# Étretat

A beach village with a shingle shore between two cliffs with arches and a 51 m needle. You see it by walking along the top, first thing or at sunset.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/normandy/etretat · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## What is there to see in Étretat?

Two white chalk cliffs on either side of a pebble beach. On the left, facing the sea, the falaise d'Aval, with the Porte d'Aval, an enormous arch carved by the waves, and next to it the Needle, a free-standing rock 51 m high rising from the water. Behind, at the end of Jambourg beach, is the Manneporte, even bigger; Maupassant wrote that a ship under full sail could pass through it. On the right, the falaise d'Amont, with its own arch and the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde on top.

The village began as a fishing port and in the 19th century became a resort for Parisians and the English, who filled it with villas. On the promenade you can still see the capstans for hauling up the boats and the caloges, old boats with thatched roofs that served as storehouses. It has pedestrian streets, a wooden covered market with souvenir shops and the church of Notre-Dame, from the 12th century. At the Clos Lupin, the house Maurice Leblanc bought in 1919, you can take a tour about Arsène Lupin, whose novel The Hollow Needle is set here.

## How do you walk the cliffs?

Along the top, on foot, on the signposted paths. To the west, steps and a path climb to the falaise d’Aval from the end of the promenade: you pass the golf course, see the Needle and the Porte d'Aval from above and carry on until you look out over the Manneporte. To the east, the climb to the falaise d'Amont leads to the chapel and the Jardins d'Étretat, paid gardens with views over the village and the bay. Both climbs can be done in a morning.

To walk further, the GR 21 runs along the Alabaster Coast from Le Havre to Le Tréport along the clifftops and through the valleys that drop to the sea. From Étretat you can follow it west, towards Le Tilleul, or east, towards Yport and Fécamp.

## Can you go down to the beach?

Yes, to the village beach, next to the promenade. What you cannot do is walk at the foot of the cliffs: a municipal bylaw forbids it because rockfalls are frequent. You also cannot enter the cave and tunnel of the Trou à l'Homme or walk the beaches from one side to the other at low tide, except the area next to the promenade. Up on the plateaux you must keep at least 5 m from the edge. Don't take pebbles from the beach: they protect the coast from storms and it is forbidden. If you want to see the arches from the water, the sailing club hires kayaks and paddleboards on the beach itself, from spring to autumn.

## How do you get there and where do you park?

By car from Spain it is about 850 km from Irún, via Bordeaux, Tours and Rouen or Le Havre. Parking is the hard part: in the centre street parking is paid every day from 9:00 to 19:00, and in summer you need patience. There is free parking at the entrance to the village, on the road to Criquetot-l'Esneval, la Guezane, with a path on foot to the centre. Motorhomes have an area of about 30 spaces next to the municipal campsite.

Without a car, the simplest way is to fly to Paris and continue by train. From April to early November SNCF sells combined train and coach tickets to Étretat; the rest of the year you go by train to Le Havre or Fécamp and continue on the Nomad regional coach. Fécamp is about 17 km away and Honfleur, across the Pont de Normandie, less than an hour.

## Where to eat and where to sleep?

For eating cheaply and with children, the Crêperie Lann Bihoué, on rue Notre-Dame, with galettes from €6.40 and cider from farms in the area, open every day. For dinner sharing plates, Le Bel Ami, a bistro with a wine bar on rue Alphonse-Karr that also opens daily. For a special meal, the gourmet restaurant at Le Donjon, with menus from €69 to €149.

To sleep, the Dormy House, a 61-room hotel in a park above the sea, from €110 a night without breakfast; Le Donjon – Domaine Saint Clair, a four-star with 25 rooms, a heated pool and a spa on the Saint-Clair hillside, and the municipal campsite, three-star, open from 15 March to 15 November. All three admit dogs.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: English Channel
- Cerca: Rouen (a 70.5 km), D-Day Beaches (a 82.5 km), Giverny (a 118.6 km)

## Qué hacer
- **The Falaise d'Aval, the Needle and the Manneporte on Foot** (1 h 45 · All ages with soled shoes; at the top there are no railings and children hold hands · Free): The falaise d'Aval is the western cliff, the postcard one: from above you see the Porte d'Aval, the arch that dips into the sea, and beside it the Needle, a free-standing rock 51 metres high. If you go a little further you can look out over the Manneporte, the largest of the three arches, at the end of the Jambourg beach. It is the walk nobody should miss in Étretat and it costs nothing.
The route
It starts at the end of the seafront promenade, on the west side of the beach. Steps and an earth path climb to the plateau, next to the golf course. In about twenty minutes you are at the first viewpoint over the Porte d'Aval and the Needle. From there the path continues along the edge, always on the grass, to the view of the Manneporte. Round trip, with stops to look, allow between an hour and a half and two hours. The stretch is short but has a steep climb at the start and the ground is slippery when it rains.
If you want to walk further, you are on the GR 21, the Alabaster Coast trail between Le Havre and Le Tréport: beyond the Manneporte there are far fewer people.
The rules
Walk on the marked paths and at least 5 metres from the edge, because the chalk crumbles. It is forbidden to walk at the foot of the cliff, to enter the Trou à l'Homme, the tunnel under the cliff, and the Chambre des Demoiselles. Do not take pebbles from the beach either: they protect the coast from storms. Infringements are fined and rescues may be charged for.
With a guide
If you want to know what you are looking at, Natterra, a naturalist guide from the village, runs outings along the cliffs: seabirds, coastal plants, chalk and flint.
- **The Falaise d'Amont and the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde** (1 h · All ages; the climb is short and steep · Free): The falaise d'Amont is the eastern cliff, the one on your right when you look at the sea from the promenade. It used to be called the falaise du Blanc-Trait because of how white the chalk is. At the top is the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the sailors' chapel, and from there you have the complete view of the other side: the Porte d'Aval, the Needle and the bay with the village below. It is the view to leave for the afternoon.
The climb
You set off from the east end of the seafront promenade, where the boats rest on the pebbles, and climb by steps and a steep path. In fifteen or twenty minutes you are at the top, next to the chapel. From there you can continue a while along the plateau, always on the marked path, and come down the same way. With stops, an hour round trip. Very close, down the slope, are the Jardins d'Étretat, which charge admission and have their own view over the bay.
To the east the GR 21 continues, which along the clifftops and the valleys running down to the sea leads towards Yport and Fécamp.
The rules
The same as on the other side: stay on the paths and at least 5 metres from the edge, which has no railings. Going down to the foot of the cliff and taking pebbles from the beach are forbidden.
- **The Jardins d'Étretat** (1 h 15 · All ages; under-8s free · Adults €11–12.90 depending on the season · ages 15 to 17 €10 · ages 8 to 14 €8 · under 8 free): The Jardins d'Étretat are on the slope of the falaise d'Amont, next to the climb to the chapel. They are a contemporary garden, not an old one: hedges clipped into wave and cloud shapes, sculptures and art among the plants, and viewpoints over the bay and the falaise d'Aval. The origin lies with Madame Thébault, an early 20th-century actress and friend of Claude Monet, who planted the first tree here, inspired by the painter's love of gardens.
What you see
The route is divided into seven spaces: Impressions, Avatar, Émotions, d'Aval, Zen, La Manche and d'Amont. The most photographed is Impressions, with rounded topiaries that seem to move with the wind and the sea behind. Along the way there are works of contemporary art, and in 2026 a photography exhibition by Yann Monel, Instants Fragiles, throughout the season. The gardens hold the European garden prize for the restoration of a historic garden, two stars in the Michelin Green Guide, belong to the Great Gardens of the World network and in 2025 had their Jardin remarquable label renewed for seven years. There are toilets, a café and a shop.
Price, opening hours and booking
According to the tourist office, the adult ticket costs between €11 and €12.90, cheaper in the months with fewer visitors. Ages 15 to 17 are €10, ages 8 to 14 €8 and under-8s go in free; there is a reduced rate of €9 with a disability card. The gardens' website sells the tickets. The opening calendar changes every year and sources do not agree on closing days: check it on their website before you go, especially if you go on a Monday or a Tuesday or outside summer. In July and August entry is by time slot, so buy ahead.
You get there on foot from the seafront promenade via the climb to the falaise d'Amont, on avenue Damilaville.
- **Kayak and Stand-Up Paddleboarding in Front of the Étretat Arches** (2 h · Those who can swim; small children accompanied; guided outing from age 14 · Single kayak €15 1 h · €25 2 h · double €30 1 h · paddleboard €20 1 h · guided outing €40–50): From the water the Étretat cliffs look as almost nobody sees them: the Porte d'Aval and the Needle head-on, the chalk wall above you and the small village at the back of the bay. You cannot walk at the foot of the cliffs, but by kayak or paddleboard you can get close by sea, with the village sailing club, which hires out on the same beach.
How it works
Voiles et Galets d'Étretat has its hut on the seafront promenade, next to the sailing boats. There is no booking: you arrive, sign the contract, pay and are given a life jacket and a waterproof bag for your phone. A single kayak costs €15 for an hour and €25 for two; a double, €30 and €50; a paddleboard, €20 and €35. If it is cool, a wetsuit is €5 more. You pay in cash or by cheque.
An hour is enough to leave the bay towards the Porte d'Aval and come back; two, to look calmly at both sides. If you would rather go with someone who knows the coast, the club runs a guided outing of about two hours, €40 per person and €50 in high season, from age 14 and with a minimum of three people.
The sea rules
In 2026 it is open every day in summer, from 10:00 to 17:30, and at weekends and on good days in spring and autumn. They do not hire out with waves of more than half a metre or wind of more than 5 knots for beginners; with an orange alert, nothing. At high or mid tide you get closer to the wall; at low tide you see the rocks and the bottom. Passing under the arches is forbidden. A launch keeps watch for the length of the hire.
- **Le Clos Lupin, Maurice Leblanc's House** (1 h · Lupin readers, teenagers who have seen the series, families · Adults from €8.50 · reduced from €6.50 · children from €6): Maurice Leblanc, the author of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief, bought this villa in Étretat in 1919. Étretat features in his novels: in The Hollow Needle, Lupin hides his treasure inside the Needle. Today the house, Le Clos Lupin, is visited as a staged tour about the character and his author, a few minutes' walk from the beach.
The visit
At the entrance you are given the equipment to follow an eight-stage tour through the gardens and rooms, set in the early 20th century. It is not a museum of display cases but a story told in scenes, with the settings of the novels and Leblanc's life. At the end there is a shop. Allow about an hour. It works well with teenagers who have seen the Lupin series and with anyone who has read the novels; it will mean less to small children.
Price and opening hours
The official tourism listings give an adult ticket from €8.50, a reduced rate from €6.50 and a child's from €6, with the warning that they are based on the previous season. The opening hours change with the season and the listings do not confirm them: phone before you go. You can pay by card, cash, cheque or holiday vouchers.
Getting there
It is at 15 rue Guy de Maupassant, in the centre of Étretat, about five minutes' walk from the seafront promenade. If you arrive by car, leave it in the car park at the entrance to the village and walk in.

## Dónde comer
- **Crêperie Lann Bihoué** (Restaurant, Étretat · rue Notre-Dame, €). Qué pedir: a Norman special galette, such as La Vallée d'Auge (camembert and caramelised apple, €14.50), and for dessert La Manneporte with ice cream
- **Le Bel Ami** (Restaurant, Étretat · rue Alphonse-Karr, €€). Qué pedir: several small dishes to share and the wine bar's mezzes; the menu changes with the season
- **Le Donjon Gourmet Restaurant** (Restaurant, Étretat · Chemin de Saint-Clair, €€€€). Qué pedir: the Les Galets menu, five courses for €109; the vegetarian Le Jardin, three courses for €69, if you want something shorter

## By car: Étretat by Car
By car, Étretat is about two hours and three quarters from Paris and an easy stop on a route along the Norman coast between Rouen, Le Havre, Fécamp and Honfleur. The hard part is parking in the centre in summer: leave the car at the entrance to the village or at the hotel and get around on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–250 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Dormy House** (Hotel, desde 110 € / night): The Dormy House is at the top of the village, next to the Le Havre road, in a four-hectare park that looks out over the sea. From the lawn terrace and from the sea-side rooms you have the Channel in front of you. It is the hotel for those who want to wake up looking at the sea and not depend on the car to go down to the village.
The rooms and what they cost
It has 58 rooms and 3 suites divided into categories that depend on the view. The Comfort rooms, with a rear view, and those of the Villa, an annexe looking onto the village, are the cheapest: between €110 and €300 a night for one or two people, depending on the date. The Excellence and Prestige rooms face the sea and range from €185 to €570. At the top are the Prestige suites and the Deluxe rooms, with a jacuzzi on a terrace or a private garden, from €400 to €1,000. Prices change with occupancy and date, and breakfast is extra: €22 for the buffet and €27 for the continental in the room. The Comfort rooms are the ones the hotel indicates as accessible for reduced mobility.
For families, breakfast is free up to age five and costs €10 up to age twelve. A cot is €15 a night and an extra bed €20 up to age twelve and €55 from thirteen, although it does not fit in every room. A dog pays €25 a night and parking €15. The tourist tax, €5.28 per adult per night, is added separately. Wifi is free.
Eating without leaving the hotel
There are two restaurants and a bar. The traditional restaurant, with a sea view, cooks regional produce and is open every day from 12:00 to 14:30 and from 19:00 to 21:30. The Bistrot du Dormy is more informal, with salads, burgers, meat and fish, and a terrace in good weather. The restaurants work by reservation. If you want a spa, the hotel sells a package at Villa 10, a partner hotel about five minutes' walk away, for €80 for two people.
Getting there
The hotel is on the Route du Havre, the road entering Étretat from Le Havre, and has its own car park, paid. From Paris it is about two hours and three quarters by car. You walk down to the seafront promenade, and from there the paths that climb the two cliffs begin.
- **Le Donjon – Domaine Saint Clair** (Spa hotel): Le Donjon is a brick house with an ivy-covered tower on the Saint-Clair hillside, above the village. From the garden and the pool you see the roofs of Étretat, the bay and the falaise d'Aval. It is the place for a couples' break with spa and long dinner: everything is within the estate and the centre is about ten minutes' walk away.
The rooms
There are 25, spread over three buildings: Le Donjon, the main house; La Villa and Le Cottage. The categories run from Club to Junior Suites, and there are family rooms and suites for those travelling with children, with cot and high chair if you ask. The Catel room is adapted for reduced mobility. The website does not publish fixed rates: the price appears in the booking engine according to the date. Breakfast is not included; you add it when booking or on arrival. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out before 12:00. Pets are welcome.
Pool, spa and restaurants
The heated outdoor pool, with a sea view and jacuzzi, is open from 15 March to 15 November and is only for hotel and spa guests. The spa is open to anyone with a reservation, and there is a sauna, for over-16s, and La Canopée, a space the hotel advises against for children. For eating there is the fine-dining restaurant, that of chefs Killian Allain and Yannic Stockhausen, with menus from €69 to €149, and Racines, with more traditional cooking, plus a bar open all day. In the village, the same group runs Le Bel Ami.
Getting there and parking
By car, the hotel has two private enclosed car parks, one for hotel and spa guests and another for restaurant customers, with electric-car charging points that it is best to request when booking. Without a car, the nearest station is Bréauté-Beuzeville, about 25 minutes by car, linked to Étretat by the line 504 coach.
- **Étretat Municipal Campsite** (Campsite, desde 10 € / pitch): The Étretat campsite is run by the town council. It is on rue Guy de Maupassant, the road that enters the village from the interior, in a green valley with trees on both sides. It has three stars and 73 grass pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes. It is the cheapest way to sleep in Étretat and the one that leaves you closest to the cliffs without fighting for parking: you leave the car on the pitch and walk down.
The pitches and what they cost
The council publishes a simple table. Adults pay €8 and children aged 4 to 12, €5. A pitch with car and tent without electricity costs €10; with a caravan or motorhome without electricity, €15, and either of them with electricity, €20. If you arrive without a car, the pitch is €6 without electricity and €8 with. A dog, €4. The website does not say whether the prices are per night, though that is usual at a campsite; confirm on arrival or by email.
It is open from 15 March to 15 November. The rest of the year it rents space to store caravans, at €15 a day.
What it has
There are electricity points, an emptying area for motorhomes, washing machine, dryer, table and iron, hairdryer and a safe for valuables. For children, outdoor games, a pétanque court, board games and books, a high chair and a changing table. Wifi is free, but only at reception: the council says this keeps the campsite quiet. The showers, washbasins and toilets are adapted for reduced mobility, and there is an adapted parking space. The site is closed at night and supervised. French and English are spoken. You pay by card, cash, cheque or holiday vouchers.
Getting there
The campsite is at number 69 rue Guy de Maupassant, at the entrance to the village coming from the interior. Next to it is the Étretat motorhome area, which is a separate facility. On foot, the centre and the seafront promenade are a little over a kilometre away, about fifteen or twenty minutes.

## Consejos

### Go before eleven or after four
That is when the groups leave. At sunset the cliffs turn golden as seen from the promenade.

### Climb the falaise d'Aval first
It is the view of the Needle and the Porte d'Aval that you are after. Leave the Amont, with the chapel, for the afternoon.

### Park at the entrance to the village
The free car park at la Guezane saves you driving round the centre.

### Wear shoes with grip
The paths on top are grass and earth and slippery in the rain.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much time do I need to see Étretat?
Half a day to climb both cliffs and stroll round the village. A day if you follow the GR 21 or go out kayaking.

### Can I go down to the beach at the foot of the Needle?
No. A municipal bylaw forbids walking at the foot of the cliffs and walking the beaches at low tide, except next to the promenade.

### Where do I park in Étretat?
On the street in the centre, paid every day from 9:00 to 19:00, or free at la Guezane, at the entrance to the village.

### Can I go from Paris without a car?
Yes. From April to early November there are combined train and coach tickets; the rest of the year, train to Le Havre or Fécamp and a Nomad coach.

### Is it a good plan with children?
Yes, with care. The climb to the falaise d'Aval is short, but on top there are no railings and you must hold hands and stay 5 m from the edge.

### Why is it famous?
For its chalk arches and the Needle, which many artists have painted since the 19th century and which appear in the novels of Maupassant and Maurice Leblanc.