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Calvados/Camembert/Cider tasting near Etretat?

We will be staying in Honfleur in late April and visiting Etretat one morning. Does anyone know of a place we could sample Calvados/Camembert/Cider in the vicinity, or not too far away? Thanks

Posted by
1336 posts

You'll be able to taste all of those things at many of the shops there. If you're staying at a hotel, chances are they will have camembert on their breakfast buffet as well as other Normandie cheeses.

Posted by
4044 posts

Restaurants may offer the apple brandy Calvados, but if you are really thirsty, search out a Nicolas wine store (a chain) and buy your own bottle. Your hotel can point out other such vendors. Look for the senior receptionist to advise on wine shops and restaurants offering those Normandy specialities. Google also has suggestions.

Posted by
1138 posts

Not near Étretat, but in Normandy, I have often stopped in to various Calvados Distilleries in the Manche and Calvados departments in Normandy further west. I have driven a lot through there, and whenever I see a sign, I pull in. They all try to put up some sort of sign, and they are mostly family-run places with tasting rooms and sales.

Posted by
112 posts

I'm going to assume that you have a car because to get to cheese/cidre/calvados producers is going to require transport to rural countryside locations that can't be accessed by public transport. If you're going to be in Honfleur then that town is located in the Calvados départment, from where the beverage takes its name and is also where you are going to find the majority of calvados/cheese/cidre producers. In fact, it is south of Honfleur in the Pays d'Auge region where you're most likely to find these kinds of experiences (this region is known for cheese/cidre/calvados) so I wouldn't be looking for such experiences near Etretat. If you spend some time studying the local tourist office websites there is loads of info in regards to what you are looking for. Here are some links to get you started:

https://www.terredauge-tourisme.fr/fr/

https://www.normandie-cabourg-paysdauge-tourisme.fr/en/

https://www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk/offer/normandie-cabourg-pays-dauge-tourist-office-cabourg-office/

https://www.lieuvinpaysdauge-tourisme-normandie.fr/#

In the town of Camembert itself you can visit the museum and learn all about the history/production of the cheese and buy some on site:

https://www.lescommunes.com/commune-camembert-61071.fr.html

http://www.camembert.eu/

If you want a real authentic experience then you can visit the farm of Monsieur Durand, who is the last and only person in Normandy still making camembert cheese by hand the old fashioned way and you can watch him doing so:

https://www.camembertdurand.fr/

But, if all you want to do is sample any of the products you mentioned then they can be easily found widely throughout the Normandy region in many, many shops.