France – Barfleur (En)
Barfleur is a fishing village in the English Channel. Member of the Association of Most Beautiful Villages of France, Barfleur has preserved other historical heritage elements. Its cultural vitality, port of “postcards”, and the beauty of its landscapes, make the small town a significant tourist pole of the Cotentin. Fishin remains one of the centers of activity of the small town which only has about 650 inhabitants but has retained an authentic charm, with its many granite houses and covered with Schist from the 16th to the 19th century.
Where to stay
We stayed at Camping Indiana (49.665501, -1.25856 lat, long) just 200 metres from the beach and 5 minutes walking to the town and harbour. The facilities are great, hot water for washing dishes and showers, easy to fill and empty water and big plots. We gave it only 4 stars because you have to pay 2,50 euros per dog and 6 euros extra for electricity. We paid 19.50 euros per day without electricity.
What to see
Barfleur has been named one of the most beautiful towns in France and is easy to see why as you stroll the cobbled streets with its charming white shuttered granite houses interspersed with inviting restaurants and creperies line the quay. There is also a street market selling local products next to the colourful fishing boats unloading the day’s catch.
Barfleur is known for its open-sea mussels and the restaurants opposite the quay are the perfect place to enjoy a moules frites! We decided to have lunch in one of the cute restaurants and we shared the mussels with fries and a plate of langoustines, 10 euros each only! One of the best langoustines we have tried and the mussels are also the best until now!
St. Nicholas Church was the next thing we visited after lunch. Built in the 17th century, the exterior is like a fortress in appearance, contrasting with a quite beautiful interior.
Outside the church, following the path around you will have a view of Gatteville Lighthouse in the distance, the second tallest in France. There is also a lifeboat launching station with tracks that trundle down into the harbour. Just opposite the church, there is a cross and a house marked with a plaque where the painter Paul Signac lived from 1932 to 1935, a Neo-Impresionist, painted the harbour at Barfleur during the last years of his life.
And we finished our visit to this beautiful town, one of our favourites, and we went to Avranches, called the City of Manuscripts is faces the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, which you can see in the next post!
