Exploring the Cote Fleurie in Normandy

From Cabourg to Honfleur, the Côte Fleurie is over forty kilometers long coast in Normandy, an incredible succession of wide sandy beaches, cliffs and charming seaside resorts. The best way to start exploring the Côte Fleurie in Normandy is to go for a walk along its beautiful beaches. You can swim, sunbathe, admire the 19th-century-villas, and enjoy delicious food in many traditional restaurants. This sumptuous coast in Normandy is a place that you should definitely put on your bucket list.

The Cote Fleurie, Normandy

Côte Fleurie, France

19th-century-resorts

At the end of the 19th century, after the opening of the railway line connecting the Norman coast to the French capital, the small fisherman villages in Normandy were transformed, one by one, into very fashionable seaside resorts. The wealthy businessmen were hiring famous architects to create modern and ravishing new cities. In 1860, the Duc the Morny, a half-brother of Emperor Napoleon III and the architect Desle-François Barney created Deauville, a high society seaside resort. At that time, many beautiful hotels and villas were built all along the Côte Fleurie. One of them is the Hotel des Roches Noires in Trouville. This old hotel from 1866 was even listed in August 2000 as the French historical monument. Today, the Côte Fleurie is mainly known as the Parisian Riviera. This part of Normandy is a place where Parisians just adore to come and get the necessary dose of vitamin D.

Inspiration for artists

The Hotel des Roches Noires, Trouville

46 Route de Honfleur, 14360 Trouville-sur-Mer, France

Ever since the 19th century, the Côte Fleurie in Normandy has been attracting many writers, painters, and sculptors. Claude Monet, a French impressionist artist, even painted the Hotel des Roches Noires in Trouville in 1870. Between 1907 and 1914, Marcel Proust, a French writer, was a regular guest of the Grand Hotel in Cabourg, which he evokes in his famous novel “In Search of Lost Time” (“À la recherche du temps perdu”).  Another French writer, Margaret Duras, was spending every summer holiday in Trouville, and almost every evening she was eating at table number 309, in the brasserie “Le Central”. Today Côte Fleurie still attracts many artists. In the heart of Dives-sur-Mer is situated the “Village of Art”, a place where several artists have settled their studios.

Nature and food

The best thing the Côte Fleurie in Normandy has to offer is its incredible nature. Exploring this beautiful coast is impossible without visiting the most impressive cliffs named Falaises des Vaches Noires (The Cliffs of the Black Cows).  Those cliffs situated near Houlgate, a beautiful seaside resort, are a real fossil necropolis. Houlgate is also a place where you can taste “Belle du Nordet”. The best place to eat those delicious Norman oysters is at “Les Halles”, a restaurant situated in the city center.