In the heart of Normandy, you will find Deauville. A town that has the sea as their garden, a shopping street filled with high-end brands combined with small boutiques, architecture dating from the 1890’s, a variety of sports opportunities like yachting, golf, polo, and horse-riding and it is the place to go hunting for new talent during the American film festival. Deauville has it all.

About Deauville
Deauville is France’s number-eight region for tourism. In low season you will find around 4.000 inhabitants, which can easily go up to 30.000 during high season and around specific events. Lots of French people have their second home in Deauville and come to visit the town in high season and during events. Walking through the streets, you will see that the shutters in front of the windows are closed when visiting in low season.

Due to the attractiveness around big events, the town is offering 2.000 hotel rooms, from budget to luxury. We have stayed in hotel Augeval. A 3* hotel in the center of Deauville. Not special, but just all you need when you are there for just a night.
Over 500 buildings are protected. You will notice that the streets of Deauville look absolutely amazing and it is very clean. It is like walking in a museum. So don’t forget to look up when you are walking through Deauville. A great example of a protected building is Villa Strassburger. One of the Villa’s we have visited.

Built in 1907, the house belonged to the Strassburger family. It is now a place you can visit to get a tour inside, or to hire for an event, like a wedding.

Well-known brands like Louise Vuitton, combined with small boutiques are filling up the shopping streets of Deauville. Open from Monday to Sunday.
Shops are located around Place Morny and Place de la Mairie, so is the local market. Place Morny has a fountain in its center and is accessible through 8 streets that all lead you to the center of the place. La Maison Deauville is one of the many gorgeous buildings you will find in Deauville. It is the home of the owner, which shop you can find on the ground floor. It is a home-decor shop you might find nice to visit or just to pass by to take a pic.

In a walking distance is the Place du Marché (market hall), the place to try local specialties. It is a bustling market that sets food to the local gastronomy. At the entrance to the market is the statue of the town’s founder, the Duke of Morny, followed by the Murmure Asiatique, the wall covered with the leading names of Asian cinema.

The market hall is open every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings all year round and on Sundays and bank holidays from 22 February to 8 November.

In for some gambling? Visit the casino of Deauville, which is located in a unique and beautiful building on the seaside of the town. It was built in 1912 and is more than just a casino. It is known for its nightlife with the nightclub and cinema inside.

Getting there
Deauville is easy to reach via plane, boat, train or by car. It is only 2 hours away by rail or road and therefore visited by a lot of Parisians during the weekend and holidays. The nearest airport is Deauville-Saint-Gatien Airport. The ports cover a total of 1250 berths, which makes Deauville the second largest port of Normandy.
Next to Parisians, Deauville attracts lots of tourists who are on their round trip through the Normandy region. It is a nice place to stay for a couple of days when visiting neighbor cities like Trouville, Cabourg, and Caen.
Sports
Deauville offers 4 golf courses, 2 racecourses offering flat races, trotting races, and obstacle races, and 2 ports, that makes space for yachting.

Deauville is home to the Deauville Yacht Club, where regional, national and international teams are competing against each other on the waves, for example during the French International Dragon Open.

There is a sailing school located where sailing classes can be followed for every level. The training center is open from April to October.
Horses are part of the history of Deauville. The Duke of Morny, who was the founder of the town, prioritized the racecourse over that of the church. Nowadays it is still the sports Deauville is known for. With races seven months a year, two racecourses, Pôle International du Cheval, horse auctions, a polo world championship, training center, horse competitions, and horseball tournaments.

A must visit in Deauville is the Deauville-La Touques racecourse, which is located in the heart of the town. It is France’s number one flat racecourse, built in 1864. Want to visit one of the races? Make sure you visit Deauville in summer (July and August), autumn (October) or winter (December, January, and March), and get your tickets in advance. The racecourse itself can be visited any time of the year. Training take place every day so chances are big you can see one taking place.

Horse-riding schools and pony clubs are open all year round for tuition or just a ride along the beach.
Wellness
Looking for some relaxation and wellbeing for your body? Visit the Thalasso Therapy Spa and experience one of the many sea-water-based treatments. It heals your skin, makes it feel soft and cleanses your skin. Complete your day with a massage by one of the therapists.
You can also make use of the saunas and hot water pools filled with sea water.
The 50-meter majestic Olympic swimming pool is also filled with water from the sea and it’s heated up to 28° C. The pool is refurbished in 2006 and a perfect place to be during a hot summer day.
Beach
With over 1.4 km of coastline and the Planches, Deauville’s world-famous boardwalk, spanning over 600 m, it is the perfect place to combine sunny beach days with sports, culture, and shopping.
The Planches are known for the multi-colored parasols with their deckchairs and the cabins with the names of many Hollywood stars. The names are from them, who visited Deauville during the American Film Festival, which was launched in 1975 and takes place every year in September.

Beach cabins can be hired for the day.

Food & Drinks
Norman cooking is known for the use of butter and scream in numerous dishes and sweetnesses. But the famous milk produce remain the cheeses like Camembert, Pont l’Evêque, Livarot and Neufchâtel.

Normandy was the first cider region of France. The “Pommeau”, a typical aperitif, the “Calvados” which is generally savored as a brandy and sometimes flamed on any desserts, and the dry or soft “Cider” served during any good meal.
Many restaurants and bars can be found in Deauville, we have visited La Flambée and La Drakkar.
La Flambée is located close by the casino and is known for their warm atmosphere. Every Friday and Saturday there is a pianist performing in the restaurant. They are open every day from 12.00 to 14.00 hrs and from 19.00 to 21.30 hrs.
Restaurant La Drakkar is offering traditional food. It is located in an old English pub nearby the casino. They are known for their many choices of fish dishes. Open every day from 12.00 to 16.00 hrs and from 19.00 to 00.00 hrs.

Learn more about the Normandy region in France and read our Travel Guide Trouville and the Travel Guide Cabourg too!

Sorry for any mistakes!
As a Dutchy, I am doing my best to write these articles with little to no mistakes, but as English isn’t my native language, I am very sure I have failed in doing so. But, I do have to say that I love writing in English as I hope to reach more people and inspire them with my travel stories. So I hope I’d managed to do that with you and you will excuse me for any mistakes made.