Travel to Normandy from the UK and Paris

Find out about how to travel to Normandy. Here are various ways to get to Normandy in north France.

From the UK

Travel to Normandy by ferry from the UK

Taking the ferry is the most popular way to travel to Normandy from the UK. There are several major ferry ports in Normandy and two major ferry companies serving them.

Brittany Ferries runs from Poole and Portsmouth to Cherbourg and from Portsmouth to Le Havre and Caen.

DFDS runs between Newhaven and Dieppe.

Brittany Ferries to Cherbourg

Portsmouth to Cherbourg runs during the day and night. Because of the tides, departure times can change by up to an hour. The ferry takes from 7 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours depending on which ferry you take.

Portsmouth to Cherbourg Timetable.

The ferry from Poole to Cherbourg takes between 4 hours 15 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes depending on which ferry you take.

Brittany Ferries. Tel: 0330 159 7000 (reservations and enquiries)

Why choose Cherbourg?

Mont St Michel seen from the mainland, showing water, walls around the bottom and building climbing the hill to the steeple of the abbey on top — Mont St Michel © Amaustan/Wikimedia Commons

Choose Cherbourg if you want to stay in the pretty Cotentin Peninsula. It has long, sandy, empty beaches. It boasts large and small harbours full of fishing boats like Barfleur where William the Conqueror set out on his conquering mission to England. To the south west Mont Saint-Michel beckons; Utah Beach is the most easterly of the famous D-Day landing beaches with nearby World War II sites to explore.

Brittany Ferries to Caen

Portsmouth to Caen offers day and night sailings. They operate from late January to December. Sailings take between 6 hours and 7 hours 30 minutes.

Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Caen timetable.

Why choose Caen?

Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen © Mary Anne Evans

Caen is the preferred stop for exploring the D-Day landing beaches. It’s a lively city, largely rebuilt after World War II but with a delightful old centre. It’s also near Bayeux with its glorious tapestry.

Brittany Ferries to Le Havre

Portsmouth to Le Havre offers a good equivalent with a no frills service (self service restaurant only; basic cabins, etc.) Brittany Ferries has crossings from £83 one way in the off season. Depending on the season, there are 2 daytime crossings and 2 night sailings. There are no winter sailings.

Le Havre, France’s second largest port, is a surprisingly interesting place where Impressionism and contemporary architecture hold equal billing. Don’t miss the concrete interior of St. Joseph’s church.

Brittany Ferries to Le Havre timetable

Why choose Le Havre?

Le Havre has some surprises. It has some excellent contemporary architecture, recognised internationally when the urban complex was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ocean of the Future exhibition is at the La Cité de la Mer museum. The André Malraux Museum of Modern Art – MuMa, has a stunning collection of Impressionist paintings.

DFDS Ferries to Dieppe

DFDS is the only operator to Dieppe. They offer 3 daily sailings in both directions from May to September; 2 daily sailings off season, taking 4 hours. Off season tickets for a car and 4 people start at £95 return.

DFDS ferries to Dieppe timetable.

Château de Dieppe © Raimond Spekking via Wikimedia Commons

Why choose Dieppe?

Dieppe itself is delightful with a castle museum, old streets and plenty of good fish restaurants. It’s also near some pretty seaside resorts and rolling countryside.

Fly to Rouen

If you want to fly to Rouen from the UK, it takes time, as you have to change at Paris.

The major airline BA, AirFrance and KLM fly from London; EasyJet and other discount airlines fly from Luton or Gatwick.

Getting to Normandy by train

Eurostar from London St Pancras. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Let the train take the strain. From the UK take Eurostar to Paris.

From Paris, it’s an easy journey from Paris Gare Saint Lazare, 13 rue Amsterdam, Paris 8. Paris to Rouen takes 1 hr 11 mins.

From Dieppe, it takes from 46 minutes to Rouen.

Getting to Rouen by car

Paris to Rouen is 131 kms (81 miles) taking around 1 hr 32 mins. There are tolls on the autoroutes.

Dieppe to Rouen is 63 kms (39 miles) and takes around 1 hour.

By coach to Rouen

Flixbus runs from London Victoria coach station to Paris (Bercy) where you change for the bus to Rouen. It takes from around 12 hours and costs from £50. From Park (Bercy) to Rouen it takes from 2 hours 15 minutes and costs from £6.99.

BlaBlaCar offers two choices. It operates a car sharing scheme so you go onto the site and type in dates and destinations; cars that are going the same way usually put up their details a few days before.

By coach BlaBla goes from London Victoria to Paris, taking from 9 hours and costs from £35. From Paris to Rouen, the bus departs from Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly and La Defense only, taking from 1 hour 30 minutes and costs from £6.

Why choose Rouen?

Rouen, capital of Normandy, is a stunning town with a cathedral, old buildings like the Bishop’s Palace, memories of Joan or Arc, and enough good bars and restaurants to satisfy the most demanding.

Getting around Normandy

The best form of transport in Normandy is your own car if you want to travel around the region.

There is a good regional rail network, which connects the major towns but at no stage runs along the coast. The line from Paris to Rouen passes close to Giverny and Monet’s house and garden (nearest stop Vernon), and trains continue to both Dieppe and Le Havre. Trains between Cherbourg and Paris call at Bayeux and Caen.

By bus, the D-Day Line, operated by Nomad lines, runs along the Normandy D-Day Landing coast between Grandcamp-Maisy in the west and Bayeux in the east. Travel on it to visit Sword and Juno beaches and their attractions. Easy to use, it operates daily and regularly between 9.30am and 6pm. And don’t worry about taking photos on your mobile phone; the vehicles have USB charging points, as well as wifi and air-conditioning.
From Bayeux, take coach line 120.

You can buy tickets on board, though it’s cheaper if you buy in advance. Tickets are available via scanning, or at various tourist offices. A day ticket for an adult is €10 in advance, €12 on the bus.

Visit the Nomad Line site for all information.