We checked into our hotel on Mont Saint-Michel around 4pm, as the tourist buses were leaving. The medieval cobblestone street into town was empty, lit by lamplight as the sun set. This is the Normandy no one tells you about.
Planning Northern France
When you search for things to do in Normandy, you’ll receive a depressing list of war stuff: war museums, war cemetaries, war beaches, war memorials. Personally, that is not my jam. So I planned the anti-D-Day Normandy trip instead, and it was incredible. I’m here to tell you that Normandy has SO MUCH MORE to offer besides WWII history. In fact, I think it’s a massively underrated part of France that everybody should be adding to their time in Paris! I recently explored the region, and it was everything I could have hoped for and more: music, art, history, architecture, gastronomy, and lots of really sweet French people who let me butcher their language to their face.
When I started planning my most recent trip to France, I was feeling overwhelmed. I love France, and I hope to eventually visit every departement. But obviously, trying to see too much at once is a recipe for disaster. I personally love slow travel, really getting to know a place vs. a rushed trip full of too much travel time. So, I narrowed it down to northern France and Paris, which seemed doable for two weeks.
But to my horror, every time I looked up things to do in Normandy, it was war stuff. War museums. War beaches. War memorials. War cemeteries. If you are a WWII history buff, more power to you! I think it’s important to recognize the sacrifices that were made to defeat fascism in France. But…that also wasn’t sounding like my ideal vacation. We were also going in November, when beaches would not be swimmable.
So I thought, how can I see this region without making it a war trip? Is that even possible?
To my delight, we did it. Instead of war stuff, my husband and I:
- Went to two rock concerts
- Went to a local scallop and herring festival
- Spent a night on Mont St. Michel and had it all to ourselves
- Ate a fabulous meal with the same view that Monet had in many of his paintings
- Explored quaint towns like Rouen, Honfleur, and other small towns for lunch stops
- Learned the rules of driving in France (speed cameras abound! Toll roads must be paid within 48h!)
- Met a lot of wonderful locals who were willing to let me speak rusty French with them
- Ate Norman cheese every single day
- Saw sunflower fields in bloom, a la Van Gogh
- Went to the Amiens Cathedral - totally empty - but basically the same architecture as the Notre Dame
Following the Music to Normandy
Okay, let’s talk first about the concerts. I started learning French in high school, and later lived in Francophone West Africa, so I have continued to listen to a lot of music that happens to be in French. Two of my absolute favorite bands - Mademoiselle K and Lamomali - happened to be playing northern France in November. That’s actually why we decided to go right before Thanksgiving. So the challenge was on: what the heck else are we going to do in Normandy besides these concerts?
The Scallop Festival That Changed Everything
To my absolute delight, the tourism board of Normandy had an up-to-date event calendar. (By the way, that is one of the first things I look into when planning a trip - I love incorporating live local events.) And what do you know? The annual scallop and herring festival in Dieppe, a tiny beach town known for its scallops, was happening the weekend after the concerts. Scallops are one of my favorite foods in the world, so that went straight onto my list. I now had 3 events in Normandy to cobble together as a coherent itinerary. And while I usually book my clients into the finest hotels, this trip was about following local events and discovering hidden gems. This is the kind of reconnaissance that helps me create magic for my clients. So we moved around a lot - probably too much - but found incredible moments everywhere. It was a blast.
We stayed in Dieppe for the scallop festival, and met the most wonderful AirBNB host. Normally I don’t like to book AirBNBs, but this was too cute to pass up, and Nicola was so friendly from the get go. I would highly recommend his place. He is a master craftsman and renovated it himself, and it shows. Even my husband was like, “We could live here!” It turned out that this apartment was supposed to be Nicola’s residence, but it took longer to renovate by himself than he planned, and he didn’t want to move twice in a year. So now, it’s an AirBNB reminiscent of the good old days of AirBNB. A friendly and responsive host, a super charming place, and everything you actually need to enjoy a place - with no to-do lists or signs.
We really enjoyed the scallop and herring festival, too. It was beautiful and lively, and I will definitely be dreaming of those perfectly grilled sea scallops for years to come. I would also love to return to Dieppe and Etretat in the summer!
What to expect:
- Farmer's market-style tents with oysters, cheese, apples, and clothing
- Live grilling with gas masks and blowtorches (yes, really)
- Thousands of French and British visitors
- Live music and local culture
- A LOT of smoke - it would not be a fun time for people with respiratory problems!
Monet’s View, with Oysters
I love Monet - who doesn’t? - but his house and gardens at Giverny are closed after summer. My husband and I really enjoyed seeing a collection of his Etretat paintings all in one place at the Seattle Art Museum a few years ago. So, my consolation prize was eating lunch at the panoramic restaurant at Dormy House with the exact view of Etretat that Monet used to paint some of his landscapes. I think this was better! It was too windy and cold to really enjoy going down to the beach, but this way we had the perfect view without the weather. (And fresh local oysters, of course!)
Rouen: The City That Surprised Us
We also spent some time in Rouen for our first concert. I always try to personally vet the luxury properties I recommend, so we stayed at Hotel de Bourgtheroulde, the only five-star hotel in Rouen. Their building history is fascinating - it used to be a bank, and one of the treatment rooms used to be the bank vault where the cash was dropped! You can still see the beautiful arches in the bottom part of the hotel “vault” where there is now the largest swimming pool in Normandy. Above the pool is a massive lobby and bar area that will be renovated in 2026!
Our room was delightful, like a historic library became a hotel room. I loved the stained glass windows in our bathroom, and getting to know the staff there. The hotel is right on the square where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, which now hosts a very Scandi-style modern church that you can walk in. We also walked around Rouen and were utterly charmed by the Norman architecture with wood beams, white walls, and cobblestone streets. The clocktower is particularly gorgeous, too. Rouen used to be a wool port, so the hands have little sheep on them as a display of wealth and power to rival the Catholic Church. I really wished we had more time to explore Rouen, it was such a perfect small town!
Hidden Gems: Amiens and Honfleur
We also stopped into Amiens for a concert, for just a day, which was probably enough time in November. In the summer, there are floating gardens that I would love to return and see one day. The main reason to stop by Amiens is the Amiens Cathedral. It’s the largest in France, and an almost perfect mirror of the Notre Dame de Paris. However, when we went on a rainy weekday morning, it was completely empty! We had this beautiful structure to ourselves and were able to admire the architecture, sculptures, and stained glass at our leisure.
It’s also worth noting that Monet painted the Amiens Cathedral several times, which you can see at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. We had fun comparing our photos to Monet’s paintings in the museum. So, I’d say Amiens is definitely worth a stop for us art lovers, who can stand exactly where he stood for his plein air painting. We also had the best Norman galette in Amiens - gluten free, made of organic buckwheat, stuffed with deliciousness - at a tiny, unassuming restaurant that started filling up with locals.
At some point in our road trip, Honfleur was not far, so we decided to stop there for lunch. I truly see why many people recommend making that your home base for Normandy. It was SO cute and quaint. (For my Seattle people, imagine like a scaled up, French version of Friday Harbor.) We ate a delicious lunch, followed by discount macarons (the fridge had gone out, someone had to take one for the team!), chocolate truffles, and also walked into the oldest wooden church in France. It’s a fascinating one because it was built by shiprights, and it shows! The inside ceiling basically looks like the bottom of a wooden boat. Apparently it was hit in WWII, but miraculously, the shell did not explode, so it was never burned. Truly a miracle!
I can definitely understand why you might want to set up camp in Honfleur for proximity to D-Day beaches. I will say, there was a river cruise ship that had docked, and there was a noticeable crowd that left when we were still browsing shops - so be aware that it’s a bit more touristy, and maybe busier than a place like Etretat or Amiens.
Why Mont Saint-Michel at Night Is Pure Magic
Our last stop in Normandy was Mont St. Michel, which is the most touristed site in France. It’s on an island and has a wonderful history as both an abbey and pilgrimage site, but what I love most is its twisty, medieval architecture and almost spooky vibe. The island is quite small, and easily walkable through all the public pathways in about an hour. However, in high season, apparently this goes much slower because the tiny cobblestone streets are packed shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists. We did not have that problem in rainy, cold November! Two rain jackets - and being from Seattle - were our secret weapon here.
When we arrived in the late afternoon, most people were leaving, and we were one of a handful of people arriving on the little bus. (You can also walk there, which I would have done if I did not have a torn ankle tendon, sigh.) By the time we checked into our hotel room, the streets were totally empty and quiet. I thought everyone saying “its so magical at night!” and “stay on the island, it’s worth it!” were maybe overstating it a bit. But, honestly? They were right. It WAS magical, and it WAS worth it to be able to pop out to our little medieval patio and watch the sun set on the bay. And it was also worth it to walk around the whole island at night - and again in the light of the morning - to see it empty.
Lastly, I think it was also worth staying the night to be able to saunter over to the Mont St. Michel Abbey for the first opening slot. While yes, people ran up the stairs ahead of us, we still mostly had the abbey to ourselves and were able to explore it at our own pace. Of course it is INSANE in the best way, like Hogwarts but real. I don’t even know how to describe it. Incredible gothic architecture, stunning views of the bay, strangely dungeon-like in places, unbelievably historic when you are standing where illuminated manuscripts were produced by monks, like truly wild. There are still monks and nuns living there, who we walked past and greeted in the evening as they went about their chores. It was definitely a huge highlight for us, a really magical experience, and my husband’s favorite part of the trip, hands down.
After Mont St. Michel, we drove back to Paris and returned our rental car to the airport. I highly do not recommend trying to do this at rush hour like we did - traffic was a nightmare! But once we dropped it, it was a very quick train ride to Paris, and we got to enjoy walking around the city of lights in the evening.
What We Skipped (and Why)
We skipped Bayeux, only because the Bayeux tapestry is being displayed in the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years. I didn’t want to go there and be bummed if there was not much to see or do. However, Bayeux is a solid choice if you’d also like to explore Brittany. We also, obviously, skipped beach resort towns (too cold!) and war history attractions (not my jam!).
The Real Normandy
I want to say one last thing about Normandy: they are extremely proud of their culture, cuisine, and region. Everyone we met was delighted to share their slice of their region with us, from cheesemongers and calvados producers, to our AirBNB host who recommended his favorite restaurants (and let us exchange pictures of our doggies!). Or the lovely woman we met before the concert in Rouen, who didn’t speak English yet introduced us to all of her friends and gave us our first bises (it’s 3 kisses in Normandy, btw). I can’t say enough wonderful things about the people of Normandy and getting outside of Paris for a taste of rural, authentic French life.
So, that’s our anti-d-day Normandy itinerary. Bonus points if you can find some cool concerts to attend, and spend more time in Rouen than we did.
I hope this sparked some ideas for you of things to do in Normandy that are NOT about war. It’s a huge region that has a ton more to offer, including history, art, architecture, gastronomy, and calvados. (Plus beaches if the timing is right!)
Want my exact Normandy itinerary with all the hotels, restaurants, and hidden gems we found? I’m going to be sharing the full version with the Windward Circle, my email community of thoughtful travelers. Put your info below, and I’ll send it to you immediately - plus you’ll get weekly insights and inspiration for making your travels more meaningful. And if you reply with your Normandy questions, I’m happy to answer them personally!
Ready for Travel that Exceeds Expectations?
Let's turn your travel vision into the perfect journey.