The village of Etretat is situated north of Le Havre on the coast of Normandy- France. It’s beautiful white cliffs – The Falaises d’Etrat are the pride of every French with a very good reason. The artists like Courbet, Degas and Matisse drew it, Victor Hugo loved it, and Guy the Maupassant lived it.
Even today it’s a popular summer resort, but only in winter times it gets to being the beautiful quiet place with the sweeping promenade and the empty beach for the solitary walker.
You can climb a path to the western cliff – the Falaise d’Aval, formed into an arch, from which you can enjoy the magnificent view of the sea and the rock formations including “The needle” – l’aguille, which rises from the water up to a height of 700m (2300ft).
On the eastern cliff – the Falaise d’Amont there is a chapel, a museum and a statue dedicated to the two French aviators who made the first attempt to travel the Atlatic, and were lost off the coast.
During the low tide you can walk through the rock arches from one beach to another.
| WHERE TO FIND IT In Normandy, north of Le Havre |
| WHAT TO SEE Honfleur, Trouville-sur-Mer, Deauville, Palais Benedictine |
| WHAT IS THERE TO DO Climb the western cliff – the Falais d’Avale to enjoy the view |
| HOW TO GET THERE By road from Le Havre |