The Château de Balleroy was built in the 17th century for Jean de Choisy, advisor to King Louis XIII, who called on the talent of the famous architect François Mansart. After being occupied by the Marquises of Balleroy for three centuries, it was bought in 1970 by a wealthy American publisher, Malcolm Forbes, who completely restored it, before selling it in 2019 to the American entrepreneur Roy Truman Eddleman. The French formal gardens, featuring boxwood beds and surrounded by the outbuildings and moat, were redesigned in the early 20th century. Its beautiful park inspired by English country gardens was created in the 19th century in the Romantic style.

Inside, you can admire a fine collection of paintings by master artists, a superb dining room adorned with Regency wood panelling, and a formal reception room with royal portraits on display.

One of the château's outbuildings houses the amazing Balloon Museum, inspired by Malcolm Forbes' great passion for hot-air balloons. It has a display of objects and documents telling the story of hot-air and gas balloons since the Montgolfier brothers' first flight in 1783, and charting the history of aerostation. Until 1999, the owner organised the balloon festival every year, during which hot-air balloons would fly above the château.

In Bayeux, Calvados, not far from the D-Day beaches, you can visit the leading museum about the Battle of Normandy, from its beginnings to the end of August 1944.

As they fought to restore freedom to Europe, the Allied armies had to drive back the enemy and forge a path to liberate the capital, an aim which they achieved on 25 August, at a cost of very heavy civilian and military losses.

With a display and a themed trail in chronological order designed for all audiences, the museum tells the story of these two-and-a-half months of strategic fighting.

There is an explanatory film for visitors, who can also see period objects, cannons, handguns, machines and military costumes from various army corps.

A must-see museum, to be combined with a visit to the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains or the Mémorial de Caen, before going to discover the D-Day beaches.

The medieval town of Bayeux, in Calvados, is one of the few towns in the area to have been spared during the bombings of 1944. Its historic centre is therefore remarkably well preserved, and today visitors can enjoy the treasures of an authentic heritage. The centre of Bessin's capital reveals old cobbled streets lined with ancient timber-framed houses and elegant mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Tourist Office provides an itinerary so visitors don't miss any of this exceptional architectural heritage.

The Bayeux tapestry, known as Queen Matilda's tapestry, is an integral part of the town's identity and occupies the whole of the William the Conqueror Centre. This fresco embroidered in the 11th century with wool thread, 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall, depicts the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy. This thousand-year-old masterpiece, which was initially intended to adorn the newly built cathedral, is now listed on UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register.

In Old Bayeux, the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady, dating from the 11th century, is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in France and is the pride of the town. It combines the various styles of the three centuries in which it was built, and is particularly remarkable for its beautiful façade with five portals adorned with sculptures, its vast nave and its carillon that rings every quarter of an hour. It was consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda.

In Bayeux, culture is also a priority. The Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History displays some beautiful collections of art and local crafts, and the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy presents a fascinating exhibition about the military operations of 1944. At the Lace Conservatory, you can learn about a centuries-old skill which was initiated by the Sisters of Providence in the 17th century and eventually fell out of favour in the 1950s.

Visitors can take a detour via the British Military Cemetery, the final resting place of over 4,000 Commonwealth soldiers who gave their lives to liberate France. As for lovers of nature and the great outdoors, they can stroll along the charming path by the River Aure, or discover the weeping beech tree, classified as a Remarkable Tree, on a walk around the botanical garden in Bayeux.

The lace-making tradition in Bayeux goes back over 300 years. The town developed its reputation around the bobbin lace technique, which became an industry in the 19th century. By buying a lace factory in 1829 and opening a shop in Paris, the Lefébure family made the town prosperous. At that time, there were about twenty companies employing nearly 15,000 lace-makers, making Bayeux one of the most important production centres in Europe.

The fineness of its white or black silk, which was used to decorate the clothes of elegant women with ruffles or braids, made Bayeux bobbin lace part of the local heritage. However, from 1870 onwards, mechanical production took over from artisanal, manual lace-making.

This centuries-old skill is showcased at the Lace Conservatory, in the town's historic centre, which displays various specimens of Bayeux lace. Discovery workshops are available, with the aim of keeping this traditional technique alive and passing it on.

In the heart of Normandy, the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, along with the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum and the Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History, is one of the three sites of the Bayeux Museum brand, designed to tell the story of the town.

Almost 70 metres long and 50 centimetres high, the famous 11th-century tapestry tells the epic story of the conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, before his accession to the English throne following the Battle of Hastings.

Housed in the former Grand Seminary, this masterpiece of Romanesque art, sometimes called "Queen Matilda's Tapestry", also tells the story of life in medieval Europe. This perfectly preserved piece of cloth, which weighs no less than 350 kilos, has been listed on the UNESCO "Memory of the World" register since 2007. In late 2025, this exceptional exhibit will be relocated to a new, purpose-built museum building.

An audioguide in 16 languages, along with a commentary adapted for youngsters, helps people understand its history and how it was made. As well as the scenes depicted in wool yarn on this piece of linen, the museum also tells its story through a permanent exhibition and a film.

At the heart of the D-Day beaches, 9 km from Bayeux, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain is Normandy's leading artisanal fishing port. Nestling between two tall cliffs, between sea and countryside, this site in an authentic setting has a prosperous past. Over the centuries, it evolved from a military stronghold into an oil port, then a commercial port and finally the artisanal port we see today.

Specialising in particular in Label Rouge-certified Normandy scallops, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain is still very active economically, its life revolving around the comings and goings of the trawlers. The lively atmosphere of its auction, now computerised, is a real daily spectacle.

The Museum of Underwater Wrecks presents countless objects gleaned during 35 years of ocean explorations, including many traces of the 1944 D-Day Landings.

From the jetty, you can admire the impressive cliffs. The artillery tower, known as the Vauban Tower, was built at the end of the 17th century and overlooks the entrance to the port. A listed historic monument since 1948, its function was to protect the port from Anglo-Dutch incursions.

Rebuilt after 1944 destructions, the city of Saint-Lô nevertheless preserved its charm with its ramparts and its towers dominating the Vire valley.

The collection at the Fine art museum recounts the history of tapestry from the 16th century to our days and features the 16th-century wall hanging "La Tenture des Amours de Gombault et Macée".

Restored to its former glory after the Second World War, the Saint-Lô national stud farm is one of the largest in France and offers guided tours for visitors. During the “Jeudis du Haras” Thursday open days, from the end of July to September, stallions are presented to visitors.

The first museum designed to commemorate 6 June 1944 and the Battle of Normandy, the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains opened in 1954.

Built opposite the still visible remains of the artificial harbour built for the D-Day landings, the museum tells the story of the Allied forces' arrival, known as Operation Overlord, and describes how Arromanches harbour worked.

In the night of 5 to 6 June 1944, the first parachute drops preceded the arrival of a fleet of around 5,000 Allied ships on the Norman coasts, from which 130,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers disembarked. One by one, at a cost of very heavy losses, the strategic targets were reached: Bénouville Bridge, Pegasus Bridge, the Merville battery and Sainte-Mère-Église. The Battle of Normandy had begun. The D-Day Museum tells the whole story of this great page in history, and gives an idea of the logistical challenge that was the Allied forces' D-Day adventure on the beaches of Normandy, including the construction of the artificial harbour, which was carried over the sea in pieces and assembled in front of Arromanches. This masterpiece of engineering played a key role in victory in Europe.

The Roches de Ham are located in the beautiful and unspoiled setting of the Vire Valley. These rock faces overhanging the river are popular with climbers.

From this site there is a beautiful, sweeping view of the Vire and its gentle landscapes.

145,000 hectares in size among which 30,000 hectares are wetlands, the Regional Nature Park of Cotentin and Bessin Marshes extends over two départements: the Manche and the Calvados. From the Vire and Douve marshes to the Veys bay, through the hedged farmland, dunes and moors landscapes, the Regional Nature Park of Cotentin and Bessin Marshes is a fantastic place to visit.

The park's visitor centre, Les Ponts d'Ouve, is located in Saint-Côme-du-Mont. Visitors can observe wild birds on the marsh from an educational footpath.

Sainte-Mère-Église, a village on the Cotentin peninsula, was made famous on the night of 5 June 1944 during the American Airborne Landing. During the operation, US paratrooper John Steele's parachute caught on the church steeple and he hung there, feigning death. Today his effigy, complete with parachute, remind us of past events.

Near the church is the Airborne museum, which offers an exhibition dedicated to the Landing of the 82nd American airborne division.

Come face to face with history at the Mémorial de Caen! Inaugurated in 1988 and part of the International Network of Museums for Peace, the Mémorial, located on Esplanade Eisenhower in Caen, a martyr city that was almost totally destroyed by bombings in the Second World War, is a 20th-century history museum dedicated to peace.

From the origins of the Second World War to the Cold War, from the Holocaust to the Battle of Normandy, and from the end of the Second World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the museum explores the world before and after 1945. The bloody events of the century are analysed using documents, photos and archive footage, as well as historical artefacts that once belonged to civilians or soldiers.

What events paved the way for the Second World War? How did people live under the Occupation? What forms of resistance and repression were there? The Mémorial de Caen aims to answer all these questions.

Its focus on education makes it a first-rate museum for teaching the younger generations and passing on the duty of remembrance.

Good to know: the Mémorial also organises guided tours of the D-Day beaches, including Omaha Beach, Le Hoc headland, the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer and Arromanches artificial harbour.

The prefecture of Calvados and capital of the former region of Basse-Normandie, the city of Caen suffered serious damage during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. This certified City of Art and History nonetheless has some first-rate architectural reminders of its splendid past.

It's worth taking the time to admire its built heritage. The Men's Abbey, or Abbey of St. Stephen of Caen, was founded by William the Conqueror to obtain the Vatican's pardon for his marriage to a distant cousin, the Princess of Flanders. The prestigious and imposing structure was begun in the 11th century in the Romanesque style, and was completed in the 13th century in the Gothic style. It combines both architectural styles with elegance and harmony, forming an aesthetically remarkable whole. The Ladies' Abbey, built between 1060 and 1080 at the request of Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, was the female equivalent of the Men's Abbey. The Church of the Trinity, a beautiful example of the Romanesque style with a choir where Queen Matilda was laid to rest, is its highlight.

Caen Castle, residence of the Dukes of Normandy, is another of the city's main attractions. Built in the 11th century, also by the illustrious William the Conqueror, it was a real fortress during the Hundred Years War. It was restored after being seriously damaged during the Second World War, and now encompasses the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Normandy, the Exchequer Hall, the Church of St. George, and a garden of medicinal plants. Its wall walk offers a lovely view of the city and ramparts.

The Caen Memorial Museum, Centre for History and Peace, inaugurated in 1988 by President François Mitterrand, is an international educational and cultural centre built to commemorate the Battle of Normandy. With 5,600 m² of permanent exhibitions, its rooms boasting every modern technology evoke the period from 1918 to the present day, with a particular focus on the Second World War and the post-war era. In the city's must-see museum, you can watch D-Day unfold on a giant screen, as it was experienced by both sides, and admire the gallery of famous Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Within the castle and the sculpture park, a contemporary building houses the Museum of Fine Arts, containing one of France's biggest collections of European paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. There you can admire works from France, Italy, Holland and Flanders.

Caen offers many other gems, such as the Escoville mansion, a superb Renaissance house built in the 16th century by a rich lord, and now housing the Tourist Office. You can also admire the Church of St. Peter and its many sculptures, the Botanical Garden (Jardin des Plantes), home to many rare specimens at the heart of the city, or the "Vaugueux" quarter where Edith Piaf's family lived. And be sure to take the time to stroll around the medieval streets or the lovely marina in the city centre.

A contemporary building created within the walls of William the Conqueror's ducal castle houses the Caen Museum of Fine Arts, in the capital of Calvados.

From the 14th century to the present day, around 350 paintings provide a complete overview of European painting. The French, Italian, Flemish and Dutch collections spanning the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as a unique set of etchings, make it one of France's most important museums.

The collections covering the 16th and 17th century include Perugino, Veronese, Tintoretto, Poussin, Champaigne, Rubens and Ruysdael; for the 18th century, Boucher, Rigaud and Tiepolo; for the 19th century, Romantic and Realist painters such as Courbet, Delacroix and Géricault, Impressionists like Monet and Boudin; then Cubists and contemporaries such as Braque, Dufy and Soulages.

Don't miss the prints room, with a total of around 50,000 works making up the Mancel Collection, and an extensive programme of activities for adults, families and young people.

To round off the visit, a walk in the sculpture park is a must, to see masterpieces by Rodin, Bourdelle, Marta Pan, Huang Yong Ping and Alain Kirili.

The village of Lessay is known for its abbey church, a remarkable example of Romanesque art, but also for its Sainte-Croix country fair which attracts a large number of visitors every year the second weekend of September.

Dominated by the towers of its cathedral, the City of Art and History of Coutances has a beautiful religious heritage. Built in the 13th century, the Notre-Dame cathedral constitutes a remarkable example of the Normandy Gothic art. To discover: its nave, its 13th-century stained glass windows, as well as its magnificent tower, a masterpiece of Gothic style.

Not far from the cathedral, the particularly relaxing botanic garden is a place great for strolling.

The city of Coutances is also well-known for its "Jazz sous les Pommiers" (Jazz under the apple trees) music festival, which is held every year in May.

Built in the 12th in the 14th centuries, the Benedictine abbey of Hambye is a place bathed in peace and serenity. The remains of the abbey church, as well as the chapter house, the scriptorium, the visiting room, the sacristy and the kitchen can be visited.

Concerts of sacred music are regularly organised there.

City of Art and History Valognes, nicknamed the Versailles of Normandy, has numerous mansions. The most well-known is Beaumont mansion, a historical monument dating from the 18th century, is open to the public and the visit includes rooms containing antique furniture, a monumental double spiral staircase and formal gardens.

Nearby, in the Grand Quartier house, a regional cider museum presents a collection of utensils used in cider-making.

The brandy and old trades museum in Thieuville mansion explains how Calvados is made through an exhibition of machines and tools, with a section dedicated to traditional costumes and trades.

The town's built heritage can be explored on a walk through the streets of Valognes, especially the Rue de Poterie and Rue des Religieuses.

With its hills and gorges carved by the river, alternating with the meadows and forests, Norman Switzerland straddles Calvados and Orne. It's a dream destination for lovers of the great outdoors and leisure activities like hiking or canoeing and kayaking.

This unspoilt area is a remnant of the Armorican Massif, from which it still has many mountains up to 300 metres high. Its built heritage, with picturesque villages, castles, farms and manors dotted about the countryside, is also well worth discovering.

Calvados has several municipalities of note, starting with Clécy, a village emblematic of Norman Switzerland. It enjoys a superb location on the banks of the Orne, between forest, river and rocky escarpments. Its cliffs are often chosen for activities such as rock climbing, via ferrata, zipline or paragliding. From the banks of the Orne, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Rochers des Parcs, which are popular with climbers, and the Pain de Sucre rock.

You can also visit Thury-Harcourt, the northern gateway to Norman Switzerland, where there used to be many tanneries. It enjoys an exceptional natural setting, with the Boucle du Hom overlooking the Orne Valley. The Souleuvre viaduct, in Pays de Vire, is a well-known spot among bungee jumpers. The green resort of Pont-d'Ouilly, meanwhile, is home to one of the biggest leisure centres in the region, particularly for canoeing and kayaking.

Condé-en-Normandie, birthplace of the famous explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, also has plenty of charm, with the Druance running through its town centre. Apart from its privileged natural setting, the town is worth a visit to enjoy some culture at the Charles-Léandre Museum Space, dedicated to local history and the painter Charles Léandre, as well as the Museum of Typographic Printing. Not far from there, you can visit Pontécoulant Castle, a beautiful 16th-century house with its own English-style park.

In Orne, Norman Switzerland also offers many places to visit: the Rock of Oëtre, a prestigious lookout with views of the Rouvre Gorges; the picturesque site of Putanges-le-Lac, with its gorges, valleys and Lake Rabodanges, ideal for water sports; the beautiful castle of La Motte-Fouquet and the Vère Valley with its verdant gorges.

Villedieu-les-Poêles is a town known for its craft trades, especially copper. After a stroll through the narrow streets and hidden courtyards, you can visit the town's many workshops and museums, including a copper workshop, bell foundry, tin museum, Normandy furniture museum, copper pots and pans museum and lace-making museum.

Famous fishing and sailing port, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is also an oyster farming centre and a seaside resort benefiting from a mild and pleasant climate. Off the port, the Tatihou island, fortified by Vauban, is a place great for walking and discovering its botanical garden, its ornithological observatory and its maritime museum.