Normandy, France Main Towns: Alencon, Caen, Cherbourg, Deauville, Dieppe, Evreux, Le Havre, Rouen, St Lo.

Normandy echoes with the history of past struggles: the Norman Conquest woven into the tapestry at Bayeux; the perils of Jeanne d'Arc recorded in Rouen; the drama of the D-Day landings along Normandy's beaches.

The violence of its history is at odds with the landscapes that inspired Corot, Monet and Pissarro: a region to take it slowly, by boat, balloon or bicycle. Giverny is a sleepy village that would be sleeping still had it not captured the heart and imagination of Claude Monet. While the great painter's pink farmhouse is charming and now a museum, Monet's masterpiece was his garden, still complete with water lilies.

Do not miss William I's greatest tapestry at Bayeux, the great Norman cathedrals, the half-timbered manoirs of the gentle Pays d'Auge and, in contrast, the sudden crags, cliffs, forest and gorges of Little Switzerland. South from Cherbourg there is an almost continuous stretch of beach leading to the great landmark of Mont St Michel. There are designated routes for cheese, Camembert, Livarot, Pont l'Eveque, made in villages of the same name in the Pays d'Auge region; other villages are linked in routes dedicated to cider and Calvados, with half-timbered cottages tempting travellers to tastings. On the coast is Honfleur, the most picturesque of all Normandy seaports and an artists' haunt for centuries. Visitors will immediately recognise the picture-postcard harbour filled with yachts and fishing boats, just a short walk along cobbled streets from the little wooden church of St. Catherine with its quaint belfry. Further along the spectacular corniche is super-chic spa resort of Deauville, with its casino and racecourse.

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