s. Along the beach you will find the most beautiful villa’s with complicated patterns in the facades. The impressionist Monet painted several of them during his visits to Trouville. Trouville is still a well known fishing village as well as seaside resort. Deauville owes its fame to the casino, the luxury shops, the beach, the International American film festival, its horse races and the famous international horse-marked for full-blooded horses. Like in Trouville, Deauville has its ‘planches’ (a sort of boardwalks) where people meet. Colourful parasols give the beach its characteristic atmosphere. Important historical events took place in Calvados. William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy set sail for England in 1066. The famous Bayeux Tapestry gives a detailed, embroidered report of this event. In 1944 the beaches were the scene of the Allied Invasion. The Calvados is also famous for its heritage of churches, monasteries and convents. A visit to the world-famous Mont-St-Michel is almost a must. Characteristic for the Pays d’Auge are the sloping fields where the horses and cows graze peacefully and where blossoming apple trees offer splendid views in spring. Calvados’ products camembert, cider and calvados are known all over the world . Daytrips: |
