Normandy - Paris region
Barfleur was the Anglo-Norman Kingdom’s leading port in the Middle Ages and is still a big yachting and fishing port today. Its grey granite houses jut out over the Channel under the watchful eye of the semaphore and Gatteville lighthouse.
Themes
- By the Waterside : The Channel
- Gastronomy : "Blondes de Barfleur" mussels, fish and shellfish off the boats.
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Beuvron was a former stronghold of the Harcourt family and lies in the heart of Pays d’Auge country on the Cider Route. It is just like a picture postcard with its half-timbered houses, its market and country houses scattered around the countryside.
Themes
- Gastronomy : Beuvron cider, Cider and Cheese Routes
- Unusual sights : Place de la Halle or Market Square
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There is a definite hint of Picardy and Normandy in Gerberoy whose houses are half-timbered or brick and flint and form a charming mix that attracted the post-impressionist painter Henri le Sidaner. The village owes some of its charms to him : the wonderful Italian gardens and the Rose Festival which has been organised every year since 1928 with unfailing popularity.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Collegiate Church of Saint Pierre
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La Roche-Guyon and its imposing castle are nestled in a meander of the River Seine and waver between two regions : Île-de-France and Normandy. The architecture is influenced by both as it has pale stone facades and half-timbered ones. You will get the best view of this village by taking the Route des Crêtes or Ridge Path from where you can also admire the Parc Naturel Régional du Vexin Français in which the village lies.
Themes
- By the watrside : The river Seine
- Abbeys and churches : 13C and 18C castles
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Situated between Rouen and Lisieux, in a verdant setting made up of fields criss-crossed by hedges and apple trees, Le Bec-Hellouin is a typical Normandy village with timber-frame houses and flower-decked balconies. It gets its name from the stream that runs alongside it and from the founder of its famous abbey, which along with the Benedictine monastery bears witness to the great religious activity alive in the site.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Notre-Dame-du-Bec Abbey, parish church, monastery
- By the waterside : The river Bec
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40 kilometres east of Rouen, in one of Europe’s finest beech groves, the aptly named Lyons-la-Forêt (the Forest) stretches out its facades decked with half-timbering, colourful daub and bricks along the River Lieure. Shops busily ply their trade around the 18C covered market where other jewels of local architecture such as the Vieux Logis or former bailiwick that has since become the town hall can also be seen.
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : Church of Saint Denis
- Unusual sights : 18C covered market
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Parfondeval is in Picardy and its impressive redbrick, grey slate-roofed houses are clustered around a carpet of greenery. The village is almost entirely geared to farming and its scenery includes apple orchards, pastureland and fields of maize – it’s just like being out in the countryside !
Themes
- Abbeys and churches : The fortified church of Saint Médard built in the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV
- Unusual sights : The pond in the middle of the village square
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15 kilometres southwest of Alençon, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei lies nestled in a loop of the River Sarthe that is spanned by a small stone bridge. Its old houses are clustered around the 11C Romanesque church that boasts outstanding frescoes. On the other side of the river, opposite a delightful 15C chapel, a miracle spring, which arose following a prayer made by Saint Céneri, is said to have the power to cure certain eye diseases.
Themes
- By the waterside : The river Sarthe
- Abbeys and churches : 11C Romanesque church of Saint Céneri and the 15C chapel
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 Chateau Vue Face _ Pbvf.jpg "Roche-guyon (La) Chateau Vue Face _ Pbvf.jpg")
 Tour St-nicolas _ Y. Waucampt.jpg "Bec-hellouin (Le) Tour St-nicolas _ Y. Waucampt.jpg")
The Villages
By geographic area
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