Caen is the capital and the most populous city of Lower Normandy or Basse-Normandie. Although most of the city's historic buildings and monuments have been destroyed in the World War II, it still has what to show to its visitors. During the 11th century Caen was a preferred residence of William I the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy (1035-1066) and King of England (1066-1087).

The main attractions of the city include a ring of medieval ramparts which once surrounded a castle not preserved until nowadays, two gorgeous medieval abbeys and eight historic churches.

Unfortunately the last world war left most of Caen's medieval and Renaissance houses in ruins. The good thing was that after cleaning these ruins, the medieval ramparts of the castle were visible again after long centuries being hidden behind the houses. A tour around the castle ramparts will give you a good impression of what the city looked like during the 11-14th centuries, complemented by the authentically restored 14th-century façade of St-Pierre church, located near the ramparts.

The central area of Caen features vast green areas and modern shopping districts with pedestrian streets, lined by elegant boutiques, outlets of prestigious Parisian stores and noteworthy local rivals, as well as a variety of relaxing cafés. The main city’s market is held every Friday along the Fosse St Julien. Another Sunday market can be found in Place Courtonne. The most lively and pleasant area (at least during the summer months) of the city centre is located around the romantic old harbour Bassin St-Pierre, which is at the end of Canal de Caen à la Mer, connecting the city with the English Channel at Ouistreham. Today it is used only as a marina.

In the heart of the historic old city, on a picturesque rocky outcrop are situated the castle grounds (Château de Caen). The castle was built during the 60s of the 11th century by William the Conqueror. Inside the stone walls and towers you can see the medieval Exchequer in which aula King Richard the Lionheart organized a banquet with his knights on their way to the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. The castle grounds also feature a pleasant garden planted with various herbs and useful plants cultivated in the region during medieval times.

On the hill surrounded by the ancient stone walls are located two attractive museums as well. The more appealing of them is the Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts) showing the long history of the European fine arts from the Italian Renaissance to some impressive portraits by prominent French painters of the 18th century and several masterpieces from the 20th century. The other Museum of Normandy (Musée de Normandie) displays an interesting collection describing in brief the history of the region from prehistoric time with the interesting megalithic culture of Normandy, through the Gallo-Roman period to the century of the Industrial Revolution.

The Men's Abbey (Abbaye aux Hommes) is located south-west of the castle. It was also built in the 11th century on the order of William the Conqueror. Its majestic church of St Étienne was intended to keep the tomb of the king. But the funeral procession was seized by fire. Then the body of William I was desecrated by the quarrel between several factions of his heirs aiming to grab everything they can from his corpse. And even that was not enough - a local man claimed that the tomb was constructed on the site of his native house and he stopped the funeral wanting to be paid for this. In the time of the French Revolution the king's tomb was marauded once more. Today it keeps only one thigh-bone from his mortal remains. The church is a splendid example of the Romanesque architecture. The buildings next to it were constructed in the 18th century and today house the prestigious Hôtel de Ville.

At the opposite side of the historic city centre, east of Château de Caen is located the Women's Abbey (Abbaye aux Dames). It is built again in the 11th century on the order of William the Conqueror's wife Queen Matilda, who hoped with this act to save her soul after receiving a redemption of her sins - one of which was the marriage to her cousin. The abbey church La Trinité is even more impressive than St Étienne with its stark Romanesque architecture. The temple's interior has some remarkable features, such as the crypt supported by skillfully carved pillars, splendid stained glass windows and interesting sculptured decoration. The other structures of Women’s Abbey houses today offices of the municipal council but are also open for visitors.

Another important landmark is Caen Memorial.This is a war museum although it is officially called “a museum for peace”. Located on the site of the former German headquarters north of the city, it was built after the end of World War II by the winning countries. The exposition is divided into three separate sections, displaying the rise of Adolf Hitler and his national-socialist party in Germany, the resistance against Germans in occupied France and the main battles during the war.

Searching for available rooms... Please wait