7 days in Normandy.

Above spam reply reported

If you are interested in medieval history and architecture, I can highly recommend Rouen or Rennes. Saint-malo is also really nice (like Rennes, it is in Brittany, but no too far from Normandy). Off the beaten path can include Cherbourg, where not too many battle of Normandy visitors go. En route to Mont Saint-Michel is the town of Avranches. The Scriptorial there holds the original manuscripts from MSM and has very distant views of the Mont if the weather is good. If you are looking for "off the beaten path" but still related to the Battle of Normandy, I can recommend The Church of Angoville-au-plain, the German Cemetery in Orglandes (not to be confused with the more visited cemetery at La Cambre next to the highway). Also, the museum and area around Falaise doesn't get nearly as many visitors, and there is a contemplative Polish cemetery on the road to get there. There is also a wonderful little museum of the farm culture in Normandy over the centuries in Sainte-Mère-Église. And finally, no trip to Normandy is complete to me without a visit or three to various Calvados distilleries. I could go on, and is why I visit the area every two years or so. PM if you want any more info.

I would add that a trip to Bayeux is well worth it. Nice cathedral, and the tapestry is fascinating. Good restaurants also. Peter

FYI - The Bayeux Tapesty closes Sept 1, 2025 for two years of renovation.

The Bayeux Tapestry will be closed starting Sept 1 2025 for renovation work and transfer to a new museum space. It is scheduled to reopen in October 2027.

https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/

The Cathedral there is vey nice, though!

Are you going to Saint-Malo? I love this walled city. The town inside the walls was bombed pretty badly in WWII but rebuilt. Very nice cathedral here with the gravesite of explorer Jacques Cartier there. (May or may not have his actual bones in it due to the destruction). The tides there are so interesting as well as the small islets that are reachable at low tide.

Very famous garden, by appointment only, Le Vasterival
Lesser public gardens
Dinan
St. Malo
Vitré
Coutances
Dol-de-Bretagne (and neolithic stone dolman, edge of town)

Bayeux might be a better place to spend the evenings. But it was hard to dine there without a reservation. I dislike changing hotels, but 7 days is a long time. You've been there before, so you know what you are doing, Are the friends as interested in D-Day as you are? MSM is a long drive in my book.

donk290,
On your way to Mont-st-Michel, try to stop off in Villedieu-la-Poeles. It is a medieval town famous for bell-making and copper crafts. Google it for info. We stayed at a BandB there on our way from Bayeux to the Mont. It is good for a half-day, at least. Also, if you head to Rouen, take the Route des Abbayes and visit Jumiege Abbey. Beautiful! Rouen is well worth a day. Viamichelin is a good site to check out distances and travel times between locations, as well as alternate routes. Just add in some time for gas/food/comfort stops. We never used the A roads in that area so we almost always had lovely scenery to drive through, especially along the Seine River through places like Villequier. I like to get a michelin paper map for an area so I can see the big picture. They have lots of details so it is easier to plan our day trips. Also, we usually mark all our drives and routes on the maps and they make great souvenirs of our trips. (We do the same on trips in the US. I have about 15 maps just for our California road trips. Good memory tweakers!)
Bon Voyage. Amusez-vous bien!

With 7 days you can do a lot. As already noted the abbeys of Jumièges and Saint-Martin-de- Bosscherville are certainly worth a vist. And to my opinion not to miss is the one of Saint-Wandrille too, still having a living community. Adjacent village is very lovely. Fun and relaxing to do is crossing the Seine with one of those little car ferries, like the one west of Jumièges.

Depending the direction you drive, coming or going to the abbeys is Marais-Vernier and Vieux Port with nearby Aizier worthwhile for it’s cottages with thatched roofs a nice route to follow.

East of Rouen worth to visit are Lyons-la-Forêt and the ruins of Château Gaillard near cute Les Andelys. Stunning views with the Seine as back ground.

Not to miss is Étretat north-west of Rouen and to my opinion the drive along the coast to Fécamp is very scenic, with little places like Yport and Vaucottes beach.

Drive along the coast from Honfleur to Trouville-sur-Mer is very scenic, do it in western direction so not seeing the industry of Le Havre at the background.

Houlgate and Cabourg for the area around their casino’s. The same for Deauville and it’s walk of fame along Les Planches.

For more typical Normandy style houses, explore Pays d’Auge with it’s numerous lovely villages and hamlets, like Beuvron-en-Auge, Cambremer and Blangy-le-Château. Much more east Le Bec-Hellouin.

Pont-Levêque is not outstanding, nevertheless charming has a Calvados visit centre. And think as I never visited it, the distillery of Chrisitian Drouin housed in a stunning building is certainly worth considering.

Wow, thank you all for the great advice, we will certainly be putting some of these suggestions on our list of things to see and do.

the Michelin Green Guide for Normandy covers just about every town of interest to tourists and also includes suggested driving routes for day tours.