22 days in Normandy, Brittany & Paris Itinerary

Discover the Alabaster Coast along the steep Normandy coast with spectacular chalk cliffs, a number of scenic villages, posh seaside holiday resorts, the Channel Islands, and the English Channel. The Channel Islands, although British Crown Dependencies, are considered culturally and historically a part of Normandy. Upper Normandy is predominantly more industrial, while Lower Normandy is predominantly agricultural. The shoreline is famed for the D-Day invasion by Allied troops on June 6, 1944, where you'll find museums and monuments with historical significance to World War II. As you explore the old towns, note the Norman architecture that follows a pattern similar to the English Romanesque architecture following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Typical Norman villages have many half-timbered houses in their old towns and historical vessels in their old ports. One of the most popular things to do along the Alabaster Coast is sampling its local products: The region produces hard apple ciders, Calvados apple brandies, and famous Bénédictine liqueur instead of wine due to its abundance of apple orchards.

Known for its large number of megaliths, which simply means "big rocks," Brittany is famous for its 2,860 km (1,780 mi) of coastline and for its prehistoric menhirs (standing stones) and dolmens (stone tables)--sites that were used for burials and worship. You can see a large variety of seabirds while sightseeing along the ocean, as the region is home to colonies of cormorants, gulls, razorbills, northern gannets, common murres, and Atlantic puffins. The waters of Brittany attract marine animals, including basking sharks, grey seals, leatherback turtles, dolphins, porpoises, jellyfish, crabs, and lobsters. Brittany is widely known for the Breton horse, a local breed of draft horse, and for the Brittany gun dog. The region also has its own breeds of cattle that you can witness at area farms and open-air museums, some of which are on the brink of extinction: the Bretonne pie noir, the Froment du Léon, the Armoricann, and the Nantaise. The region has plenty of places to visit, namely a huge quantity of medieval buildings, including numerous Romanesque and Gothic churches, castles, and the iconic half-timbered houses visible in many villages, towns, and cities.