France
Découverte de la beauté éternelle d'Étretat
L'itinéraire parfait d'une journée pour découvrir la merveilleuse nature et la ville d'Étretat, en Normandie. De la randonnée sur les célèbres falaises à profiter d'un coucher de soleil magique, avec ces conseils, vous éviterez les foules sans manquer les points forts.
Hike along the famous Etretat cliffs
Start your day with Etretat's greatest highlight: the impressive chalk cliffs. One of the best ways to discover their true beauty is not to depart from Etretat's city centre (like everyone else), but instead to park your car for free at Parking Plage Valleuse d'Antifer. From there, you can follow a clearly indicated walking trail almost all the way down to the water. When you spot a set of 'stairs' on the right marked with a green circle, that's where you'll want to start going up. It won't take very long until you see the stunning coastline appear left and right. The trail takes you from one amazing viewpoint to another. At the first peak, you can go down a little to see the spectacular 'l'oeuil du panda', a unique cave in the rocks through which you have a panoramic view of the cliffs. As this is the part most tourists do not reach, it's also an ideal picnic spot to enjoy the breathtaking views and sound of the waves. Keep on walking straight ahead (you can't miss this trail) to come closer to Etretat's famous arches. It will get busier once you come closer to the city and the Falaise d'Aval, but the views are still worth it. Walking from the parking to the furthest peak took us about 1,5 hours, depending on how many photo stops you might want. You do have to walk the exact same route back, but with these views, it certainly won't bore you.
Quick stop at Plage d'Antifer
While you're walking back to the car, you might as well walk 10 minutes further down to the secret beach Plage d'Antifer. Or at least, secret to most tourists, because you'll definitely find some locals chilling here on a sunny day. This pebble beach gives you a whole new perspective of the cliffs and let's you enjoy the crystal blue waves up close. Whether you take some time to relax here or just want to quickly take in the views, it's definitely worth the small detour.
Strolling through Etretat's old town
Another great free parking spots, this time about 20 minutes walking distance from Etretat's city centre can be found in the Route du Criquetot l'Esneval. Although Etretat itself is quite touristy, it's worth strolling through for a little bit to explore some of its historic architecture, drink some local cider, and enjoy some more cliff views from the famous seafront. And it's the best (and only) route to our next stop.
Explore les Jardins d'Etretat
After a little uphill walk to the right of the city centre, you will find les Jardins d'Etretat. They offer a perfect mix of green garden splendor and panoramic views. It's a great place to enjoy some peace and quiet. Admittedly, we found the gardens to be quite expensive (€14 pp in high season) for their rather limited size, but I do think they're still a must visit when in Etretat.
Look for Etretat's secret beach
An alternative for adventure-seekers that would rather skip the Etretat gardens and that we would've never found if two very nice American ladies had never come up to us to tell us about it. When you're up the Falaise d'Amont, where the gardens are too, you can make your way down to one of Etretat's best kept secrets. Look for a 'danger' sign (because, yes this is at your own risk of falling rocks). From there you will find an easily accessible trail that takes you all the way down to the ocean. Next, it seems like you have hit a dead-end, but the true gem lies behind a small cave you can pass through on the left (you will see the light at the end). Then finally, a small ladder will take you down to a stunning little beach. Fun fact: during low tide, you can simply walk back to Etretat's city centre along the pebble beach.
Watch the sunset from Falaise d'Amont
End your day at the same Falaise d'Amont. From here, you will get to enjoy a spectacular sunset on the ocean, as well as a true spectacle of changing colors on the Alabaster cliffs. Just bring a blanket and a bottle of Rosé, and you'll have the most perfect ending of your day.
