Today, I'm taking you on a tour of Etretat in Normandy. I've been wanting to discover this pretty little seaside town with its cliffs, legends and gourmet delights for a long time. And now I've done it! But what to do in Etretat? How to get there? How long to stay?
I'm going to tell you all about my little escapade there and share with you some lovely walks to do and a few good addresses. Spending the weekend in Etretat means exploring the cliffs, but also breathing the iodized air, eating well, taking time for yourself... and discovering unusual places!
Visit Etretat, a town of majestic cliffs
Etretat is a tiny town in Normandy, with fewer than 1,500 inhabitants "and many, many, many gîtes and second homes", according to a charming lady with whom I chatted on the spot. So everyone knows everyone else... and it doesn't take long to get around the little streets of the town center!
Visit Etretat: the town itself
Étretat is a fishing town, and this has left its mark on the local architecture, with brick houses once occupied by these seafaring professionals. They were grouped around a small central courtyard named after a fishing master or crew, as in the Martin courtyard below.
We come across some gems, like this old building that houses a hotel, La Résidence Manoir De La Salamandre. It was built by "copying" a Lisieux residence demolished in 1899, the Maison Plantefor de Lisieux.
You can dine on site at Le Galion, one of the city's top restaurants!
The Manoir de la Salamandre was built by the same architect who designed Etretat's covered market. You're bound to pass by it on your visit to Etretat, as you can't miss the "Vieux Marché" on its little square. Inside, you'll find souvenirs, handicrafts and lovely postcards to send a thought to your loved ones!
Many legends surround the town. For example, Etretat's church is not located in the center of town like most churches... but is rather off-center. It's said that the Devil himself moved the foundations of the church as the men of the village tried to build it closer to the center of Etretat.
The church itself is nothing special, apart from this legend. It is said to have been built on the initiative of a woman, Dame Olive. She was washing her clothes in a spring on the beach when Vikings tried to seize Etretat. She implored God to help her as she tried to warn the inhabitants... and her wish was granted: a storm raged, sweeping the invaders out to sea!
To thank God for this divine intervention, the wealthy Olive ordered a church to be built by the sea. The devil, it is said, took advantage of the night to move all the stones... and that's how the church ended up where it is today!
Etretat beach
Etretat has existed since antiquity, has always had a special link with the sea and became a seaside resort in the 19th century. Today, fishermen are still present, even if the town has largely abandoned this activity. At nightfall, when tourists flee the windswept seaside, many come to set up their fishing rods in the darkness on Etretat's beach.
Many people start their weekend here with a detour to the Tourist Office. And when you ask what to visit in Etretat, you're told in no uncertain terms that there's no salvation outside the cliffs.
The cliffs of Etretat are (very) old ladies. I had no idea they were so old, and that makes them even more majestic: the white chalk that forms them is thought to date back some 90 million years! They plunge steeply into the sea, and their light color creates a magical contrast with the changing sky, the ripples licking the pebble beaches... all under the cries of the gulls!
Pebbles are an integral part of Etretat's identity. In fact, you'll see numerous signs explaining their key role in preserving the coastline. They are formed by the collapse of cliff sections, when the sea polishes the flint of the cliffs. The children's favourite local sport: ricocheting!
Etretat brought back memories of my childhood: playing on the rocks, wearing landing nets and oilskins, trying to catch crabs, shrimps and other sea creatures in the holes left by the ebbing tide, searching for the biggest sea anemone, the not-so-secret "secret caves" but "looking like explorers" all the same.
Going to Etretat means taking the time to live: there's very little to visit here, apart from the magnificent Jardins d'Etretat, the cliffs and Le Clos Lupin (the home of Maurice Leblanc, creator of the Arsène Lupin character). So take a stroll, enjoy yourself, breathe deeply and feel good!
Falaises d'Etretat: la falaise d'Amont
Etretat is nestled between two cliffs, a bit like Hastings and its hills in England! Facing the sea, you'll find the Amont cliff on your right.
It owes its name to the fact that it was located upstream of a watercourse that used to flow along the coast... The summit can be reached by a tourist train or on foot via a staircase from the seafront. Étretat town council has closed the parking lot at the top of the Amont cliff, with the aim of preserving the landscape in order to obtain the "Grand Site de France" label.
Notre Dame de la Garde Chapel
At the top, you'll find a small chapel, the Chapelle Notre Dame de la Garde, open to the winds... and many people settle down against its protective walls for an open-air picnic. It was built in the mid-19th century... and rebuilt in the mid-20th century after being heavily damaged by bombing during the Second World War.
All the building materials had to be transported by hand to the top of the Amont cliff, and you'll understand just how exhausting that must have been! The Notre Dame de la Garde chapel is dedicated to sailors, and features fish-headed gargoyles on the exterior. It is generally closed to the public.
The Cauldron Tunnel
Rounding the chapel, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the sea... and a plunging view of the cliffs below, which makes you suddenly realize just how high up you are! You'll surely spot a strange needle-shaped monument, a tribute to aviators Charles Nungesser and François Coli, whose plane - L'Oiseau Blanc - disappeared while the two men were attempting a non-stop Paris-New York crossing. Their plane was last seen in Etretat.
A small path seems to lead down to the sea... and as you follow it, you'll come across a staircase... which descends to the foot of the cliffs.
I advise you to use it only at low tide, otherwise you'll have to go the other way, which is far less easy! At low tide, things are a bit different, as you'll see! At the bottom of the staircase, you can descend onto the rocks (and even onto the "beach" via a rusty ladder!).
As the sea retreats, it leaves gaps, sometimes deep, where the flint strata of the Etretat cliffs are revealed. The coastline can be seen as far as the town of Fécamp.
Look at the cliff in the foreground - it looks like a giant has bitten into it! In the background, you can make out the silhouette of the Aiguille de Belval and Roc Vaudieu.
You can also approach one of Etretat's arches, which was carved out by the underground river that used to run through it... This is the Porte d'Amont, one of Etretat's three gates. On your left, at the bottom of the stairs, you'll see a sort of low-ceilinged grotto. Weird weird weird. Step inside. You're almost in darkness, the Chaudron tunnel becomes a little higher-ceilinged... and when you reach the other end, you're faced with a ladder leading down to the beach.
If you take this route, you can walk to Etretat from the beach, instead of climbing the steep Chaudron staircase. At high tide, this area is inaccessible.
Cliffs of Etretat: the Aval cliff
The Falaise d'Aval is the most famous, featuring the 55-metre-high Aiguille d'Etretat and the Arche d'Etretat. At night, it is illuminated by large spotlights that highlight its beauty.
Here, the sea has left its mark on the cliffs of Etretat. It's beautiful and fragile at the same time, because you can guess that at any moment, this incredible coastline sculpted by years of tides could disappear in part in "one wave too many".
Marie-Antoinette's oyster beds
There are several curiosities to be found here: the ground is marked by traces of freshwater from the underground river... and you'll discover Marie-Antoinette's former oyster beds! In the 18th century, oysters were bred here and shipped to Versailles for the Queen's breakfast.
Baron de Bellevert had the oyster beds built, importing oysters from Cancale in particular. Apparently, they had a special flavor due to the combination of sea and fresh water in this area.
No royalty today! At low tide, children come to the remains of the oyster park to forage for shrimp!
Then we discover the Trou à l'Homme. When I asked around "What to do in Etretat? What to visit in Etretat?", I was quickly told about this huge cave in the Aval cliff, accessible only at low tide.
Le Trou à l'Homme in Etretat
Legend has it that many centuries ago, a Scandinavian ship was wrecked nearby. The entire crew perished... except for one man, who was thrown into the hole by the sea. Strangely, the Trou à l'Homme is partly protected (when you get up high) and an air bubble forms in it at high tide, to which the man owed his salvation.
If legend is to be believed, the Trou à l'Homme gives rise to tunnels so deep that no one can visit them in their entirety!
Every year, dozens of tourists get trapped by the tide and panic. So the town council has put up a sign in the Trou à l'Homme, explaining "You're safe here. Don't panic. Wait for low tide". Many people can't bear the thought of waiting 6 hours in the hole... and call the fire department. If you ever get stuck, there's a shelter to protect you from the wind.
At low tide, an obscure tunnel leads to a beach... accessible only via the tunnel! A few years ago, the pebble beach was located at a very low level in relation to the tunnel, but today it has moved up a lot, with storms sculpting the area.
A lot of people come here with their drone to film the cliffs of Etretat from above, and you have to admit, it's magnificent! You can see the Aiguille up close...
Above all, you can pass under Etretat's third famous arch: the Manneporte.
It's impressive in its size, and as you go underneath it, you can see other cliffs, caves and tunnels in the distance. It's worth noting that among all these hidden tunnels on the coast, there's a real military system that allowed soldiers to land discreetly. I don't know the extent of the network hidden in the cliffs... but it stimulates the imagination!
At the top of the Aval cliff
Returning to the waterfront (where there are public toilets if you need a pee break!), you can climb to the top of the Aval cliff. I did this on my second day there, and the weather was far less clement than on the first day. Gusts of wind were blowing at the top of the cliffs... and I have to admit, it made the walk even more beautiful and wild!
The terrain is sometimes steep and slippery in wet weather... but the view is well worth the effort! You can admire the Amont cliff, the sea and, in the distance, the Antifer lighthouse. There's a golf course at the top of this cliff.
In the distance, you can see the Cap d'Antifer and the port of Le Havre-Antifer, home to supertankers, parked behind a 3.5-kilometre-long breakwater, which you can see in the photo. The port can accommodate ships up to 500 meters long, so large that they can be seen from the cliffs of Etretat!
I would have liked to walk there (about 6km to the lighthouse), but with the rain, the ground was extremely slippery for part of the way and I gave up.
Caution around the cliffs of Etretat
The cliffs of Etretat, as I said, are old ladies, and on site, the rules of caution are repeated just about everywhere. Don't park under the cliffs (or take selfies at the top of the cliffs at the edge of the void), as there can be rock falls (in 2013, 30,000 tons of cliffs collapsed on this coast). Incidentally, accidental falls are a regular occurrence, and it's sad to put your life at risk for a photo on Instagram.
And in Etretat, we also warn you about the tide: there are walks, like the Trou à l'Homme, that you can only do when the tide is low. The same applies when you enter the Tunnel du Chaudron to return to Etretat via the beach, a path you can only take at low tide.
Here you can see the beach accessed via Trou à l'Homme, where high tide cuts off any possibility of retreat!
You don't realize it if you don't live there, but the tide rises extremely high, and I was surprised to see how the beach at Etretat almost disappears at high tide. Every summer, according to the town hall, there are up to 350 warnings a day from unwary tourists venturing towards the Trou à l'Homme as the tide rises.
Not to mention rescue operations by sea or helicopter when people get stuck. For the Trou à l'Homme, you need to return at least 4 hours before high tide. Tide times are posted just before you go down to the beach, so don't forget to take a look - it can save you a lot of trouble.
I grew up by the sea, so these are reflexes we have... but a lot of tourists get trapped because they don't realize how fast the tide can come in... or how long it takes to cross an entire pebble beach!
How to get to Etretat
Etretat is not served by train, so the easiest way to get there is by car or carpool. Since 2016, the SNCF has been offering a special operation between Paris and Etretat: it includes a train ticket from Paris Saint-Lazare to the small Bréauté-Beuzeville station, then a Bréauté-Etretat coach, all at a very affordable rate (from 18 euros). The "Etretat stretches out its arms to you" operation runs only part of the year, including the summer season.
To get to Etretat out of season without a car, you need to take the train to Bréauté-Beuzeville or Le Havre, then take a cab. For my part, I called the Hautes Falaises cabs. My driver was adorable, but the fare is ruinously expensive: you're looking at 80 to 100 euros for a round trip between the station and Etretat! There's also a bus, but only at specific times.
Tips and addresses for your visit to Etretat
In my opinion, 2 days is enough to visit Etretat, leaving plenty of time to explore the cliffs, the gardens and the town itself, with plenty of time for breaks. Of course, you can also stay longer and explore other towns in Normandy (Honfleur, Deauville, Trouville, etc.).
When it comes to accommodation, there's plenty to choose from. There are plenty of places to rent on Airbnb, often between €50 and €80 a night. If you've never booked on the site before, don't hesitate to register via this link, which will give you a discount of up to €25 on your first booking of at least €65.
There are also plenty of hotels and bed and breakfasts. For a romantic weekend, there's the superb Castel De La Terrasse overlooking the sea, where you can dine by the fire in winter.
When should you visit Etretat?
As for the weather, it's much the same struggle as in Brittany or England: the weather can change quickly, in either direction... so weather forecasts are of limited reliability!
Make sure you wear rain gear and cover up well, as the wind can be very strong on Etretat's cliffs (don't forget your hat from autumn onwards!), and take good shoes with you - they make all the difference when it comes to walking with dry feet. It's also much easier to walk on the pebbles.
Of course, as soon as the weather turns warm, Etretat becomes one of Parisians' favorite weekend destinations, so it's always crowded! The same goes for school vacations and off-season long weekends.
Even if it's nicer to have dry weather for a stroll, I find a stormy sky gives the landscape even more power!
Good addresses in Etretat
As I was only there for 2 days, I obviously didn't try out all the restaurants in Etretat, but I did collect a few good addresses... and added those given to me by friends and family!
One name keeps coming up: the Marie Antoinette restaurant. It's located opposite a fishmonger's and customers can go directly to choose their fish before sitting down to eat. I haven't eaten there because it's a seafood restaurant and I have the good idea of being allergic to seafood... but everyone told me about it so it must be worth it.
For lunch, I tried out an excellent address, Cours d'Eau. Like many restaurants in Etretat, it's on rue Alphonse Karr. The welcome was charming and the food perfect!
I also recommend the crêperie Lann-Bihoué. I had a first failure for lack of reservation... and I went back with success!
For a gourmet break, tea, coffee, hot chocolate or brunch... there's just one address you won't want to miss: Délices de Naty. If one day she comes across this article, my hat's off to her! It's a tea room run by a charming, welcoming woman who's passionate about what she does.
She's created a warm and inviting place, with banquettes, cushions, teapots everywhere and countless tins of tea, from the most classic to the most original (I discovered Huang Da Cha yellow tea for the first time). If you don't like tea, there are plenty of gourmet drinks (with Chantilly!) and homemade cakes.
You can buy teas, herbal teas and tea accessories (hourglasses to measure brewing time, etc.). It's the perfect place to shelter in the warmth and enjoy!
Etretat is a lovely town for a 2-day break by the sea. You can bring the whole family, but you can also plan a romantic weekend! Prices are quite high overall (restaurants, accommodation, sightseeing), sometimes even higher than in Paris... but at the same time, there's almost nothing to do on site apart from the cliffs, which are free to visit, so the town must be profiting from tourism in other ways!
From article: salutbyebye
