'''Calvados''' is a region of Basse-Normandie famous for its apple liqueur.
Regions
Bessin (NW, around Bayeux and the D-Day beaches)<br />
Bocage Normand (SW, around Vire)<br />
Caen and its surrounding area<br />
Cote de Nacre (Coast north of Caen, west of the Orne estuary)<br />
Cote Fleurie (NE coast, from Merville-Franceville to Honfleur)<br />
Pays d'Auge (SE, quite rural)<br />
Pays de Falaise (South)<br />
Suisse Normande (South, quite mountainous)
Cities
Caen, the capital<br />
Falaise, with the castle where William the Conqueror was born<br />
Cabourg and Deauville, sea-side resorts famous for their casinos, film festivals, expensive houses and horse-racing<br />
Bayeux, old town with the famous Bayeux Tapestry<br />
Lisieux, pilgrimage town with a world-famous basilica<br />
Ouistreham, Trouville, other famous resorts<br />
Honfleur, on the Seine estuary, whose old port was a favourite of many painters<br />
Livarot, Pont-L'Eveque, Camembert, famous for their cheeses<br />
Arromanches, a good base for exploring D-Day beaches<br />
Vire, the main city of the south-west of Calvados, famous for its andouillette
Other destinations
Colleville-sur-Mer for the famous American cemetery, and the German Cemeteries at La Cambe and Marigny
'''La Pointe du Hoc''', cliff which was the scene of a daring US rangers mission during the D-Day landings
Many cemeteries, museums, memorials, and other places linked to D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
'''Farms''' where you can buy local gastronomical products and see how they are made, in particular cidre, calvados, and other apple products, and cheese and dairy products
'''Orne Bay''', which can be reached from Ouistreham, Sallenelles and Merville-Franceville.
'''Suisse Normande''', a hilly region at the south
'''Pays d'Auge''', a much more agricultural region to the East.
Many beaches, resorts, etc.
Understand
Talk
French is the official language, and all the locals will speak it. Some may use some non-standard expression, but most will make the effort to not use these if you are foreign.<br />
Local expressions you might encounter are 'Tantot' meaning either this morning, this afternoon, tomorrow morning/afternoon or yesterday morning/afternnon, depending of the speaker.<br />
As Normandy is a premium tourist destinations, many of the younger people will speak English, and will be willing to speak it. Spanish, Italian, and German are also quite widely studied at school.<br />
Although there are Norman languages, they are mostly dying out, and the speakers will also speak French. You may also meet the occasional speaker of neighbouring regions' local languages, such as Breton or Picard, but in any case, a stranger would only address you to establish contact in French (or English if you were in a tourist place).
Get in
By Air
There is an airport in Caen (Caen-Carpiquet) with flights to Shoreham in the UK with Skysouth, Lyon and seasonally Nice with Air France/Britair, Paris-Orly with Airlinair and Chalair. Note that these are usually not daily apart from the Lyon connection.
The other international airport is in Deauville, with flights to Shoreham with Skysouth.
Both will also have charter flights.
Other local airports are the two in Paris, which are well connected to the Train service and have many international connections; and Dinard which has flights to the UK with Ryanair and to Guernsey with Aurigny Air Services (the airport is not connected to public transport in any useful sense, but has hire car offices).
By Ferry
There is a ferry-port in Ouistreham, with ferries to Portsmouth with Brittany Ferries. Another popular option with the locals is the crossings run by LD Lines to Le Havre and Dieppe from Newhaven and Portsmouth, which are sometimes substantially cheaper. Cherbourg, Calais and Saint-Malo are also within driving distance.<br />
[http://www.brittany-ferries.com/ Brittany Ferries]<br />
[http://www.ldlines.com/ LD Lines]<br />
[http://www.aferry.to A Ferry To: Price Comparison site]<br />
By Rail
Rail is the most commonly used public transport in France for inter-regional travel. It is cheap, fast and reliable. Check out reductions for under-26, over-25 and group travellers. Tickets can usually be bought abroad, on the internet, at stations; in advance or on the day.<br />
Caen is the main station, alongside Lisieux, Bayeux, Trouville-Deauville and Cabourg-Dives. There are also stations in Lison, Le Molay Littry, Audrieu, Bretteville Norrey, Frenouville Cagny, Mezidon, Moult Argences, St Pierre sur Dives, Coulib?uf, Le Grand Jardin, Pont L'Eveque, Blonville Bennerville, Villers/Mer, Houlgate and Dives Port-Guillaume.<br />
Trains go towards Saint-Lo (Cherbourg and Rennes), Paris (2 hours away), Alencon (Le Mans), and Rouen.<br />
[http://www.voyages-sncf.com SNCF website]
By Car
Roads in France are good.<br />
The main motorway is the A13 to Caen from Paris (225km / 139 miles). It then continues to Cherbourg (although it is not always a motorway). Some of it is toll, but quite cheap. The A84 goes from Caen to Rennes. You can also take the RN13 from Paris, which is free.<br />
To cross the Seine, you can use the Pont de Normandie between Le Havre and Honfleur. Toll is 5? for a car. A popular site in itself, the bridge, which opened in 1995, at the time was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, and had the record for the longest distance between piers; these records were lost in 1999 and 2004 respectively.<br />
There is a free bridge further south at Tancarville, and more bridges as you go further south (where the Seine isn't as wide).<br />
Get around
See
Itineraries
D-Day circuits are signposted, and take you around Normandy retracing the history of the 1944 events in the Region. Details can be obtained through the
[http://normandie-tourisme.fr/normandy-tourism/main-menu/things-to-do/sites-and-attractions/d-day-and-the-battle-of-normandy-172-2.html Official Site]
Do
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
France is a pretty safe country, and Normandy doesn't have any big cities with no-go areas, although as in any place, you should stick to a few obvious rules (don't walk down dark alleyways at 4 in the morning, etc...).<br />
If in trouble, speak to a policeman (''Policier'' or ''Gendarme'') or go to a police station (''Comissariat'') where you will be given help.<br />
For health issues, go see a doctor (''medecin'', around 20?). For ER/A&E, ask for ''Urgences''. You can call SOS Medecin (Tel: 36 24), who can send out a doctor (very useful in rural areas). Chemist are ''Pharmacies'', and most major towns will have a ''Pharmacien de garde'' who will stay open all night for emergencies (they take turns, check in the local paper to get the name and phone number).<br />
Emergency phone numbers are:<br />
'''15''' for ambulances<br />
'''17''' for police<br />
'''18''' for fire service (who also serve as ambulances and deal with issues such as gas leaks, traffic collisions, etc...)<br />
The European Emergency number '''112''' will also work.<br />
Get out