Snapshot: Normandy

Rick Steves Snapshot: Normandy contains all the complete chapters on this region, excerpted from Rick's complete France guidebook — and leaves out the chapters on other French destinations. So if all you want is the best of Normandy, this compact Snapshot guide delivers everything you'll need to know — for about half the price and half the bulk.

Inside you'll find in-depth, Rick-tested information on the best sights, hotels, and restaurants for:

• Rouen
  • ​Including self-guided town walk and tour of Rouen's Notre-Dame Cathedral, plus nearby Route of the Ancient Abbeys
• Honfleur
  • Including Eugène Boudin Museum and more sights, as well as nearby excursions
• Bayeux
  • ​Including Bayeux Tapestry, Bayeux Cathedral, and more sights
• D-Day Beaches
  • D-Day sites in Arromanches
  • Omaha Beach sites (including WWII Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Pointe du Hoc, and Longues-sur-Mer)
  • Utah Beach sites (including Utah Beach Landing Museum and Ste-Mère Eglise)
  • Juno Beach and the Canadian cemetery
• Caen
  • ​Including self-guided Caen Memorial Museum tour
• Mont St-Michel
  • ​Including self-guided Abbey of Mont St-Michel tour
• And more
  • Easy-to-follow maps
  • Advice on planning your time
  • Extensive recommendations for D-Day guides and tours
  • Transportation tips for connecting each stop by car or bus and train
  • Sidebars on the region's history, culture, and cuisine
  • Handy French survival phrases
  • Basic tips on managing money, communicating, reserving rooms, handling emergencies, and other helpful hints

Should I get this Snapshot guide in addition to Rick's complete France guidebook?

Nope! Our Snapshot guides are simply excerpted chapters from our full-length guidebooks. Snapshot: Normandy covers the exact same topics as the Normandy chapter of the complete Rick Steves France guidebook — the same hotels, same restaurants, same sightseeing information, same everything.(But the full-length France guidebook, now in its 21st edition, is more up to date than this Snapshot guide, which was excerpted from the France book's 20th edition. Check our France guidebook updates for the most noteworthy changes.)

Should I get this Snapshot guide in addition to Rick's Best of France guidebook?

That depends on how deeply you want to dive into the region. Rick Steves Best of France includes condensed coverage of our favorite stops in Normandy — enough for a quick trip. If you'd like more comprehensive coverage of the region, or any information on Rouen or Caen (not included in Best of France), the Snapshot guide is worthwhile.

Latest updates: When we learn of critical changes to the information in our guidebooks on France, we post them. (Of course, it's still smart to reconfirm critical transportation and sightseeing details locally.) Armed with a Rick Steves guidebook and these late-breaking updates, you're set for a great trip!

Submit feedback: Once you've used this book in Europe, we'd love to hear your feedback — good or bad — about our advice on sights, hotels, restaurants, and travel tips. We're also interested in any tips or discoveries you made while in Europe. Your comments help us improve our guidebooks for future travelers.