Northern France Road Trip: Paris to Normandy & Beyond

Northern France Road Trip: Paris to Normandy & Beyond

After braving the roads of Vietnam, 
surviving a self-drive safari through Tanzania, and almost meeting my 
maker on an Icelandic volcano, I decided to face my ultimate 
challenge yet, navigating [Paper Sounds] the sheer romance of France? I am very lucky because my girlfriend is one 
of the best in the world at what she does. So, she gets to compete in the so-called 
Olympic games. Never heard of ’em, I’m more into American football. So, while she  was off preparing for the biggest sporting event in the world, I was tackling 
something almost equally crucial. Recreating the long outdated 
trend of my favorite director. After we had soaked up 
enough Olympic themed Paris, we made our way into the lovely French 
countryside. Our first stop would be home of one of the most famous 
painters in history, Claude Monet. It really pays off to book a time slot in advance because the line was enormous when 
we arrived in early noon. For us, it was just a bit too crowded and way too 
hot to really soak in the atmosphere. Make sure when you are there that you arrive early and 
that France doesn’t suddenly turn into Arrakis. So after a couple of hours, we 
packed up and headed for the ocean. After the garden, we quickly made our way 
up to Étretat because we wanted to spend the sunset on the beach looking at the famous cliff 
formation. Also, I apologize for butchering all the names in this video. I was the only idiot 
in my class that took Latin instead of French. Our stay was rather short-lived. 
We came, ate delicious French food, walked around for a bit, and then just 
sat and marveled at the gorgeous sunset. On our second day, we wanted to stop by 
the town of Honfleur on our way to Bayeux. Honfleur is well known for its pictures Harbour 
which we looked at in all its glory and then just leisurely stroll through its winding 
streets. I can already tell you that that was pretty much our strategy the whole trip. Drive somewhere pretty and look at the pretty thing we drove there to see and then just  have a nice walk around, eat something we usually wouldn’t eat back home and just 
generally get a feel of what the area is like. After lunch and a hefty parking fine, we 
drove to Bayeux. The town is well known for its association with D-Day and among other 
things, the beautiful cathedral in the middle of town. Half expecting a hunchback to come and 
swing around some gargoyles, we went and grabbed a bite to eat. After we stuffed ourselves with 
the best pot of mussles we’ve had our whole trip, and trust me, we had a lot. We walked by the 
cathedral again, and as luck would have it, there was a beautiful light show 
scheduled for the evening we were there. Bayeux is also the starting point for most of the 
D-Day tours because of its close proximity to the landing beaches. It was the first French town to 
be liberated by the Allies after all. Visiting the American cemetery and the 
landing sites was something that was on my must-see list from the moment 
we decided we would do a road trip. Seeing all those places in your favorite 
movies and TV shows just isn’t the same as actually being there in person and feeling 
the weight of what had happened there. Being from a country that had also many 
men die way too young in some French field, we also wanted to visit the German cemetery. I can only recommend that you 
visit it as well. Maybe just to get a feel for the scale of death. On both sides. Every travel video guide, book 
or Parisian hobo will tell you if there’s one thing you should see in 
the north of France, it’s Mont Saint Michelle On the day of our arrival, we used the 
remaining time to check out the abbey from afar. It really looks like a fairy tale 
castle rising out of the sea. Oh, and also a smoke pipe now. One thing I can wholeheartedly recommend 
is the tablet guide you can rent. These things can really be hit or miss, but this 
one was really good. The combination of visual and audio interaction was really well done and keeps you engaged throughout the whole walkthrough. Overall, the Abbey was a really great 
experience. As for all major tourist attractions, there are known downsides as 
well. Yes, it’s incredibly crowded. Yes, for a crossaint you will have to take out a loan. Yes, you have to deal with a lot of French people. But you know that beforehand and you 
can mitigate it by just showing up early. Get on one of the first buses in the morning and 
then you can enjoy a pot of freshly steamed mussles by lunchtime somewhere else. So we left Normandy for Dinan and entered Britany, clearly visible by the new shitty map. Our path to the  destination for the day required a small but essential sightseeing stop containing sand between our toes and sugar in our blood. The city of Dinan is what I picture when I think 
of the quintessential medieval French town. Steep cobblestone streets, beautiful half-timbered houses, and wellpreserved churches. It really felt 
like you stepped into a different era. After Lino, we headed further west pretty 
early because this cute little town called Pontrieux would to your last stop 
before heading back the very same day. The town is known for its beautiful canals 
and especially for the lots of flowers that decorate the houses and bridges. It’s very picturesque with a real village in bloom vibe. We booked the boat tour and learned about 
the history of these wash houses. Or rather, the others learned because, 
well, it was all in French. Nevertheless, it was really charming. 
And when all the flowers are in bloom, you get an array of beautiful colors. Afterwards, we had breakfast in a cafe, bought 
a painting to remind us of our adventure, and headed back east for our last overnight stay. Before we flew back home to a beautiful 
but landlocked country, we spend our last night at 
a beach town called Cabourg. Personally, the rudeness of the French 
doesn’t quite scratch my adventurous itch. So for this year I have something 
more special planned again.

A road trip through France!
From the Olympic buzz of Paris to the Flowery Villages of Giverny, we explored iconic landmarks, charming towns, and rich history.
Discover, among other things, Monet’s Garden, Etretat’s cliffs, the D-Day beaches of Normandy and the medieval beauty of Dinan.
Plus, lots of delicious French food!

Gear used:
Lumix s5ii with the prime 20-60mm
DJI Mini 3
Edited and graded in Davinci Resolve Studio

0:00 Intro
0:22 Paris
1:43 Monet’s Garden
3:07 Etretat
5:08 Honfleur
5:55 Bayeux
7:35 D-Day Tour
11:50 Mont Saint Michel
13:38 Dinard
13:57 Dinan
15:45 Pontrieux
17:50 Cabourg
19:04 Next Destination 👀