Calvados

Calvados is a department of Normandy famous for its apple liqueur. Calvados is one of the most visited areas in France because of its seaside resorts which are among the most prestigious in France with their luxurious hotels, casinos, green countryside, manors, castles, the quiet, the chalk cliffs, the typical Norman houses, the history of William the Conqueror, Caen, Bayeux, and Lisieux. This part of France saw intense fighting during the Second World War; the D-Day beaches, where the Allies landed in June 1944, are along the coast in Calvados, and there numerous museums about the Second World War. == Cities == 1 Caen — the capital is an excellent base for visits to the D-Day beaches 2 Arromanches — a good base for exploring D-Day beaches 3 Bayeux — old town with the famous Bayeux Tapestry 4 Cabourg — an important seaside resort on the English Channel that was a favourite of Marcel Proust 5 Deauville — sea-side resorts famous for their casinos, film festivals, expensive houses and horse-racing 6 Falaise — with the castle where William the Conqueror was born 7 Honfleur — on the Seine estuary, whose old port was a favourite of many painters Livarot, Pont-L'Évêque, Camembert — famous for their cheeses 8 Lisieux — pilgrimage town with a world-famous basilica 9 Ouistreham — has a nice beach, and ferries to the UK 10 Sallenelles — almost everybody who stops here is there to see the bay or the preserved 1930s hotel 11 Trouville-sur-Mer — a fishing village and modest seaside resort 12 Vire — the main city of the south-west of Calvados, famous for its andouillette == Other destinations == 1 D-Day beaches of the Normandy landings near Caen. D-Day circuits are signposted, and take you around Normandy retracing the history of the 1944 events in the region. The Orne estuary has La Pointe du Siège ornithological reserve, which can be reached from Ouistreham, Sallenelles and Merville-Franceville. Suisse Normande, a hilly region at the south Pays d'Auge, a much more agricultural region to the east. Many beaches, resorts, etc. == Understand == One of the advantage of Calvados is to be fairly near large urban centres (Paris, Ile de France). Calvados is therefore often preferred for holidays and for weekends and sometimes considered as the countryside of Paris. Calvados has several popular tourist areas: the Bessin, the Plain of Caen, the Bocage Virois, the Côte de Nacre, the Côte Fleurie and the Pays d'Auge. == Talk == French is the official language, and all the locals will speak it. Some may use some non-standard expression, but most will make the effort to not use these if you are foreign. Local expressions you might encounter are 'Tantôt' meaning either this morning, this afternoon, tomorrow morning/afternoon or yesterday morning/afternnon, depending on the speaker. As Normandy is a major tourist destination, many of the younger people speak English. Spanish, Italian, and German are also quite widely studied at school. Although there are Norman languages, they are mostly dying out, and the speakers will also speak French. You may also meet the occasional speaker of neighbouring regions' local languages, such as Breton or Picard, but in any case, a stranger would only address you to establish contact in French (or English if you were in a tourist place). == Get in == === By air === There is an airport in Caen (Caen-Carpiquet) with flights to Shoreham in the UK with Skysouth, Lyon and seasonally Nice with Air France/Britair, Paris-Orly with Airlinair and Chalair. These are usually not daily, apart from the Lyon connection. The other international airport is in Deauville, with flights to Shoreham with Skysouth. Both also have charter flights. Other local airports are the two in Paris, which are well connected to the train service and have many international connections; and Dinard which has flights to the UK with Ryanair and to Guernsey with Aurigny Air Services (the airport is not connected to public transport in any useful sense, but has hire car offices). === By ferry === Calvados, via the port of Ouistreham, is an entrance to the continent from Britain. The ferry-port in Ouistreham has ferries to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries. Another popular option with the locals is the crossings run by LD Lines to Le Havre and Dieppe from Newhaven and Portsmouth, which are sometimes substantially cheaper. Cherbourg, Calais and Saint-Malo are also within driving distance. === By train === SNCF rail service is the most commonly used public transport in France for inter-regional travel. It is cheap, fast and reliable. Check out reductions for under-26, over-25 and group travellers. Tickets can usually be bought abroad, on the internet, at stations; in advance or on the day. Caen is the main station, alongside Lisieux, Bayeux, Trouville-Deauville and Cabourg-Dives. There are also stations in Lison, Le Molay Littry, Audrieu, Bretteville Norrey, Frénouville Cagny, Mézidon, Moult Argences, St Pierre sur Dives, Coulibœuf, Le Grand Jardin, Pont L'Évêque, Blonville Bennerville, Villers/Mer, Houlgate and Dives Port-Guillaume. Trains go towards Saint-Lô (Cherbourg and Rennes), Paris (2 hours away), Alençon (Le Mans), and Rouen. === By car === Roads in France are good. The main motorway is the A13 to Caen from Paris (225 km/139 miles). It then continues to Cherbourg (although it is not always a motorway). Some of it is toll, but quite cheap. The A84 goes from Caen to Rennes. You can also take the RN13 from Paris, which is free. To cross the Seine, you can use the Pont de Normandie between Le Havre and Honfleur. Toll is €5 for a car. A popular site in itself, the bridge, which opened in 1995, at the time was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and had the record for the longest distance between piers; these records were lost in 1999 and 2004 respectively. There is a free bridge further south at Tancarville, and more bridges as you go further south (where the Seine isn't as wide). == Get around == == See == Colleville-sur-Mer for the famous American cemetery, and the German cemeteries at La Cambe and Marigny La Pointe du Hoc, cliff which was the scene of a daring US rangers mission during the D-Day landings Many cemeteries, museums, memorials, and other places linked to D-Day and the Battle of Normandy Farms where you can buy local gastronomical products and see how they are made, in particular cidre, calvados, and other apple products, and cheese and dairy products The Bayeux Tapestry is on display in Bayeux and makes the city one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Normandy (temporary closed until 2027, on loan to London). Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer, Calvados, commemorates the D-Day landing of the Canadian liberation forces at Juno Beach during World War II in 1944. The cult of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux brings large numbers of people on pilgrimage to Lisieux, where she lived in a Carmelite convent. === Itineraries === D-Day circuits are signposted, and take you around Normandy retracing the history of the 1944 events in the Region. Details can be obtained through the Official Site == Do == Several beaches of Calvados are popular for water sports, including Cabourg and Merville-Franceville-Plage. Every September, Deauville hosts the Festival of the American Movie and the beach resort of Cabourg hosts the Festival of the Romantic Movie. Annually, the city of Caen celebrates the festival of the electronical cultures called "Nordik Impakt" and the festival of Beauregard, just around Caen. == Eat == Culinary specialties from the verdant countryside of Calvados are abundant: cider, calvados, camembert, and Pont-l'Évêque cheeses. == Drink == The Calvados region produces a famous, and very potent, apple brandy which is usually just called Calvados. It is readily available anywhere in France and widely exported, but may be cheaper or better here. Guided tours are also available at some distilleries, for example Chateau de Bruil near Lisieux. == Stay safe == France is a pretty safe country, and Normandy doesn't have any big cities with no-go areas, although as in any place, you should stick to a few obvious rules (don't walk down dark alleyways at 04:00, etc.) If in trouble, speak to a policeman (Policier or Gendarme) or go to a police station (Comissariat) where you will be given help. For health issues, go see a doctor (médecin). For ER/A&E, ask for Urgences. You can call SOS Médecin (Tél: 36 24), who can send out a doctor (very useful in rural areas). Chemist are Pharmacies, and most major towns will have a Pharmacien de garde who will stay open all night for emergencies (they take turns, check in the local paper to get the name and phone number). Emergency phone numbers are: 15 for ambulances 17 for police 18 for fire service (who also serve as ambulances and deal with issues such as gas leaks, traffic collisions, etc...) The European Emergency number 112 will also work. == Go next ==