Deauville and Le Havre - Notes from Normandy

Hello dear travel lovers. As we continued our Normandy trip, we stopped by Deauville. Here again there is a little wordplay, just like in Honfleur. And this wordplay actually explains the meaning of the town quite well. First we arrived at the train station called Gare de Trouville-Deauville. In French "ville" means city. On our right was Trouville. It can be translated into English as something like real city. And that is actually correct. This place has existed for several centuries and in recent years it has been living almost entirely on tourism, a classic seaside resort town.

We on the other hand, visited Deauville. When translated from French, it means "water city". It is literally built on empty land, even marshland. Until 1859, there was almost nothing here. That changed when, during the Napoleonic era, a duke ordered the creation of a real place of peace and relaxation for the aristocracy. The goal was to create a place close to Paris, about two hours away, two hours by today’s standards of course. People could enjoy themselves on a huge beach without hiding their luxury. On top of that, the area was filled with extremely aesthetic, elegant and welcoming architecture.

Deauville Town Hall is incredibly grand. It is probably the most beautiful town hall I have ever seen. It is not exactly a very old historical building, maybe 100 or 120 years old. Still, it is very impressive and there is a fascinating atmosphere here. In France weddings are usually held at the town hall, sometimes in a church, it is completely a matter of preference. Those who want a more relaxed ceremony with stylish outfits usually choose the town hall. Most likely, people here were waiting for a bride and groom.

There is another interesting and very symbolic detail. In the garden of the town hall, there are apple trees. The apple is the most important tree in Normandy, so their presence here is no coincidence at all.

When all this architecture, perfectly maintained spaces, greenery, flowers, expensive cars and well dressed people come together, it creates a slightly artificial, almost toy-like feeling. It feels as if we are on a movie set or walking among film props.

The buildings look unreal, as if they were made of cardboard, but in reality they are built of brick and stone and are quite massive. At this point, another comparison came to my mind, outlet villages in Italy. There, you also see stylized shopping villages where a single brand occupies an entire building. That is exactly what we saw here. On one side there was Louis Vuitton, next to it Hermès, then other boutique brands like Polo Ralph Lauren. Yes, it looks very nice, but after a while it turns into a giant shopping mall. And in fact, it is. The only difference is that, unlike outlets, it is not really possible to find affordable prices.

Still this place is incredibly beautiful, very clean, well maintained and unusual. And of course, in no outlet would you encounter a massive casino building, people arriving by private jets, yachts lined up in the harbor and luxury cars everywhere. When you describe it like this, it sounds a bit like Monaco. But the atmosphere is completely different. It is calmer, more elegant and far from flashy. Most importantly, the buildings here are genuinely stylish. For slow walks and a pleasant holiday, Deauville is much more suitable than Monaco.

If Monaco has its walk of fame, Deauville has its famous changing cabins. Yes, I am completely serious. And there is no waiting in line either. There are about 700 of them, maybe even a bit more. They stretch for almost a kilometer, right next to the beach. Very charming little cabins.

The reason for this is the American Film Festival held in Deauville. Many Hollywood stars once changed clothes here, took photos and later these cabins were named after them. Were they all really here, did they swim in the sea, I do not know. But in any case, walking here is absolutely worth it.

Deauville has a massive sandy beach. Its width is, in my opinion, at least 300 meters. There is more than enough space for everyone. If you come here in summer and start wondering whether you should swim or not, my advice is this: do what Coco Chanel did in 1913 and throw yourself into the water. Back then, this was considered very bold and unusual. Newspapers wrote for days that, Coco Chanel went into the sea. This is the best thing to do in Deauville. After all, it was Coco Chanel who made swimming fashionable for the upper class. Before that, going into the sea was not really well received. So go, swim. But do not forget to apply sun oil or sunscreen. The sun here is very open and strong. I say this especially because Chanel was also the person who made tanning fashionable. Sunbathe comfortably and feel like Coco Chanel.

After seeing the main stops of Normandy, we decided to look at a unique example of 20th century French architecture. This was Le Havre, the city where we stayed. After the Second World War, the city was almost completely destroyed. A few surviving buildings were preserved and it was decided to rebuild the rest entirely as a modern city.

The project was given to the modernist architect Auguste Perret. He was an architect who loved concrete very much. But the buildings in Le Havre are not just plain concrete blocks. Pieces left from the ruins, steel, cement, sand and gravel were brought together. At the same time, decorative elements inspired by Art Nouveau were also used.

Perret’s most striking works are the town hall and the Saint Joseph Church, built on the site of an old Gothic church. With its height of 110 meters, it stands like a symbolic lighthouse for Le Havre, which is the second largest port in France after Marseille. But what is really impressive is the interior of the church. It is genuinely very unusual.

In addition to this, despite its strict architecture, Le Havre is also full of contemporary art works. One of the most interesting examples is this project by the Austrian architect Erwin Wurm, built in 2022. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary modern house. But when you get closer, you realize that its width is only 1.30 meters. Its height is 7 meters and its length is 16 meters. It is an architectural commentary on comfort, safety and claustrophobia. Entering is difficult and inside everything is intentionally designed out of proportion. It is quite a fun structure.

The oldest building in Le Havre that miraculously survived is the cathedral dating back to the 15th century. According to a legend, it was not heavily damaged during the war because pilots used it as a reference point.

Our evening walk ended here. The next morning, we went to one of my favorite cities in France, the capital of the region, Rouen. On this trip, we saw many unusual churches, from the concrete architecture of Le Havre to the Church of Joan of Arc. Rouen is one of the best day trips from Paris for those who want to see the real France.

And so our three days in Normandy came to an end. We went to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. By the way, an interesting detail: there is a direct train from Rouen to the airport and the ticket costs 12 euros. Going from the center of Paris to the airport costs 13 euros. Keep that in mind.

Normandy is my great love. For me, the most unforgettable place was Étretat. The landscape created by nature here is absolutely incredible. Le Havre is more suitable for accommodation. Honfleur is very cute. Deauville is beautiful. But Rouen… that is the place I would say must be seen.

That is all from me. Thank you very much for reading. See you on the next trips.