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From Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport you can pick up a connecting flight to Rouen, Caen, or Le Havre, or you can rent a car for the trip north (it's just 71 miles to Rouen, 145 to Caen). Trains run between the major Norman cities, but you'll need a car to explore the region in depth.
WHERE TO STAY
Grand Hôtel de Cabourg
Proust stayed in room 414 of this Belle Époque building. Rooms on the north side face the sea. DOUBLES FROM $162. PROMENADE MARCEL-PROUST, CABOURG; 33-2/31-91-01-79; www.grandhotel-cabourg.com
Hôtel Château d'Agneaux
A 13th-century castle, now a 12-room inn and restaurant, in the Vire Valley of central Normandy, a half-hour's drive south from Omaha Beach. DOUBLES FROM $85. AVE. STE.-MARIE, ST.-LO, AGNEAUX; 33-2/33-57-65-88; www.chateau-agneaux.com
WHERE TO EAT
Gill
Chef-owner Gilles Tournadre scours local markets daily to assemble rich regional dishes such as frog's leg fricassee and squab with foie gras ravioli. DINNER FOR TWO $96. 8-9 QUAI DE LA BOURSE, ROUEN; 33-2/35-71-16-14
Café de la Digue
Order a plate of Normandy oysters and bulots (whelks) at this beachfront café, next door to the Grand Hôtel. LUNCH FOR TWO $42. PROMENADE MARCEL-PROUST, CABOURG; 33-2/31-91-62-48
SIGHTS
Cerisy-la-Salle
Just outside Coutances, on the road to Bayeux, this 17th-century château is where the colloquiums that began at Pontigny are now held each August. Open to the public on Thursdays in July and August; available for group tours in summer with prior reservations. 33-2/33-46-91-66; www.ccic-cerisy.asso.fr
St.-Étienne Church, Caen
One of the greatest of the early Romanesque churches, in the Abbaye aux Hommes monastery complex in Caen. PLACE MONSEIGNEUR DES HAMEAUX, CAEN; 33-2/31-30-42-81
Notre Dame Cathedral, Rouen
Monet immortalized this cathedral, built between 1201 and 1514, in a series of 30 paintings, one of which hangs in the nearby Musée des Beaux-Arts (Place Restout, Rouen; 33-2/35-71-28-40). PLACE DE LA CATHÉDRALE
Le Mémorial de Caen
This World War II-focused "peace museum" marks the 60th anniversary of D-day with "D-Day Words," an exhibition built around the letters and diaries of German and Allied soldiers. The museum also organizes four-hour guided tours of the D-day landing beaches. YEAR-ROUND; TOURS FROM $70. 33-2/31-06-06-44; www.memorial-caen.fr
D-Day Remembered
For a more in-depth look at the cultural and military history of the region, Smithsonian Journeys' 12-day cruise from London to Caen includes a visit to the D-Day Museum at Southsea, England, and a wreath-laying ceremony on Omaha Beach. MAY 24-JUNE 4; FROM $5,095 PER PERSON. 877/338-8687; www.smithsonianjourneys.org
—Jaime L. Gross
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