Great ports Cherbourg and Le Havre, picturesque fishing harbours like Honfleur or Dieppe, chic resorts and long sandy beaches all resonate with memories linking Normandy to its neighbour across the Channel. Discover an astonishing artistic heritage, from the cartoon-like Tapestry in Bayeux, and Gothic masterpieces in Rouen and strange Mont St Michel, to Impressionist shrines like Monet's home beside the Seine. Normandy's rustic interior has picture-book charm, with thatched cottages, lanes and hedges, orchards and small farms. You can dine in hearty local style on tripes a la mode de Caen, succulent salt- meadow lamb, famous creme fraiche and strong cheeses, and enjoy a tot of Normandy's powerful apple brandy, Calvados. All this and more is covered in Footprint's fantasic new guide.
