Free walking tours in Pont-l'Évêque and what to see

Must-sees

Pont-l’Évêque is in the heart of the Pays d’Auge, in Calvados, on the River Touques and a few kilometres from Deauville. It shares its name with one of the best-known Norman cheeses, and the town is surrounded by meadows, apple orchards and farms producing cider, calvados and pommeau. Although it suffered badly in 1944, it keeps several streets of half-timbered houses, especially in the Vaucelles quarter.

The Flamboyant Gothic church of Saint-Michel has modern stained glass that is well worth seeing. Nearby are the former Dominican convent and other manor houses that recall its past as a small market town. On the outskirts, the Père Magloire distillery explains how calvados is made, from apple to barrel. There is also a lake with a leisure area, and the Côte Fleurie, with Deauville, Trouville and Honfleur, is a stone’s throw away.

Free tours and guided visits

There are no free walking tours in Pont-l’Évêque. What Civitatis offers is a ticket for the Père Magloire distillery, a visit with explanations and a tasting to get to know calvados. At the Terre d’Auge tourist office you can ask whether there are guided tours of the old town, and in the surrounding area you can visit cider farms and cheese makers on your own.

How long to spend

The town can be explored in an hour or two, and the distillery adds another hour and a half. You can round off the day with a cider farm or a cheese maker nearby. With two or three days you have time to head down to the coast, stroll around Honfleur and Deauville and tour the villages of the Pays d’Auge, such as Beaumont-en-Auge.

Where to stay

In the town there are small hotels, guesthouses and apartments, quieter and sometimes cheaper than on the coast. All around there are plenty of country cottages on half-timbered farms, ideal if you are driving. If you prefer the sea, Deauville and Trouville are a quarter of an hour away and have far more choice.