Etretat in summer | 1-day visit
How to get there
Once upon a time, the city of Etretat was a small and peaceful fisherman’s village. Nowadays, Etretat has become a renowned beach town where tourism became the main resource and the magnificent white cliffs are the principal attraction.
The city is located in the north of France in the well-known region of Normandie. There are many choices to go there. For example, by car, bus or like the one we did, by train from Saint Lazare train station in Paris.
If you want to go by bus, you can check Flixbus and find cheap tickets for a round-trip. You have to keep in mind that you will spend at least 2h40 per trip, so a bit more than 5 hours for the journey.
So, our advice is to take the train with the train company called SNCF and pay around 35 euros per person for the round-trip ticket. One important thing to know is that there is no train station at Etretat, so the ticket includes the train between Paris train station and Bréauté-Beuzeville train station and then the bus to Etretat. Viceversa for the return.
The best way is to take the train of 08h50 from Paris and the return at 18h38 from Etretat. That will give you enough time to visit and discover the city.
Between cliffs and the beach
Afer getting up early to arrive at 8 am at Saint-Lazare train station, taking the train, then the bus you will finally arrive at the outskirts of Etretat.
The bus will leave you in a big parking who is at 10 to 15 minutes walk from the beach. The way to the beach, the cliffs and the town center is really easy: just follow the people. You will walk along the street Rue Guy de Maupassant and will find after 5 minutes walk Le Clos Lupin. It’s the house of the famous writer Maurice Leblanc, the creator of the famous gentleman burglar, Arsène Lupin. If you like this character or the detective novels, the entry it’s only 7,50 € per adult and 5 € per child.
You continue your walk and at your left, you will find the bakery Pain d’Autrefois if you want to buy some croissants for your second breakfast.
You cross the street and will see the Town Hall and the tourism office. From this point you can choose between 2 paths: 1) going directly to the beach through the city center, or 2) turn right to go up to the cliff on your right.
If you choose wisely, you will turn to your right, go inside the tourism office to have a look and then walk until street Rue Jules Gerbeau. You will find a nice small park that you have to cross and pass the gate to reach the path that will let you go to the top just nearby the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde. On the way over the top, you will have an amazing view of the ocean, the beach, and the left cliff with the famous needle (Aiguille d’Etretat).
After taking a breath because of the hard walk to the top and the amazing view, you have to get back on the way but downhill.
You will reach the beautiful shingle beach with these amazing grey color and clear water. Enjoy the sea, the view and take a bath in cold but energizing water … if you’re brave enough!
After being dry you can continue along the beach and reach the other part of the cliff. You will see a bunker from the Second World War just before you start your walk uphill to the cliff.
If you want to eat, you will find some restaurants by the sea or in the city center. You can also prepare something to take away and do a picnic on the top of the cliff.
Downtown area
The city center is really small but has its charm with timber-framed houses in many colors and the typical roofs of the region.
You will find a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants.
You have to visit Le Vieux Marché (The Old Market) and this shop that sells specialties from the region : La Rose des Vents.
You will find the famous liquor of Normandy, Calvados, organic cider, craft beer, organic farming, sweets and lots of other things.
If you want more information, don’t hesitate to comment, ask some questions (English, French or Spanish)!
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