Normandy By Ferry

Brittany Ferries runs ferry services from Portsmouth to Ouistréham, near Caen and from Portsmouth and Poole to Cherbourg. From Portsmouth,  LD Lines operate a ferry to Le Havre and from Newhaven to Dieppe.

If you are travelling from London and South East England it quicker and allow more flexibility  to use the shorter, and more frequent, ferry services, or the Channel Tunnel to Calais, and then drive to Normandy on the good motorway routes across Northern France. If you have a baby or toddler and do not know if they will be affected by seasickness it might also be a better option to go for the faster journey across the channel and then opt to drive a little longer on arrival. For a list of the shorter routes, see Brittany.

Normandy By Car

From Paris Take the A14 north out of Paris towards Rouen for around 20 km, then take the A13 towards Le Havre and Caen. The A13 will take you to the Caen ring road (périphérique). Caen can be a useful base to explore the region.

For tips on driving in France click here and for EU car seat laws, click here.

Normandy By Train

Trains leave Paris from Gare Saint-Lazare to Rouen, Caen, Lisieux and Cherbourg. You can catch trains from these places to other destinations such as Deauville, Valognes, Carentan or Bayeux.

Normandy By Plane

You can fly  to Paris, from which you have several transportation options for getting to different areas of Normandy. Rouen, for example, can be reached in an hour and half by train, while Caen takes about two hours. You might also opt to rent a car in Paris and drive there. There are plenty of car rental companies at the airport where you can rent a car but remember to pre book a car seat to ensure availability if you are not bringing your own.