Normandy

In Upper Normandy near Rouen, our hotels welcome you to the north of the city at the Fasthôtel Barentin in Seine-Maritime and to the south of Rouen, in Eure at the Fasthôtel Louviers Val-de-Reuil. With Fasthôtel, also discover the city of Le Havre with the Fasthotel de Montivilliers and Lower Normandy and the Caen region.

Parks and gardens of Normandy

Botanical gardens, French gardens, English gardens, water gardens, Japanese gardens, vegetable gardens... An infinite number of styles from the sumptuous parks that open out into the perspective of the castles to the most secret gardens flourish in Upper Normandy.

Moreover, Normandy has dedicated a website to this plant heritage. At the gates of Rouen, the Fasthôtel hotels welcome you for your stays and weekends throughout the year and of course, in spring when the gardens are in bloom.

Claude Monet and Giverny

Claude Monet, the most emblematic of the founding fathers of the Impressionist movement, grew up in Le Havre. He settled in Giverny in 1883. He painted 28 paintings on the subject of Rouen Cathedral. His "Water Lilies" inspired by the garden of his house in Giverny are known throughout the world. Many French and American artists joined Claude Monet in Giverny. This is how an American museum, since transformed into the "Museum of Impressionisms" was created there in the early 1990s. The Monet Foundation watches over the artist's house and its extraordinary garden which are open to the public. A combined ticket for both visits allows you to lose yourself in the contemplation of nature and the works.

Normandy of the Impressionists

At the gates of Paris, the landscapes and gardens of Upper Normandy inspired the great impressionists: Renoir, Pissaro, Turner... And of course, Claude Monet.

The Normandy Impressionist Festival was created to promote the Impressionist heritage of Normandy. After a first edition in 2010, the festival returns to Normandy from April to September 2013 with a major exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen. The program will be punctuated by 600 very different events: contemporary art and photography; music; cinema; readings and festive events such as "Fêtes de la Peinture", guinguettes and lunches on the grass by the water.

Lower Normandy is a region that includes three departments. Inland, Orne offers nature lovers vast wooded areas. The English Channel from Mont-Saint-Michel to Cherbourg borders the Atlantic coast and joins the "English Channel" opposite England.

Calvados: Caen and the Côte Fleurie

Calvados is a land of contrasts, on one side, the countryside with its famous apple orchards. On the other, it opens onto the English Channel with the Opal Coast, then the Côte Fleurie from Cabourg to Honfleur, a source of inspiration for great painters such as Courbet and Monet. This coast is dotted with the elegant seaside resorts of Deauville, known throughout the world, Trouville or Cabourg.

Caen, the capital of Calvados, is a land of history. The memory of the Second World War has marked its landscape from the landing beaches to the military cemeteries and the unmissable Caen Memorial - City of Peace.

The Battle of Normandy and Landing Beaches

Places of memory and history of the Second World War and the landing in the Bessin region, artificial port and museum in Arromanches les Bains, museum of underwater wrecks in Port en Bessin, memorial of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux... Sites are dedicated to American soldiers: Ohama Beach beach and memorial in Saint-Laurent-sur Mer, America Gold beach museum in Ver-sur-Mer, Rangers museum in Grandcamp Maisy... The Juno Center Juno Beach Center in Courseulles sur Mer pays tribute to the Canadians. The American, German and British military cemeteries are a sober reminder of the devastation caused by the war. The artillery batteries of Maisy or Longue sur Mer stand as if to bear witness to the violence of the fighting.

The 360° circular cinema of Arromanches

On the way to Calvary on their heights of Arromanches les Bains about thirty kilometers from the Caen Memorial, the circular cinema "Arromanches 360°", unique in France, overlooks the remains of one of the two artificial ports installed by the Allies. At the beginning of 2013, a new film, made by the authors of the event series "Apocalypse" will be projected on the 9 screens of the circular room. A dive into the heart of the history and the Battle of Normandy, from the preparation of the Landing to the liberation of Paris. Thanks to the exceptional archive images combined with the latest generation special effects, the "journey through time" is spectacular. Closed in January.

Normandy: the Bayeux Tapestry

Bayeux, the capital of Bessin, is located near the landing beaches of June 1944. If the Bessin region is famous for its Normandy apples and its many places of remembrance of the Second World War, it is home to another masterpiece: the famous Bayeux Tapestry, a work classified as "Memory of the World" by UNESCO World Heritage. This embroidered work from the 11th century evokes the story of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England. It is exhibited at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, open every day, all year round, 7 days a week except during its 7 annual closing days.