Two sweet towns on the Atlantic coast. Normandy In all its glory.
Deauville is the vacation home of Parisians who want to escape the hustle and bustle of their city and come in droves to Deauville to rest and also miss Normandy. Believe me, it's like giving juicy Normandy apples to someone who has no teeth. Isn't that a shame?
I know the area from the reality I grew up in. My beloved grandmother, who everyone who knows me also knows thanks to the many stories I told about her. My grandmother, Grandma Jenny (we called her Boba, or Bubka), had a sweet apartment in Deauville. Just a minute's walk from the beach promenade today.
Many memories were woven in this house, through her eyes brimming with curiosity, through the love of the good life that she instilled in us, her grandchildren. Through her gratitude, which I hope we will know how to take with us and pass on to the generations after us, and most of all, her famous joy of life.
Thanks to her, I can tell you that Deauville is a quiet and elegant town. That it has such a sweet charm and that it's just fun to walk around in it and its twin, Trouville.
That it has a beach that I'm addicted to. One that heals me once again from all the storms and upheavals and leaves me calm and happy.
And thanks to her, I can tell you that every time my heart or body signals to me that I'm not feeling well enough, my soul always, almost automatically, starts thinking about how and when to get to Deauville again to take a breath and clear my head.
Accommodation in Deauville
Before I start telling you about everything there is to do in Deauville, let me recommend that you live there, even if it is for a few days. I do this not only because I have Lovely vacation home there, but because it is a wonderful base for stargazing throughout the western part of Normandy.
So if, after reading the article, you are convinced that Deauville is the perfect base for an entire trip, I recommend that you read the article Recommended hotels and vacation apartments in Deauville And you will choose a great hotel or apartment.
Attractions in Deauville
Deauville Beach
The beach is the most important thing to me in this category, even though it's not exactly an attraction. But it is, when it's such a beach.
You can walk along the beach promenade just for fun, or sit down for a coffee/snack or a light meal whenever you want. But the most fun for me is ending each day of vacation with a sunset on this beach. Every day, the sky turns a different color that makes me gape and not want to blink.
It's a beach where people come with their horses and they stroll leisurely along the waterfront, or gallop in groups together, and this sight is so healthy for the soul.
The waterline on the beaches of Normandy is constantly changing. Just like Mont-Saint-Michel, which has significant ebb and flow. That means sometimes you'll see the water right on the boardwalk, and sometimes you'll walk miles to reach the waterline, but I can assure you that in any form, this beach is simply spectacular.
When the sea recedes, you can see that huge puddles remain on the beach in various places, and the sea simply creates a changing display of oceanic beauty, with the seagulls, the sand, and the shells. By the way, if you Google – Deauville Marais you will get a site that has the tide times for the beach.
If you walk to the end of the seaside promenade, towards Trouville, you will find the beautiful port of Deauville, which is nice to wander around and take pictures. I always come away with a few pictures that I love.
In July and August, there are lifeguards on the beach, and you can rent umbrellas and chairs. Swimming in the summer is great and there is an atmosphere of freedom everywhere.
horses
Horses are a significant part of Deauville and Normandy in general. Many Parisians who come to vacation keep plump horses in various stables in Normandy and go riding when they arrive in Deauville.
There are several enormous hippodromes in the area, and it's worth going to wash your eyes out a bit, it's truly impressive.
Deauville Hippodrome
There are stables with hundreds of horses, race tracks, and even a restaurant and cafe. You can find out via their email what the opening hours are and when it's worth coming.
There are also horse competitions, where you can see the spoils of war. Paris Dressed too well and cleanly, watching the horse races at the hippodrome. It's a bit of a parallel universe, this whole world in France. It's just interesting to see. The horses, and the people too.
Link to the Hippodrome website
Horseback riding in Normandy
Remember the beach I mentioned earlier? CENTRE EQUESTRE DE BLONVILLE SUR MER This is a horse farm that offers group horseback riding tours, the cost is quite low in my opinion. About 40 euros per adult, or 15 euros for little ones. It's not in Deauville but near Deauville, on the same stretch of beach, a 10-minute drive.
I saw that they offer horseback riding on the beach, and horseback riding in the village area. Both look great to me and have very favorable recommendations on their Google page.
Address: 1 Rue des Tennis, 14910 Blonville-sur-Mer, France
spa
Also in Deauville, there is a luxurious spa with treatments and a pool. It's worth writing an email to check if there is a space and it is indeed open.
Deauville Casino
Deauville has a huge and impressive casino, which is super sparkling, to be honest – absolutely.
If you are a fan of the genre, put aside your comfortable tank top and flip-flops, put on high heels and a fancy lace dress / classy shoes and a suffocating tie and come play in the big leagues, and who knows, maybe you'll become a millionaire.
Just, probably not, but just for the experience, once in a while and with discretion, it's not that bad. My dear grandmother loved the casino very much. It was one of those favorite pastimes.
She was very lucky, and she also knew how to easily win people over and strike up a conversation with everyone, so she usually had a lot of fun.
And if she wasn't lucky, she would knock back a bottle of wine with her new friends and zigzag home.
The next day I go to sea and start trolling again.
Markets – my favorite attraction
If my grandmother's favorite pastime was the casino, I was much more attracted to the markets. There are plenty of markets in this area, I don't think there's a day of the week where you can't find a market within a reasonable distance. For me? A celebration.
Antiques market
Deauville has a cute antiques market on Saturdays. It’s not cheap but very interesting and beautiful to see. I enjoy watching the merchants go about their market day routine. Chatting among themselves, sometimes nibbling each other affectionately. And even when they’re working – unloading or loading merchandise, their lives always seem to be at ease.
Food markets in the area and recommended authors
My request, do me a favor.
On a market day, (come on, there's always a market in the area) don't go to a restaurant. Buy yourself some groceries. Bring a basket. Enjoy all the goodness of this land full of miracles. Wonderful gastronomy, without denigrating great restaurants, however great they may be, you will find in greater abundance in markets that sell local produce.
And what is the produce of the region?
Everything that is sea (fish, seafood, salt). Everything that is apple (apples, cider, Calvados, apple jellies, jams, etc.). Everything that is rich and wonderful butter (what, what do you need besides Baguette Fresh, good salted butter, apple jelly and a knife in this life?). Cheeses. Nuts and what not…
Deauville Food Market
There is a food market, during the summer months, every day of the week, from 8:00 AM to 13:00 PM, and during the rest of the year on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Important – don’t touch anything. Say bonjour with a wide, full smile, and ask for what you want… even if you can’t handle the language, explain with your hands, patiently and with a smile, and it will be great and delicious.
Address:
Market place
14800 Deauville
The Trouville Market
Trouville is Deauville's close sister, they are almost considered the same town, just a different side of it.
It has a colorful and pleasant character, restaurants and bars.
It has a market on Sundays and Wednesdays right on the harbor. I'm in love with this market. Lively and charming, with the smell of the sea, the sounds of seagulls.
The delicious smell of cooking food… This is my favorite market.
It's a market that also sells clothes, jewelry, CDs, accessories, some antiques, and much more.
Good luck finding parking…
Trouville Fish Market
Troville also has a small, lively, permanent fish market, and several restaurants serving fish. Perfect fish soup in winter is a wonderful option. You will immediately feel at home. Or sole, or all the seafood if you are into it and whatever you fancy. The atmosphere is wonderful and always lively there and you are guaranteed an exceptional experience…
The flagship dish at Trovil in terms of fish is sole, cooked in butter, how could it not be…
Across the street are brasserie-style restaurants that serve fish and other great things. Some of these restaurants are truly institutions and have been around for many years.
I haven't tried it so I won't recommend it yet. Maybe next time. Anyway, if you have room to cook, buy yourself some sole, and some good butter and go treat yourself. Send me your regards later.
Pont Levéque
The charming simple market in Pont L'Evéque, a quarter of an hour's drive from Deauville, is open on Monday mornings. There's food there, but also a host of other things. It's most fun to watch the residents stock up, or chat with each other.
*Miriam EdriThanks to you, I know the market. Your recommendation to come here was great.
By the way, in the stinky cheese category, there is Cheese The one with that name, and it's completely crazy. I bought it at the airport on the recommendation of my Facebook friend, Sigal, and I returned with it. The whole plane shared in my fragrant experience. But the taste is crazy... the texture is pure delight.
This is what it looks like outside. (The green square). I didn't take any pictures inside, you'll have to trust me...
writers
Large supermarkets that I regularly visit are Carrefour Touque or E.leclerc Touque. These are two large and luxurious supermarkets right at the entrance to Deauville, they are next to each other. There are smaller supermarkets within the towns of Deauville and Trouville themselves, but these, the larger ones, are more luxurious in my opinion. For your consideration.
Recommended restaurants in Deauville
So what do we eat here?
In general, I'm a fan of French supermarkets and markets, and I really like to cook. So I'm always in favor of stocking up and preparing my own food if possible. However, if you feel like eating out, here are some options.
A tip from me to you, (which a friend discovered for me and since then that's the only way I've worked) Open Google Maps. Locate your area. And type restaurant. A list of restaurants will immediately appear. You can see what's close to you, what they serve, how expensive it is, and most important to me is the rating. Try to choose a rating above 4.5 if possible, or in general choose the highest rated one.
Coppelia Gardens
Using this method, I found a restaurant that was no less than delicious. I knew that on a certain day I wanted to be in the Honfleur area, and I searched on Maps for a restaurant on the road from Deauville to Honfleur. That's how I "fell" on a hotel restaurant, located in the middle of a forest but on the road to Honfleur, with an excellent score of 4.6.
After reading the reviews, my brother and I decided to go out and sample the restaurant.
The scenery on the way there was simply stunning. A grove or forest, and roads that pass through the thicket.
Every now and then a mansion or a farm with lots of horses would pop up. Finally, we arrived at the hotel grounds, which were simply exciting.
Apple trees, endless green space, full of cute corners everywhere. Wow. Trees in the shade, fields and more endless magic.
We prayed in our hearts that the meal would also live up to expectations, because honestly we had already fallen in love, and we really didn't want to be disappointed. At this restaurant, there is an option for a gastronomic meal, and an option for a tapas meal at the bar. Less sublime culinary delights, more sitting with friends and chatting.
Just from a loose perspective of the menu, it looks a bit like what you find at the entrance to event halls. Sausages, kebabs, and fried things in various forms. We were less interested, although I guess that's because this place is simply great.
But if you came for amazing food, come to the gastronomic side. Be careful, when you book a table, don't choose anything other than the gastronomic meal. I accidentally booked a place for everything and managed to confuse everyone.
The menu is small and limited, and describes little by little, mainly what the ingredients are in the dish. Three or four main ingredients in the dish. And that's it.
You're supposed to trust the chef. In hindsight, trust. Everything is good.
For the amuse bouche – appetizer, or amuse bouche, in a more literal translation we got a small green gazpacho, with some kind of whipped cream of cheese inside. To die for… and crazy bread with crazy butter and the meal hasn't even started yet.
For example, I ordered foie gras (totally my guilty pleasure, just one of many).
A dish arrived that was divided into three small portions – crazy foie gras, such a delicious pumpkin cream, and a crazy brioche. By the God of the fatties, it was perfect, nothing less. The other dishes ordered were also excellent and surprising.
Thus, by the end of the meal, we had polished off all the plates that were served to us, and we couldn't find anything to complain about. The feeling was euphoric. Ants of pleasure ran through our bodies, and from that moment on we walked around all day with a goofy smile.
And the dessert. God forbid, save and have mercy. The menu said – caramel | chocolate | vanilla. But at this point we already realized that it was much, much more than that.
My brother Uriel only ordered coffee for dessert. This is what came…
And the coffee was excellent!
As well as everything on this plate that evaporated quickly. The price, if I'm not mistaken, and certainly in relation to the level of food we tasted, is really reasonable. This is not a bistro for 13 euros per dish. This is something else, which honestly if it had cost more I would have been happy to pay more.
40 euros for two courses from the menu, 55 euros for 3 courses, 65 for four courses. Or 95 euros (or something like that, I don't remember exactly) for a large variety of courses according to the chef's choice. (We took the 3-course option, and as mentioned, we left, overjoyed).
I also liked that, along with the wine and meal menu, they also included a brochure describing where each of the raw materials that came to the restaurant came from.
I am very, very connected and love this connection between the terroir (the soil, or more accurately, the totality of the growing conditions of the raw material – and the plate).
*Don't forget to check opening hours and days, atonement for the French and their holidays. Go find out if today they have a day off that has nothing to do with anything. Or a strike, which is the favorite hobby of every Frenchman...
Address: 478 route du Bois du Breuil – RD 62, 14600
Villa Leona
A hot recommendation for a great Italian restaurant in Deauville.
I recently visited Deauville and was completely exhausted, physically and emotionally. It's also super low season, so lots of restaurants were closed, even some that didn't mention it anywhere.
I was looking for comfort, and I found it in the form of a simply wonderful and charming Italian restaurant, a five-minute walk from my apartment.
It was me and two other guests scattered around the different tables in the restaurant, and although the design was really to my liking, I was a little apprehensive.
I don't know.
An empty restaurant is not such a good sign.
On the other hand, it was midweek, at the height of the off-season, and the reviews were only positive.
I said no.
For starters, I ordered a salad with burrata, and it was all my heart needed. Fingers crossed.
Then I ordered pizza, because I forgot what pizza was in a restaurant in France. It was so good. Only I didn't even get halfway through because I was already really full.
Not to mention dessert, which I gave up for the same reason.
I was disappointed in myself, and made a point of checking out this wonderful restaurant again the next time I came back. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't check out its desserts.
Address: 24 Rue Désiré le Hoc, 14800 Deauville
The grand manege
A recommendation for a lovely place to sit inside the Deauville Hippodrome.
There is a new restaurant called Le grand manége, which serves lunches (which I did not sample) with the view of an indoor riding arena, and you can see the riders, sometimes very advanced, practicing in the arena, on jumps, or dressage (a type of very collected riding in which all kinds of exercises are performed. It almost looks like a horse dancing).
As befits any restaurant in France, the opening hours are limited. The number of meal serving hours is even smaller, only from 12:00 to 14:00.
Until 16:00 PM, you can sit down for coffee and a pastry, or ice cream, and sit on the restaurant's sofas.
Address: 14 avenue Ox & Bucks, 14800 Saint-Arnoult
Patisserie
If you type patisserie in the search you can see where the best patisseries are in your area. In Deauville everything is pretty much within walking distance, so whatever you choose will be reasonably reachable on foot. By the way, for Maison keiser fans, they have a great branch in Deauville.
Here is the link
Boulangerie Eric Kayser – Place Morny
+33 2 31 88 05 87
Another really fun and experiential patisserie, which also serves breakfast, is located right on the Trouville market. Highly recommended, prepare to get fat.
If there is, try the Praline Rose Brioche. It's a delicacy and if you're going to go on a diet, then only this way. What's more, give up the coffee and someone should teach the French how to make good coffee.
You can order chocolate chau instead – hot chocolate with a full, velvety texture. Like I said. If there's cholesterol, then only like that.
DUPONT avec un thé
+33 2 31 88 13 82
And one last one that I liked, (there really is no shortage of names, you can sample a different one every day.
Here, this shop has a wide variety of cookies. More or less everything here is incredibly delicious…
Please please sample this place.
Biscuiterie La Trinitaine – Deauville
+33 2 31 88 09 97
And one last recommendation in this field, it’s just hard to choose…
Patisserie François Gayet
+33 2 31 81 05 00
If you are in season, get a freesia (strawberry tart.) It is perfect…
For kosher eaters and Sabbath keepers
In the past, there was more supply of kosher food in the area, but I understand that many have increased and demand has decreased, so there is much less to offer.
Nevertheless, Deauville is good for Sabbath-keepers, there is a Chabad house there, there is kosher catering and a kosher restaurant, a synagogue and a Jewish community.
Some addresses:
Chabad House
Beth Habad Deauville – Trouville
1Bis Bd Mauger, 14800 Deauville, France
+33 9 80 58 90 50 https://g.co/kgs/oTNoGG
Kosher catering from which you can order whatever you want for Shabbat.
The Deauville Carrefour Market supermarkets have kosher departments. Not huge, but manageable.
A kosher restaurant - reasonable and satisfying, (in Troville) and its name is La Belle Epoque.
Address: 107 Rue Général de Gaulle, 14360 Trouville-sur-Mer, France
The restaurant's Facebook page
Should I live in Deauville to explore Normandy?
Deauville and Trouville are a great place to base yourself for stargazing in the area.
On the one hand, within a reasonable distance, there is the entire stretch of coast towards Etretat, (we'll talk about it later) their wonderful fields, the sheep, simply wonderful, endless pagan estates.
On the other hand, you can easily reach Mont Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo, the landing beaches or gorgeous towns, such as Honfleur, Pont-l'Évêque, and many more.
There is shopping (Primark not that far away, outlet and shopping complexes, and more) and there is wonderful gastronomy.
And quiet. Lots and lots of quiet, finally, we Israelis have a severe shortage of it.
On one side is the sea. On the other, a green forest, fields and valleys.
A little recommendation from me to you: Get lost.
It's important and nice to mark places that need to be seen as long as we live. But getting lost is giving the world the keys and simply enjoying what it has to offer. And there is endlessly in this corner of our round world.
Look for nondescript roads without interesting names, which pass through thickets of forest, between huge mansions and village houses.
Look for horses in the pasture - like water. Apples, full of apple trees, stop the car on the side and take out of your bag what you bought at the market in the morning for a light snack.
Allow yourself a little loss, you won't regret it.
All the most recommended hotels and apartments in Deauville
How to get there?
The flight you need is toParisIt takes about two and a quarter hours to get there by car. From the airport, by train from Paris to the center of Deauville.
or, Car Rental From the field. In my opinion, the best option if you want to explore the area.
If you arrive by train to Deauville and want to rent a car there, be careful! Choose a car rental company located in the city, for example Hertz, (and not Europcar, which is an hour's walk outside the city. Don't ask how I found that out.)
Looking for more information about Normandy?
- You are welcome to enter the page. Normandy for the traveler On the website, you will find quite a few more articles and important information about this region of the country.
- If you would like to ask Yael or me a question about Normandy, or share experiences from your last trip there, you are welcome to join the Facebook group. Normandy for the traveler.
A really fun and tempting article…thank you
I thought of an idea (I don't know how practical it is) to allow you to mark the article with a heart ❤️, so that when you're getting ready for a trip, you can easily return to the articles and recommendations you liked.
Hi Orit.
Thank you.
You can create a special folder in your favorites and save articles you like there 🙂
deer
We traveled in Normandy and went to Deauville, because literature always mentioned that nobility, writers and others used to vacation there. It was the end of the season and we traveled along the coast as a “guest in the off-season” and it was lovely. From there we went to Honfleur and visited
In the "Foret de Bruton" we walked in the forest and picked berries and finally we went to Bayeux to see the famous tapestry of the Battle of Hastings, Harold and William
Would you recommend doing this route in February…?