Weekend getaways near Paris
As I mentioned in part 1, quick and affordable getaways from Paris absolutely exist, in particular in Normandy. And there’s no better places than Deauville and Trouville-sur-mer, two charming towns with lovely beaches that won’t break the bank. These twin towns that are literally across a bridge from each other, separated by the River Touques.
☆ Part 1: Closest Beaches to Paris? Try Deauville & Trouville in Normandy
Book early and save
If you book early, perhaps 3 or 4 months ahead, you can find great prices on flights and trains. I booked 4 train tickets from Paris Saint-Lazare station to Deauville/Trouville and back on SNCF OUI for 3 days/2 nights in August for just €111.40! You can set up an alert too for the best deals. It’s a 2 hour train ride from city life to seaside fun. For more info, click here.
Comparing Deauville & Trouville
This is the closest seaside to Paris, which makes both towns ideal places for everyone, even families, to have a fun holiday. They each have that unique Norman architecture, luxurious casinos, beachfront boardwalks and a string of Belle Époque era villas, yet they look and feel quite different. I thought people where exaggerating, but it’s true. Each town definitely has its own personality. While Deauville is suave and sophisticated, Trouville is relaxed, happy-go-lucky and fun for families.
The best part is, you don’t have to choose! They’re so close together, you can have the best of both worlds – glamour and luxury, fresh fish and friendly faces. What’s not to like about that?
Trouville, Normandy
In part 1 I focused on Deauville, but now it’s time to see the unpretentious family friendly and dare I say more authentic Norman town of Trouville-sur-mer. How can I prove to you it’s family friendly? After spending a day in each town, my two kids (aged 9 and 11) unanimously agreed that they preferred Trouville. Now any parent can appreciate that getting your kids to agree on almost anything is a momentous endorsement of Trouvilles’ bona fides as a fun day at the beach.
If you prefer a quiet beach, then I would recommend Deauville. If you want an explosion of restaurants, ice cream shops, pony rides, go carts, tennis, sand castle contests, beach football (soccer) and more, then Trouville is your hands on favorite.
Similar to Deauville’s large boardwalk, the Promenade des Planches (1923), Trouville also has a lovely wooden path to follow along the beach with huts (cabins) that you can rent to stash all of your beach related equipment (beach chairs, coolers, hang towels to dry, etc…).
A Quick History
“Trouville’s transformation from Viking port to fashionable spa was well underway by the time the last king left. It had taken nearly a thousand years for ‘Thorulfr’s ville’ to became Trouville but less than 20 for it to become a nineteenth century hot spot.” [read more…]
“If those French literary giants, Flaubert and Proust, approved, Trouville must have style. As to Monet and his Norman master, Boudin, they painted memorable scenes of 19th century bourgeois in their finery promenading along the broad beachfront here. In fact, Trouville was one of the first-ever coastal resorts to be developed in France. Artists may have started the trend for coming here, but by the time of Emperor Napoleon III, from the mid 19th century on, the rich and fashionable flocked to Trouville too. They ordered grand villas and palaces of entertainment, like the glitzy casino.” [read more…]
Trouville in Pictures
Trouville Beach
Trouville Boardwalk
Banks of the Touques River
Le Marché Aux Poissons
“Trouville’s pride and joy is its Marché aux Poissons, an impressive looking building that was destroyed by fire in September 2006 and only re-opened at the end of 2010 after a €6.2 million refurbishment. It actually took longer to to re-build than it did to build!” [read more…]
Fishing Boats
Trouville Casino
