Manche Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Manche

• 49.638889-1.6251 Cherbourg — a port city with ferries to UK and Ireland
• 48.684444-1.3569442 Avranches — has a museum containing manuscripts from Mont-Saint-Michel
• 49.045278-1.4452783 Coutances — has a fine Norman cathedral and an annual jazz festival
• 48.838056-1.5869444 Granville — its beautiful old town full of laneways towering over the rest of the town
• 49.114444-1.0916675 Saint-Lô — its historic centre has been restored after being devastated in World War II

• 48.636111-1.5113891 Mont Saint Michel — UNESCO World Heritage Norman Benedictine Abbey on an island rock isolated by the high tide
• 49.408889-1.3177782 Sainte-Mère-Église — perhaps the most famous "D-day village" of all

The department is named after the English Channel, which is known in French as La Manche, literally "the sleeve". The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel. Of the Channel Islands, only the island of Chausey forms part of the territory of the department.

A long time ago, the peninsula was joined as a single land mass to Cornwall and Dorset in England, meaning that the underlying geological strata of the regions are very similar. However, there are substantial regional differences today in terms of flora and fauna, and farming practices have varied considerably between the United Kingdom and France. Flat marsh areas in the department attract many bird-watchers.

The region in and around St Lô is the equestrian capital of France, where the cooler climate compared to the south is ideal for breeding and training.

The climate is oceanic with relatively mild winters in which temperatures go below zero only for a few days. Summer temperatures are usually around 20 °C, and can occasionally reach 35 °C in direct sunlight. The west coast benefits from the influence of the Gulf Stream and this has enabled the naturalization of Mediterranean and exotic plants such as mimosas, palms, and agaves. There is often a sea breeze on the coast, which combined with tides, contributes to rapid temperature changes in the course of a single day. Sea temperatures can be very pleasant for swimming between June and October.

The major train stations in the region are:

• Coming from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz via Caen :
  • Cherbourg
  • Valogne
• Coming from Paris Gare Montparnasse via Vire - Dreux :
  • Villedieu-les-Poeles
  • Granville

A north-south train route from Caen - Lison towards Dol-de-Bretagne - Rennes stops at secondary train stations in the region.

Manche is the "longest" department in France, when measured in road kilometers.

There are roads of every type:

• Motorways and expressways:
  • The A84 crosses the department from east to southwest, and is free (no tolls)
  • The RN13, a 4-lane expressway, links the top of the department to Caen.
  • The RN174 provides a fast link from the A84 to the RN13.
• National Routes
  • Since National roads becaome a departmental responsibility, most of these have been converted to departmental roads.
• Departmental Roads
  • A large road network supports travel by car anywhere in Manche

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