Natural beauty
The Alabaster Coast borders the Pays de Caux. 100 km of wild coastline and 100 m high limestone cliffs look down onto turquoise waters. Here it's all about fishing and Maupassant characters. A preserved coastline with exceptional scenery.
Book a train ticket
Book a train ticket
Thinking of a break in the middle of beautiful landscapes, blue water and beautiful beaches? The Alabaster Coast in Normandy is the place for you. Here are our ideas for the best things to do there:
- Dieppe and its fishing quarter
- Take a dip at Dieppe
- Our favourite walk
- A trip in an old sailing boat in Fecamp
Dieppe and its fishing quarter
Well before Deauville came on the scene, Dieppe was the Parisians' favourite seaside resort.
The whole town centres round the sea and the port is now home to four different activities: fishing and trawlers, Channel crossings and ferries, sailing and yachts and trade and its (rare) cargos.
The Pollet quarter is the old town centre and is definitely worth a visit: an artificial island bordered by canals and linked to the shores of the town by two old bridges, one of which is a Gustave Eiffel swing bridge.
It is an industrial quarter but its streets abound with stories of fishermen. No visit is complete without a taste of the local speciality - scallops, at Le Bistrot du Pollet, rue Tête-de-Boeuf.
Take a dip at Dieppe
At intervals along the coastline, the cliffs dip along the coast in a phenomenon known as "valleuses" (hanging valleys), allowing you to access the sea.
The Vasterival Valleuse is a spectacular example: a 7 m wide corridor between two vast chalk walls leads to a stairway which is almost completely submerged at high tide and provides direct access to the water. So dive in...
unless you're waiting for low tide so you can take a walk along the beach! In this case, keep an eye on the cliff because it's receding on average one metre per year; causing the odd rock fall. The general rule of thumb is, to be safe, you need to leave half the height between you and the cliff. So if the cliff is 80 m high, ensure you're 40 m away from it...
Our favourite walk
Hidden under the trees, nestling between two cliffs and the sea, is a little hamlet called les Petites Dalles. It's one of these little villages you can pass without even noticing and yet ...
Claude Monet and several other Impressionists stopped by, inspired by its location. The houses have the characteristic Normandy seaside style and the beach huts complete the picture.
Visit the village at the end of the day as the setting sun brings out the iron in the limestone to give the cliff a reddish hue. Then follow the really wild path that will lead you through the grasses up the southern cliff with a steep drop down to the sea. One for the romantics!
A trip in an old sailing boat in Fecamp
It was from this port that vast vessels once left for 9-month expeditions to fish cod off the shores of Canada.
The town has dedicated an emotive museum to these "Terre-neuvas" which is definitely worth a visit (boulevard Albert 1er).
From April onwards, after your visit you can take a trip out to sea on an old sailing ship. The boats sometimes go out as far as Etretat (4 hours), giving you the chance to see this wild coast from another angle. The trips can be booked at the tourist office.