things to do
châteaux and gardens
Normandie is blessed with stunning Châteaux and Gardens, some large & imposing, others small & intimate so whatever your taste you’ll be sure to find a place that inspires & charms you.
You’ll be spoilt for choice of things to do in Normandie. From strolling a peaceful beach to watching the world go by at a pavement café, from exploring the forests and lanes to fine dining, from a leisurely walk around a château and gardens to the thrills of sand yachting or bungy jumping and from a poignant visit to one of the many WW2 museums to a day at the races or a flutter at the casino… whatever takes your fancy you’ll find it in Normandie!
Les Jardins d’Étretat
One of the wonders of Normandie with a view listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO.
Claude Monet spent many hours working on his canvases in Étretat and so in 1905, inspired by her friend and artist, Madame Thébault decided to create a garden at the top of the Amont cliff that would reflect Monet’s work with avant-garde elements mixed with a touch of impressionism.
In 2017, Alexandre Grivko, famous landscape architect fascinated by this history, gave Les Jardins d’Étretat their nobility. Plant sculptures evoke the nature of the Normandie coast, while more than a hundred thousand plants provide the gardens their beauty throughout the year. The goal was to bring together historical and artistic elements of the old garden and contemporary architectural ideas. A unique collection of modern art is displayed in Les Jardins d’Étretat.
Château de Balleroy
Built in 1631 the Château de Balleroy and it’s surrounding buildings are one of the first that inspired other chateaux, including Versailles.
In 1970, Malcolm S. Forbes, owner of a major U.S. newspaper group acquired the chateau which was then fully restored and refurbished.
Today, his four sons and his daughter continue his work. Forbes was a world-class hot air balloon pilot, he was the first to successfully cross the United States from east to west in a single hot air balloon. In 1975, he created the first international balloon museum in one of the outbuildings of the chateau.
Christian Dior house, garden & Museum
Dior’s childhood home stands on the cliff facing the Channel Islands in Granville, Normandie, not far from Mont St Michel.
It’s about an hours drive from Le Pressoir and we highly recommend a visit. The elegant pink house is a Belle Epoque style 19th century clifftop villa and is the only “Musée de France” dedicated to the couturier and presents Dior’s Haute Couture garments on three floors of the house.
The garden, designed by Madeleine Dior, the fashion designer’s mother, is a rare example of an artists garden of the early twentieth century, it is a ‘Garden of Fragrances’ where you can stroll, admire the stunning floral displays and even have lunch overlooking the bay below. We’ve eaten there and it really is very special.
If you’re lucky your visit will coincide with one of the workshops that take place in the former reading room of the Dior family. Participants can smell the different scents, learn to distinguish them and become familiar with the methods of extraction. Then you’re introduced to the three phases of development of a perfume (maturation, filtering and dyeing) before learning the secrets composing a Christian Dior perfume. Everybody can choose his or her favourite fragrance and and a small vocabulary lesson is given so you’ll never again confuse Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum and Perfume Extract.
Château de Brécy
The charming 17th century Château de Brécy has enclosed gardens and sculptures that are interesting and unusual. There is a small church that gives the site a tranquil atmosphere.
The gardens are small but well worth a visit with their pruned topiaries.
This little gem is about 20 minutes from Le Pressoir.
Monet’s House and Gardens at Giverny
Giverny is about 1.5 hr drive away from Le Pressoir but is a must see if you like gardens, art and history.
Claude Monet lived at Giverny from 1883 to 1926. With a passion for gardening as well as for colours, he conceived both his flower garden and the world famous water lillies garden as true works of art.
The visit begins with the ‘little blue sitting room’ then into the artist’s first studio, in which he worked until 1899. You will be astounded by the beauty of the paintings that fill every wall. To be this close to these works of art is truly magical.
You will easily spend the whole day amongst those famous lillies.
abbey de cerisy & sculpture garden
The Abbey is considered to be the oldest in Normandie and a unique jewel of Lower Normandie Romanesque art.
The Sculpture Garden couldn’t be more different to that, it’s a jewel of worldwide modern art.
Around 510, the hermit Vigor, one of the very first evangelizers of Bessin and future bishop of Bayeux, founded the primitive abbey, probably on the remains of a Druidic temple. According to legend, a rich lord, Volusien, appealed to the holy man to deliver the forest of Cerisy from an ‘enormous snake’ which was terrorising the population there.
Saint Vigor, creating the sign of the cross above the horrible beast, struck it down and entrusted it to his cleric and friend, Theodomire, who drowned it. In gratitude for this miracle, Volusien then offered the holy man the domain of Cerisy. Saint Vigor built a monastery there, standing imposing above the Monk’s pond below.
During the summer, night-time illuminations add magic and mystery to the building, which was listed as a historic monument in 1840.
Just across from the abbey, the modern sculpture garden couldn’t be more of a contrast. The contemporary sculptures from sculptors around the world are quirky and intriguing.
This really is a visit of two ends of the historic and cultural spectrum and well worth a visit.