2019, year of... Normandy! The region meets with unanimous acclaim and will be the most popular destination of summer 2019. Between the ranking of Le Point which places Cherbourg at the top of the list of the most attractive Normandy cities, Stéphane Bern's program now awards Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue the "Preferred Village of the French 2019" label.
After Cassel in the North in 2018, it is in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue , small town of Val de Saire, which climbs to the top of the podium.The city expects a surge of tourists that they must welcome and attend to without sacrificing the quality of tourism. The winner of the last edition benefited from a tourism increase of 50% and was featured in the New York Times! A challenge for this third Channel port which has more to offer than just some pretty towers!
A coastal town with a particularly edifying architectural heritage, its Hougue Tower, a work of Vauban, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. On the island of Tatihou, its twin tower is accessible by amphibious boat or on foot at low tide. The fortified work of Vauban illustrates a significant period of its history and observation towers and coastal defense are a marvel of military architecture to protect "the most beautiful harbor of France" (as claimed by Vauban!).
The island of Tatihou is a paradise of 28 hectares. Its ornithological reserve is a spot for nesting birds: gannets, gulls, cormorants, terns as well as geese, grebes and little penguins. 150 breeding, migratory or visiting species share the peninsula. On 7 hectares of gardens surrounded by dikes and low walls flourish the plants of the Normandy coast in addition to exotic varieties from more distant seashores. Granite and shale dwellings are in perfect harmony with this wild environment of groves and coastal paths which reveal their oyster ponds with the tides. While there, taste the famous oyster mixed with ocean spray: a gastronomic adventure, between iodine and hazelnut.
The third port of La Manche also has a marina located in the heart of the city. A nationally renowned construction and restoration project has been working on the restoration of the Fleur de Lampaul, a sailing barge classified as a historical monument. This is the first time that Normandy comes out ahead of Brittany, Occitania and the Great East.
Hip, hip, hooray, the region is at its zenith, already in the limelight with the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy. Here's a good idea: choose its Cotentin neighbor Cherbourg, located 30 kilometers from the winner, which was itself distinguished this year, to peacefully enjoy your holiday in "The Favorite Village of the French"!
Photo: Denis Probst / CC
Related reading:
- Le Saphir, French nuclear submarine, will be dismantled in Cherbourg
The housing solution in Cherbourg
Cherbourg is 30 kilometers from Saint-Vasst-de-la-Hougue and the Smartappart residential hotelis an economical alternative to hotels. In the city center, its furnished and connected apartments (studio, apartment, loft, bedroom) are suited to any type of stay and prices are discounted starting from two nights.
