Coutances Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

The town has existed since Roman times, functioning mainly as a market town for the surrounding agricultural area.

49°3′7″N 1°26′42″W

Map of Coutances

Roads connect the town to other places on the peninsula: Cherbourg to the north, Saint-Lô to the east, Granville and Avranches to the south. Cherbourg has ferries from the UK and Ireland. From Avranches, roads go west to Saint-Malo and beyond or south to Rennes and beyond.

• 49.0475-1.4441671 Coutances Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances). The Norman Gothic Coutances Cathedral was built between 1210 and 1274 atop an earlier Romanesque structure. It incorporates elements dating back to the 11th century and even earlier foundations from a 5th-century church. The cathedral is notable for its vertical emphasis, with twin towers rising to approximately 80 meters and a central lantern tower reaching 57 meters, symbolizing the link between earth, resurrection, and heaven. Inside, the cathedral features exquisite stained glass—some from the 13th century—alongside chapels like Saint Joseph’s with a 1381 mural and Saint Laud’s, which depicts scenes from the saint’s life. Despite damage during the Wars of Religion and secular use during the French Revolution, Coutances Cathedral has remained structurally sound, even surviving World War II with minimal harm. It also houses a historic organ built in 1728 with four manuals and 51 stops. (updated May 2025)

• Jazz sous les pommiers (Jazz under the apple trees). An annual jazz festival in the spring (normally the 1st week of Ascension). (updated Mar 2025)

• 49.061203-1.4346871 E.Leclerc (Supermarket), 9027 Ave de la Division Leclerc, 50200 Coutances, ☏ +33 233 76 63 63. M-Th 09:00-19:30, F 09:00-20:00, Sa 09:00-19:15. To the N of the town (updated Jul 2018)

• 49.05165-1.459151 Municipal Les Vignettes, ☏ +33 233 45 43 13. Municipal camp site. Office times vary (from official published times). Open all year round. (updated Jul 2018)