Things To Do in Trouville-sur-Mer

The bustle of Trouville’s quayside carries on into the narrow alleyways that wind behind the port. It’s a pleasure to get lost here among the many restaurants and little shops that somehow squeeze into the haphazard collection of lanes. Eventually you’ll come to the grand Victorian villas along Les Planches, the first seaside boardwalk on the Normandy coast, which dates back to 1867. In those days, artists and writers including Gustave Flaubert, Marguerite Duras, Claude Monet, and Eugène Boudin flocked to Trouville’s beach, Plage de Trouville, captivated by the light and fresh air. Nowadays it’s a firm favorite with families, with a giant children’s play area, donkey rides, tennis courts, and the Complexe Nautique (trouvillesurmer.org/loisirs/piscine-municipale-de-trouville-sur-mer; tel. 02-31-14-48-10), an indoor freshwater pool that gets very crowded in summer. The heated outdoor pool is open May to August. Depending on the season, bathers pay 2.30€ to 5.60€ per person. Hours July to August are Monday to Friday 10am to 7pm and from 1pm to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday; other times vary according to the French school holiday schedule.

If you want to cross over to Deauville, you can take the little foot ferry—Le Bac de Trouville Deauville—that trundles back and forth at high tide (daily Mar–Sept; weekends and holidays only Oct–Feb; 1.20€) or the pedestrian walkway (same charge). Or just walk south to the permanent bridge, the Pont des Belges, which spans the Touques. It’s only a 10-to-15-min. walk between Deauville and Trouville. On the Trouville quayside, you can rent bikes of all shapes and sizes by the hour at Les Trouvilllaises (www.lestrouvillaises.com; tel. 02-31-98-54-11).