Manche

Visit Manche

The Manche department of Normandy is best known as home to the famous monastery at Mont Saint Michel, but be sure to allow time to explore the coast and countryside elsewhere in the department!

Selected places to visit in Manche

Manche, Normandy: highlights

The Manche department is in north-west Normandy, largely on the Cotentin Peninsula which juts into the English Channel, with Cherbourg at the northern end (in French the channel is also known as La Manche) and Saint-Lô as departmental capital.

As a consequence a lot of visitors 'pass through' rather than visit the Manche department - but we suggest you slow down, there are some highlights along the way!

Plenty of fine sandy beaches to relax on (especially in the many resorts along the western coast), great scenery - both along the coast and inland - and a quiet rural backdrop that combines woodlands and open fields, marshlands and coastal clifftop walks - all play their part in shaping the appeal of the Manche department.

First perhaps take a look around Cherbourg itself, then head east towards the north-east corner of the Cotentin peninsula to visit the pretty village of Barfleur, classified as one of the 'most beautiful villages in France'.

Next heading south you will pass the town of Coutances where you can visit the very impressive Cathedral of Notre Dame, then maybe continue on to Granville - at last, a chance to stroll along the beach!

The most popular site with visitors is to the south-west of the Manche department near the border with Brittany, where you can visit the abbey at Mont-Saint-Michel, long-standing pilgrimage centre and one of the most popular tourist destinations in France.

Tourist Attractions in Manche, Normandy

Apart from the inevitable trip to Mont Saint Michel, the other popular attractions in the Manche include the Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg (where you can see a large aquarium complex, and also visit the nuclear submarine 'La Redoutable') and the zoo at Champrepus.

A couple of destinations commemorate the invasion of Normandy by allied forces (the Normandy landings): see the D-Day Landings Museum at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and the Musee Airborne at Sainte-Mere-Eglise (a tribute to the US parachutists lost in the initial invasion).

The most westerly of the landing beaches - Utah Beach - also falls to the south-east of the Manche department.

Historical Monuments

Given the enormous amount of damage suffered by the region during the 1944 invasion of northern France it is incredible that any important historical monuments are still standing - but they are, and there are several of note to visit in the Manche department of Normandy.

The abbeys at Hambye and Lucerne and Coutances cathedral are the most important religious monuments, although there are many smaller churches and chapels to discover in Manche.

There are also castles of interest such as those at Baudreville, Bricquebec, Cerisy-la-Salle, Crosville-sur-Douve, Gratot, Nacqueville, Parigny, Pirou, Regneville, Saint-Sauveur Lendelin, Vergoncey and others - often the castles are 'fine manor houses' rather than grand castles, but each has its own appeal and interest.

See a list of all Manche communes.

Page in French? See Manche (Francais)