West coast of Normandy

It isn't that far of a drive. I have stopped in Avranches for lunch and sights n my way between the two towns. There is the Scriptorial museum there that houses the original manuscripts from the Monks at Mont Saint-Michel, and some ruins of an old castle high up on a hill in town.

On my list of places to visit in that area is Barneville-Carteret, where the allies finally cut off the Cotentin Peninsula and isolated Cherbourg (which was one of the major goals of the Battle of Normandy). On the way to the West Coast from the Utah Beach area is the town of Orglandes, which has a very large German Cemetery that is more contemplative and peaceful in my opinion than the one off of the motorway in La Cambe (and much less visited).

I don't know why Cherbourg isn't more of a draw for everyone looking at WWII sites. It was a major goal for the Allies, and held to the end by the Germans. The damage they did to the port facilities seriously impacted the war. Cherbourg was the busiest port in the world once they got it up and running, and it held that position for years. You can still see pillboxes and bunkers on the main roads leading down to the port. La Cite de la Mer, the major museum/aquarium on the waterfront is fantastic, with WWII history, a Titanic exhibition, and a nuclear sub you can tour. They also have an excellent cafe there.

That part of Normandy, in my opinion, does the very best ciders.

Just south of Cherbourg is the (US) Airborne Museum at Mere Ste Eglise - well worth a visit.

Villedieu-les-Poêles in Normandy is known as the 'city of copper', because of its talented copper artisans, and is a beautifully preserved medieval town. We enjoyed a tour of a copper foundry and purchased a few pieces.

Any thoughts on Granville? Coutances?

Cancale is not too far from MSM for fresh oysters if the season is right. Sat on the sea wall and slurped by the dozen. A really fun stop.

Very good oysters are common on the Cotentin Peninsula. Very good mussels, very good oysters. In season, of course.

I live in the area. Coutances is a small town of a bit fewer than 10,000 people. It has a large cathedral and a surprisingly vibrant downtown for such a small town. A good restaurant is Kalamansi -- we've had several pleasant visits there. Manuella Michel is very hard working and will take good care of you while her husband Frédéric prepares your food. Côté Saint-Pierre also is very good, and is under new leadership in the last year. Chef Nathalie Roy is charming and attentive. She even speaks a little English, having worked in a kitchen in Florida in her younger days.

Granville is a bit larger than Coutances, around 13,000 population. It has a larger downtown, a larger municipal market, and many more restaurants. It's also a working port for fishing enterprises. I'm located further from Granville, so my insight is a bit less, but some of the better restaurants are La Citadelle, L'Edulis, and Loca Café. There are many others worth a visit. If you stop in Granville, don't miss a chance to climb up from the main city to le Cap Lihou to catch terrific views of the city, the harbor, and the coastline.

There are lots of smaller towns and places to visit in this part of Normandie. If you want further advice, feel free to send me a note and I'll share what I know.

The Michelin Green Guide for Normandy will cover just about every town of interest to a tourist, has suggested driving routes, and more. We did what RS suggests, arriving at MSM late in the afternoon when daytrippers were leaving and it worked out perfectly.

On the way to Coutances worth a stop is Balleroy and it’s chateau. No idea if the scaffoldings are already removed as it undergoes renovation. Nevertheless it’s open to visitors. I have only visited the little balloon museum and the garden, lovely, but no idea what to see inside.

https://www.chateau-balleroy.fr/en/