Let's leave the Côte d'Albâtre where we were able to discover towns like Étretat or Veules-les-roses, and head towards the Côte Fleurie to discover two of Normandy's must-sees: Deauville and Trouville. Deauville is a mythical city in many ways. Upscale and popular cities, Deauville attracts many tourists passing through Normandy. In this article, we will talk about things to do in Deauville but also around Deauville with a visit to the neighboring town of Trouville.
Even if Deauville monopolizes all the superlatives linked to luxury and refinement, and enjoys an international reputation, we will see that its neighbor, Trouville, is also well worth the detour. In a different style, more popular and more good-natured, Trouville is a city where it is good to walk around. Much more historic than Deauville, Trouville will be a perfect place to spend the night, while Deauville will be perfect for a shopping session or relaxing on the beach.
Here are some of the essential activities to do in Deauville and Trouville.
Summary
- What to do in Deauville
- What to do in Trouville-sur-Mer?
- What to do around Deauville?
What to do in Deauville?
Let's start our visit with the city of Deauville. Strolling through the city, the first impression is not wrong, it is indeed a posh city, used to receiving big names during its festival or during its horse races. Restaurants, hotels and high-end boutiques dot the small seaside resort.
The history of Deauville in a nutshell:The history of Deauville begins in 1859 when a banker, Mr Donon, accompanied by Doctor Olliffe, decided to buy, west of Trouville, old marshes to build the "new New York". An ambitious project that undermines the desires to extend the neighboring seaside resort of Trouville.
It was from 1910, when the Casino de Deauville was born, and even more so in the following years during the creation of the luxury hotel, Le Normandie, then that of the Royal Hôtel, the golf course and the racecourse that Deauville saw its notoriety grow.
What to do in Deauville?
- Stroll on the boards of Deauville
- Enjoy Deauville beach
- Shopping in Deauville
- Attend a horse show
- Deauville and its American film festival
- Contemplate the villas of Deauville
- Deauville Thalasso
- Flambé at the Casino de Deauville
- Cross the Belgian Bridge
Stroll on the boards of Deauville
Activity number 1 to do in Deauville: walk on the famous boards along the beach. Built in 1923,
these boards are trodden every year by big names in cinema who come here during the American film festival.
656 meters long, this promenade runs along another emblematic place in Deauville: the Pompeian baths. The Pompeian baths are a set comprising shops, different pools, steam baths, cafes and restaurants but also no less than 450 beach cabins. Built in the art-deco style, the Pompeian baths are a must on a visit to Deauville.
Along this promenade are therefore 450 cabins, each of which bears the name of a celebrity who came to Deauville during the festival.
Enjoy Deauville beach
Another must-see in Deauville is its beach. Indeed, in addition to the famous boards, it is also the beach of Deauville which is worth a look. Its size, nearly 2 kilometers long, is one of its assets, as is the wind that blows there, which contributes to the practice of sailing sports. Not far from Deauville, in Cabourg, you will also be able to take kitesurfing lessons.
The winds and currents coming from the river separating Deauville from Trouville, La Touques, tend to enlarge this beach from year to year.
The particularity of this beach is, without a doubt, the parasols with which it is adorned every summer. Parasols recognizable among all by their very flashy color and the knot used to tie them: the Deauvillais knot.
Deauville is the ideal place to spend a night. The city has very nice hotels, just like Trouville located just opposite. If you are looking for accommodation in the Deauville / Trouville-sur-mer region, do not hesitate to take a look at our dedicated article. Where to sleep around Deauville?
Shopping in Deauville
Another activity to do in Deauville, shopping! Indeed fans of luxury shops will not be lacking in Deauville, there are many of them, mostly located around the Hotel Normandie. There are, for example, Hermès, Zadig and Voltaire or Louis Vuitton. A recent district in the Norman style which is worth the detour.
Attend a horse show
Built in 1863, at the time of the creation of the city, the La Touques racecourse hosts one of the most prestigious horse racing grand prix in the world. If you are interested in horse racing, attending a race at this racecourse is a must! The racecourse and the meetings that take place there have greatly contributed to the prestige and reputation of the city.
Deauville and its American film festival
Every year in September for 10 days, and this since 1975, the American film festival of Deauville takes place. On this occasion, the city welcomes many American actors from the films presented. If you wish to attend the festival, go to the official website of the Deauville festival.
Contemplate the villas of Deauville
Deauville has a large number of villas dating from the beginning of the 1915th century. From the seaside, to the city center passing by the surroundings of the Touques racecourse, discover these impressive buildings, most of them built before XNUMX. The most remarkable of all is undoubtedly the Strassburger villa of which I am telling you more in detail below.
© Sandrine Boyer Angel
Villa StrassburgerBuilt in 1907 for Baron Henri de Rothschild on the site of an old farm, owned by the novelist Gustave Flaubert, the villa has been listed as a historical monument since 1970. This was bequeathed to the municipality of Deauville in 1980 and kept its furniture and decoration unchanged. The city organizes guided tours of the villa. See guided tours
Deauville Thalasso
Like many cities on the coast, Deauville also has a thalassotherapy: Thalasso Deauville by Algotherm. In addition to the treatments offered at the thalassotherapy centre, it is possible to stay in one of the affiliated accommodations, including the prestigious Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy.
Flambé at the Casino de Deauville
Located right next to the Le Normandy hotel, the Deauville casino, built in 1912, is one of the many belonging to the Lucien Barrière group. Entirely restored in 1988, the casino is one of the popular places in Deauville.
Cross the Belgian Bridge
Let's leave Deauville to take the direction of its neighbour, Trouville. Separated from Deauville by La Touques, you will have to take the Belgian bridge to reach Trouville on foot or by car. This bridge, called Belgian bridge, honors the Belgian soldiers of the Piron brigade who came to liberate Deauville and then Trouville in August 1944.
From this bridge, you will enjoy a nice view of the quays of La Touques, a particularly popular place to live in Trouville, where the market takes place.
What to do in Trouville?
We have now arrived at Trouville, a neighbor of Deauville which, despite less popularity, is nevertheless worth the detour. Trouville is a much older village than Deauville, with a completely different history.
Originally a fishing port, Trouville saw its popularity grow at the same time as the fashion for sea bathing appeared.
Strolling through the streets of Trouville, you will be marked by this difference between the two towns which, although they are often compared, have nothing to do.
- Villa Montebello-Museum of Trouville
- Discover the old town of Trouville
- Casino of Trouville
- Trouville Beach
- Thalasso of Trouville
Villa Montebello-Museum of Trouville
Even if Trouville does not have the same prestige as Deauville, the town still has magnificent villas, especially on the seafront.
This is the case of the Montebello villa. This villa, built in 1865, is one of the oldest in the city. Adorned with a small turret, this historic villa with typical architecture now houses a museum which hosts temporary exhibitions related to seaside resorts.
Discover the old town of Trouville
A walk in the old town of Trouville will enchant you without hesitation. Start the walk at the foot of the casino (car park nearby) or come on foot from Deauville via the Pont des Belges and enjoy the quays of La Touques. Proceed to the fish market, you will see the trawlers moored in the port after their day of fishing.
Then take the direction of rue des Bains and head into the heart of Trouville. You will find many shops, restaurants and bars where you can have a drink.
Casino of Trouville
If you walk along the quays of La Touques, you will come across the Casino de Trouville. This location has been home to a casino since 1847. The current one was built in 1912 and enlarged in 1927. A few years later, around 1936, the Trouville casino went through a difficult period. Indeed, the growing notoriety of Deauville has resulted in a loss of population and attractiveness for the town of Trouville. The casino must even close, it is converted into a museum until 1956.
It was partially renovated in 2011 and 2013. The establishment is now managed by the Barrière group.
Trouville Beach
Continue your route a few hundred meters after the casino to find Trouville-sur-mer beach. A real asset of the city, this wide beach offers a large number of activities. There is, for example, an aquatic center and a large swimming pool. A little further on is the Trouville tennis club.
Like Deauville, Trouville-sur-Mer also has its boardwalk and its beach huts.
When you walk along this large beach, you come across a more affluent district with beautiful homes that have sometimes been admirably well renovated.
Thalasso of Trouville
Trouville-sur-mer is no exception to the rule, like Cabourg, Deauville, the city also has its thalassotherapy centre.
What to do around Deauville?
Let's move away from the two flagship cities of the Côte Fleurie to visit the surroundings of Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer. If you choose to visit these two cities during a road trip in Normandy, then this section will undoubtedly interest you.
What to do around Deauville?- Visit Touques
- Visit a Calvados distillery
- Discover Mont Canisy
- Odyssey Paleospace
- Visit Honfleur
- Visit Houlgate and Cabourg
- Visit Villers-sur-mer
Visit Touques
Just south of the towns of Deauville and Trouville is Touques. In the Middle Ages, this city had an important port which made it one of the main cities of the surroundings. Today, this small town has some notable points of interest such as its XNUMXth century Saint-Pierre church, which has now become an art gallery.
Visit a Calvados distillery
When you are in Deauville, you will be not far from Calvados distilleries, a typical eau-de-vie of the region. The latter is made from distilled cider (from apples or pears).
During your visit, you can choose to make a simple visit, to taste this drink or to do an oenological workshop.
View all Calvados distilleries to visit around Deauville and Trouville.
Discover Mont Canisy
South of Deauville is Mont Canisy, a place that played an important role during the Second World War, especially during the Battle of Normandy. On this site, a former major artillery post of the German army, there are many vestiges of this period. Bunkers, Blockhaus and other artillery elements are still visible.
Accessible only during guided tours, there is also an underground fortress 260 meters long.
Visit Honfleur
Located some 20 minutes away by car, the city of Honfleur is a real little haven of peace to visit: Vieux-Bassin, Saint-Catherine Cathedral, perfectly preserved old town centre,... There are many things to visit. This city is really charming and has seen many painters or great names in French literature during the XNUMXth century. Among the most famous, there was the painter Eugène Boudin, Charles Baudelaire and Claude Monnet.
To read: Visit HonfleurIf you want to know more about this city, its museums, and its places to visit, read our complete article on visiting Honfleur. Article: visit Honfleur
Odyssey Paleospace
Let's head south this time. Not far from Deauville, the city of Villers-sur-mer, which we will talk about a little later, hosts the Paléospace Odyssée. A place not to be missed, especially if you are traveling with children.
This museum, created in 2011, is devoted to three main themes: the meridian of Greenwich, the marshes of the region as well as the fossils discovered in the surroundings.
Many temporary exhibitions take place in this center, in particular on dinosaurs, mammoths and other prehistoric animals.
Visit Villers-sur-mer
Villers-sur-mer is located on the Fleurie coast, south of Deauville. The city has a small particularity: it is the northernmost city through which the meridian of Greenwich passes. This one is also drawn on the seafront.
In addition to this particularity, the city also has a rich heritage with a neo-Gothic church from the XNUMXth century, the Church of Saint-Martin, the castle of Villers, built in the XNUMXth century, both classified as historical monuments.
The city and its surroundings are known for the significant presence of paleontological remains, in particular the cliffs of the Black Cows, a world famous site.
Visit Houlgate and Cabourg
Let's continue our journey south to visit two unmissable towns on the Côte Fleurie: Houlgate and Cabourg. These two cities have, more or less, the same history as many cities on the coast. Former port cities, these two cities have seen their notoriety grow during the development of sea bathing.
It is therefore natural that many villas were built at the end of the XNUMXth century, allowing wealthy Parisians to enjoy the seaside in a pleasant way.
Stroll along the beach and contemplate these beautiful residences.
In terms of tourism, Cabourg is doing better than its neighbour, notably with the presence of thalassotherapy and a casino.
My opinion on visiting Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer
A passage through Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer seems to me a must for a stay in Normandy. These two cities alone can be worth the trip, even if it would be a shame not to push the stay a little further in the direction of Honfleur for example.
Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer are peaceful towns in which to stroll, take your time and enjoy their respective beaches.
