Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

In Honfleur, the frieze of pastel-coloured buildings around the port, reflected in the water – disturbed only by boats bobbing on their moorings – is pure painterly inspiration.

Arts and culture

Rouen’s Notre-Dame Cathedral is gargantuan and Gothic (tourist office: +33 (0)2 32 08 32 40). A trove of paintings and sculptures, with lots from the 17th (Caravaggio, Rubens, Velázquez) and 19th centuries (Moreau, Monet, Degas, Delacroix), awaits at the Museum of Fine Art on Esplanade Marcel-Duchamp (+33 (0)2 35 71 28 40). In Honfleur, the Eugène Boudin Museum on Place Erik Satie features works not only by its namesake painter, but also by Dubourg, Monet and more (+33 (0)2 31 89 54 00).

Something for nothing

A trip to the Bayeux War Cemetery makes for a sombre and moving experience. On the D5 bypass around the town, it is the site of more than 4,500 graves of fallen World War II soldiers. While you’re there, cross the road to read the long list of names on the Bayeux Memorial (www.cwgc.org).

Shopping

Thursday is market day in Alençon. Pick up saucisson, cider and aromatic cheeses on Place de la Magdeleine, Place de la Paix and Place du Point du Jour. In Honfleur, there’s a fruit and veg fest on Saturdays in Place Sainte-Catherine, as well as flower and fashion stalls on the other side of the old harbour. Gribouille at 16 rue de l’Homme de Bois looks touristy but offers a mouthwatering array of well-sourced produce: ciders, pommeau (a lighter kind of Calvados), liqueurs, terrines and preserves. If you’re venturing to the Cherbourg peninsula, epicerie Maison Gosselin at 27 rue de Verrüe in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is a gourmet’s dream: the rose- and verbena-flavoured rice puddings stand out (+33 (0)2 33 54 40 06; www.maison-gosselin.fr).

Daytripper

Le Mont Saint-Michel is one of France’s most iconic attractions. Around a two-hour drive from Alençon or Honfleur, in the far south-west of the region, it’s a rocky island whose rampart-guarded mediaeval town is crowned by a majestic abbey, with restaurants and museums inside its walls. At the ramparts’ edge, Auberge Saint-Pierre on Grande Rue (+33 (0)2 33 60 14 03) is the place to roll up your sleeves for a seafood platter.

Best beach

Chalk cliffs and limestone-clouded seas stretch along the coastline of the Seine-Maritime north of Honfleur, sometimes called the Alabaster Coast. Head to Etretat, where a sweeping shingle beach is guarded at either end by a dramatic stone needle jutting out of the sea, and eroding chalk arches. Admire these sea sculptures from the pebbled shore or clifftop footpaths above.

Walks

For a walk in the woods, head to Bellême, a fortified town in southerly Orne that lends its name to the surrounding forest. In Higher Normandy, the Seine wends its way westwards from Rouen through the glades of Roumare and Brotonne – amble along the canopied paths.

Children

Visit the fan-shaped Naturoscope complex in Honfleur, which houses a swirling kaleidoscope of butterflies (+33 (0)2 31 81 77 00; www.naturoscope.com).

Activities

Canter along the sands, west of Trouville, with Domaine Equestre de Grangues (+33 (0)2 31 28 04 28; www.cabourg-equitation.com). Learn to surf in Trouville with the North Shore Surf School, attached to the surf shop at 21 rue Victor Hugo (+33 (0)2 31 88 99 94). Kayak down tranquil tree-lined rivers in the Perche Regional Park from Nogent-le-Rotrou with Club Canoë-Kayak Percheron (+33 (0)2 37 52 78 82). For a walk in the woods, head to Bellême, a fortified town in southerly Orne that lends its name to the surrounding forest. In Higher Normandy, the Seine wends its way westwards from Rouen through the glades of Roumare and Brotonne; you can cycle or walk the wooded paths.

And

Calvados – apple brandy – is Normandy’s answer to sorbet. A shot of the regional liqueur, called a trou Normand, is often served between courses at dinner as a palate-cleanser.