Honfleur, Caen, Bayeux, Lisieux, William the Conqueror and Saint Theresa, gastronomy and the memory of the D-Day landings... Calvados takes many forms to attract you and knows how to surprise you. Thus with the museum of the miniature Furniture (orangery of the castle of Vendeuvre) or that of the Balloons and Hot-air balloons (castle of Balleroy). Follow the circuit of the Satie houses in Honfleur, a tribute to the composer and an original way to discover this charming port. The most daring ones will go for a bungee jump from the viaduct of Souleuvre. Another unusual site, near Falaise, a medieval city: the Saint-Vigor chapel, recently decorated with frescoes of apple trees throughout the seasons by the Japanese artist Kyoji Takubo, a nod to the orchards of the hinterland. Here, apples are made into calvados, cider, pommeau and juice, and are used in cooking alongside Vire andouille sausages and Bayeux pigs, and are served with butter, cream and even Normandy camembert. The region also offers tripe from Caen and the delights of the sea, oysters, scallops and other shellfish.
Calvados is 120 kilometers of coastline where beautiful residences, villas, grand hotels, cottages and manors line the Belle Époque seaside resorts, twelve marinas and the possibility of enjoying all the nautical pleasures. The countryside offers peace, greenery and softly curving bocage landscapes. Finally, Calvados is a land of horses and riders, of horse races, polo, show jumping and nature gallops on the sand or in the hollow paths.
The best period to stay in Calvados, as far as the weather is concerned, is from the beginning of April to the end of October, but those who are cold will have to wait until June to go swimming. For all: always keep a raincoat at hand, a small shower is never excluded. You are in Normandy! The high tourist season is in full swing in the seaside resorts of the coast in summer. All year round, pilgrims flock to the shrine of Lisieux in the footsteps of the "Little Theresa", but it is during the Saint Theresa celebrations, which last for a week at the end of September and beginning of October, that the crowds are the greatest.
Festivals, shows, animations, jumpings, gastronomic events... Calvados is animated all year long, but some events are unavoidable such as the Jump'in of Deauville (mid-June), Music in Beauregard, in the open air (ten days during the second half of July), the American Film Festival of Deauville (end of August/beginning of September).
The climate of Calvados, of oceanic influence, mild and humid, varies according to the micro-territory where you are. In Caen, for example, near the coast, the influence of the tide is great. The climate is much milder than in the Orne region, where the climate is a bit harsher, colder in winter and hotter in summer. The temperatures are never negative in Calvados. The sun is generous, but often interspersed with showers, the rainiest months being May and November.
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The public is invited to discover the reconstruction of La Mora, the ship that carried William the Conqueror during his conquest of the English ...
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The photographic festival Planches Contact is a real laboratory for observing the Norman territory through images. It is also a unique event ...
