Etretat
Chalk Cliffs On The Alabaster Coast Of Normandy, With The Natural Arches Of The Porte D'Aval And Manneporte And The Aiguille Needle, Painted By Monet · Etretat, Normandy
Étretat is a small Normandy seaside town set in a gap between two chalk cliffs on the Alabaster Coast, and the cliffs are why people come. To the west, the Falaise d'Aval ends in the Porte d'Aval, a natural arch standing in the sea, with the Aiguille, a pointed stack, just beyond it and the even larger Manneporte arch further along. To the east, the Falaise d'Amont carries the little chapel of Notre-Dame de la Garde and a memorial to two aviators lost in 1927. Monet, Courbet and many other painters worked here, and the views look much as they painted them. Grassy paths run along both clifftops, and the town beach between them is pebbles, not sand. The chalk is soft and the edges crumble without warning; there are fences, and people still die by going beyond them. At low tide you can walk along the shore beneath the arches, but the sea comes back fast and walkers are cut off every year. Weekends and summer bring heavy crowds, full car parks and long queues for the viewpoints.
Étretat, 76790, Seine-Maritime, Etretat, Normandy, France
The clifftop paths, beach and viewpoints are public and open at all times, with no entrance fee. What limits a visit is the tide, the light and the crowds rather than opening hours. Walking along the shore beneath the arches is only possible around low tide, and tide times shift every day, so read the tide table displayed in town or at the tourist office before setting off, and leave a wide margin. Some shore routes and stairways are closed after rockfalls, sometimes for long periods, so obey closure signs. The chapel on the Falaise d'Amont is usually open in the daytime and closed at night, with shorter hours in winter. The Clos Arsène Lupin, a small attraction in the writer Maurice Leblanc's house, and the Jardins d'Étretat on the east cliff keep seasonal hours and may close in winter or on some weekdays; confirm before going. Town car parks are paid and fill early on sunny weekends and in summer, with park-and-ride shuttles in the busy season. Restaurants and cafes on the seafront keep long summer hours, and several close for part of the winter or on midweek days.