Granville and the Chausey islands

Granville: the upper town and the port

Granville is a working port and seaside resort built on a rocky headland called the Pointe du Roc. The fortified Haute Ville, entered through the drawbridge gate of the Grand'Porte, keeps its granite houses and walls; walk the ramparts for views north along the Normandy coast and south across the bay towards the Mont. Below, the harbour shelters fishing boats and ferries to the Channel Islands and Chausey.

Christian Dior and the carnival

Christian Dior spent his childhood in Granville, in the pink-and-grey Villa Les Rhumbs on the clifftop. It has been a museum since 1988, with a different fashion exhibition each season (spring to autumn) and gardens open all year; check dates on the museum's website before you go.

The Carnival of Granville, held in February before Lent with satirical floats and parades, was inscribed by UNESCO on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.

The Chausey islands

About 17 km off Granville, Chausey is an archipelago of granite islets and sandbanks that changes shape with every tide: a few dozen islands at high water, hundreds of rocks and banks at low water. Only the Grande-Île is inhabited, with a lighthouse, a fort, a chapel, a few houses and a hotel-restaurant. Boats from Granville take about an hour, with several sailings a day in season; outside summer, check timetables in advance.

Bring water and food, stay on the paths and beaches, and respect the protected birdlife and the private land.

Getting there and staying

Granville is about 45 minutes from the Mont by car along the coast, past Genêts and Jullouville. It has a railway station with trains to Paris, and the Nomad bus line 308 links Granville and Avranches with the Mont. Hotels include the Mercure Le Grand Large above the beach and the Hôtel des Bains.