Travel Guide – Northern France

I’ve been on a travel kick lately, especially a European travel kick.  Moreover, my bucket list has always included France, especially Paris.  And last year we finally crossed that item off my bucket list.  So, our decision while planning this trip was to take advantage of being in France and to add small road trips to other parts of the country to our itinerary.  It took months of planning and many nervous moments, but we were able to pull it off and it was one the most memorable trips I’ve ever been on.  In this three-part series, I will share with you my adventure in France including recommendations, tips and fun facts.  

Travel Guide – Northern France

Rouen, France

During this time, our focus on the first part of the trip was on the Northern region of France.  So, when we landed in Paris we rented a car and drove to our first city, Rouen – a small city nestled alongside the River Seine. It is the capital of the Normandy Region, the birthplace of Impressionism and it has a lot of beautiful old cathedrals.  You can literally hear bells ringing all day long in this city from one of the many churches in town.  It’s located about 2 hours northwest of Paris along the highway through the rolling French countryside.  While we only stayed there one night (at the Hotel Mercure Rouen Centre Cathedrale)  as a stop over to our final destination.  We packed in as much as we could here.  A few things that you must see in this city are:

Rue du Gros – Horloge

This is the main shopping strip in town.  It has a lot of old antique shops and more current modern-day stores thrown in between.  This strip leads to the main square which is home to several, adorable cafes and one of the sites of the trial of Joan of Arc.  Filled with history and charm this is a must see in the city, add this to your travel guide to Northern France. 

Cathedrale Notre-Dame

It is the largest and one of the most impressive Gothic Cathedrals in France.  The structure dates back to the 13th century with its full completion in the 16th century.  The architecture and detail are amazing.  Even more amazing is the light show we were able to witness at midnight.  The show consists of lasers, lights and dazzling illuminations all taking place on the front of the church.  You won’t believe your eyes when you see this light show, not only is the show amazing, but the backdrop of the Cathedral is unbelievable.  

Normandy, France

Our final designation on this leg of the trip was Normandy, which you need to add to your travel guide to Northern France. I’ve been drawn to WWII movies, books and documentaries ever since I was little.  It is honestly the greatest generation to ever live and my admiration for the people in the war and who lived through the war is insurmountable.

Normandy is about 2 hours west of Rouen and we set back out on the highway to get there.  To our delight we ended up driving for a while on small back country roads through small villages.  These villages were out of a story book, they were untouched by time and beautifully manicured.  As we got closer to the beaches of Normandy you could see several homes with the American Flag waving in the wind alongside their French flag.  It was heartwarming and heart breaking all at the same time.  As we crept closer to the shoreline you could see and feel the weather changing rapidly.  From clear skies and warm sunshine to dark, cloudy and foggy minutes later.  

Normandy American Cemetery

We pulled up to the Normandy American Cemetery which sprawls 172 acres and is the burial site for 9,387 veterans, most of who lost their life in the D-Day landings.  The cemetery sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel.  It was first established on June 8, 1944 and in 2007 the new visitors center opened.  It sees about one million visitors who come from all over the world.  The grounds are immaculate and perfectly cared for, with beautiful trees, lush grass and breathtaking tombstones.

As in any Military Cemetery, from any angle all the tombstones line up perfectly and send chills down your spine.  We spent time roaming the tombstones, reading the beautiful notes and devotionals left for the men that gave their life for our country.  The center focal point of the cemetery is the Wall of Missing, a semicircular garden with the names of 1,557 of those missing in action.  Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified.

Also in the memorial are maps and large narratives of military actions and a bronze statute,  the Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.  The visitors center is not something to rush through, we spent a good amount of time there  looking at the old uniforms, watching videos of veterans telling their heroic tales and paying our respects to the people who gave everything so we could be here today.  

Pointe Du Hoc

We made our way down from Omaha Beach and walked the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc.  This was the exact spot where US Army Rangers scaled the 90 foot cliffs to capture the heavily defended position and stood their ground against repeated counterattacks.  This mission helped established an Allied presence in France and began the liberation of Europe.  The grounds here are literally untouched from WWI.  You can walk inside the bunkers that were created to fight and hide during the war.  Large creators are everywhere on the cliff marking the sights of many deadly bombs.  The weather on the cliff also remains unchanged from the war.  Clear skies were quickly covered in dark grey rolling fog, which makes the efforts that happened there all the more heroic.   It is truly emotional to walk in the same place where many fought and died for their country.

Bayeux, France

After spending a whole day in the region we needed to move on with our trip.  We drove a short distance to the town of Bayeux to spend the night.  This town was the closest town with hotels near Normandy.  We stayed at the Hotel Reine Mathilde and were pleasantly surprised with the modern hotel.  The website doesn’t do this hotel justice.  It’s completely modern and complete renovated, with spacious rooms.  The streets in the town of Bayeux were lined with small shops and street cafes.   We had the most wonderful meal at Le Pommier Restaurant, it’s a must visit if you if you find yourself in Bayeux.

Northern France – First Leg

The first leg of our trip in Northern France was absolutely wonderful.  I felt honored to be able to visit such wonderful cities with rich French and American history.  My only regret was that I didn’t really love history and learning about it in high school.  If I could tell my younger self to pay attention more I would.  It’s my piece to advise to my nieces and nephews, I only hope they listen to me!  

The trip isn’t over though, we still set out to see the Northwestern part of the country.  Stay tuned for Part II of the France Travel Series and travel guide to Northern of France coming soon to learn how to authentically see the French Wine Country and visit the most magical place on earth.  

Interested in learning how I was able to save up for this bucket list trip?  Check out my post on how to save money without even trying.