A city of art and history despite the bombing of 1944, Caen has preserved a remarkable architectural heritage. Capital of Lower Normandy (now reunified), Caen is nevertheless a tourist hotspot, isn’t it the city of the Dukes of Normandy? 

Legacy of Guillaume the Conqueror

The Ducal Castle in the center of Caen dominates the city and offers many views. You will discover a magnificent panorama of Caen, its marina and its many church towers: the Abbaye-aux-Hommes founded by Guillaume the Conqueror himself, the Abbaye-aux-Dames founded by his queen Mathilde or the church Saint-Pierre or the church Saint-PierreEtienne make wonderful testimonies of Roman Art… But Caen is not limited to its churches.

A Norman tourist crossroads

At the centre of an agglomeration of nearly 250,000 inhabitants, Caen is at the intersection of many tourist routes less than 2 hours from Paris:

• You can extend your route to the Cotentin and its magnificent steep coasts on the side of Cherbourg with notably the road of the capes and go down to Granville.
• Take the road to the landing beaches from Ouistreham and along the coast to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue or Barfleur. And definitely discover the most beautiful beaches of Normandy!
• Direction Brittany by taking the A84 motorway towards Avranches. The opportunity to discover or see Mont Saint Michel again? Why not take the opportunity to discover the bay of Mont Saint Michel? You are at 1H30 from Caen.
• Direction Côtes d’Armor via Cancale, Saint-Malo, Dinard…
• Go to Rennes via Fougères (the largest medieval castle in Europe) and then push a little further towards the Golf du Morbihan or the Regional Natural Park of Brières…
• Unless you prefer to take the road due South towards Falaise (medieval old town (Château de Falaise, ramparts…) then Le Mans and reach the beautiful road of the Châteaux de la Loire.
• Or simply discover the Pays d’Auge, between Caen, Lisieux and Deauville? The cider road to Cambremer for example.

You will have understood, Caen is at the center of a varied tourist landscape and full of beautiful surprises, between beaches and historical heritage, culture and gastronomy…