Things to Do in Dieppe

It took four centuries to build this beautiful church, and it shows. Built on the location of a St. Catherine chapel, the church is famous for being a major pilgrimage stop to Saint-Jacques of Compostella. The architecture is mostly Gothic, with some Renaissance touches. The highlights are:

• The Wall of Sauvages frieze
• Carvings brought back by sailors
• The Rose window
• Statue of Sainte-Jacques at the entrance
• The flamboyant flying buttresses
• The magnificent scowling gargoyles

When you visit, you will find it thankfully quiet and free of too many tourists. It’s wonderfully peaceful in here, and that makes for an excellent place for quiet contemplation.

This museum traces the history and process of clock-making from the 18th century till today. The collections are backed up by documents, testimonies from clockmakers through history and photographs. About 400 items are exhibited. Also told is the history of how Aliermont came to become a hot centre of clockmaking over two centuries. But naturally, the main highlights here are the clocks themselves – and they are some of the most beautiful pieces of craftsmanship you’ll ever see.

There is also a clock workshop you can engage in.

This elegant 12th century castle has a great view of the town and the sea, and they say it is one of the best examples of coastal fortifications in the world. Today it houses the Dieppe Museum, and most of the exhibits are related to Dieppe’s maritime history. The highlights of the museum are:

• A beautiful collection of ivories – ship models, compass, tobacco graters, combs.
• A reconstructed ivory workshop.
• A collection of French and English paintings.
• A piano donated by celebrated Dieppe composer Camille Saint-Saen.

Do take some time apart to enjoy the walk and view around the castle though.

This is another one of Varengeville’s ridiculously beautiful garden-parks. Beautiful pathways and corridors course through flowery and colourful lawns. The variety of blooms and trees over these 12 hectares is simply astounding.

The other attraction on this estate is the house, which is also a treat, especially its Lutyens designed music room. However, you can only see it as a part of a larger guided tour, and the combined ticket for the park and house will cost you EUR 33.

Guy de Maupassant is widely renowned as one of the best short story writers to ever have lived – he was born here. This mansion is set in beautiful French woods, and today, it’s a popular hotel – you can actually stay here for a few nights if you want.The highlights here are:

• The Castle: It was built in 1590 on the ruins of an old castle. Its interior décor has been preserved through the centuries.
• The beautiful French park filled with tall beech trees.
• A thirteenth century vegetable garden restored in 1945.
• The pretty 16th century Saint Anthony the Hermit Chapel made of sandstone and flint.

Our advice? Stay here for two-three days. It’s absolutely enchanting. The host is charming and the staff will treat you like family.

This scientific museum is dedicated to the sea and the ships that sail on it. It serves as a museum, aquarium and research centre. Highlights of the museum are:

• The 1600 metre square main exhibit on shipbuilding.
• Life inside a ship.
• The fishing industry in Dieppe.
• A geological exhibit of Dieppe’s coastline cliffs.
• An aquarium with local marine life.

The museum is surprisingly engaging, even though it only takes a little more than an hour to wrap up.

This beachfront museum is housed in an elegant Italian building. Normandy was the site of the infamously bloody landings of the Third Allied Raid, and an impossible number of soldiers lost their lives then. Highlights of the museum are:

• A short film Operation Jubilee on the raid.
• Documents, objects and memorabilia in tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives.
• The hexagonal column depicting the names of the soldiers who lost their lives.

Visiting the museum tends to be at once highly sombre and extremely moving.

There is a world famous cycling route in the making, a joint Anglo-French initiative. It’s called the Greenway (Avenue Verte), and its ambition is nothing less than to join Paris to London in a traffic free route for hikers, cyclists, and horse riders. The French side of this route will go through the scenic counties (departments)of Oise, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines, Seine-Maritime, Hauts-de-Seine and Seine-Saint-Denis.

As of 2015, the route starts just outside Dieppe at Arques-la-Batailleand goes on to Forges-les-Eaux – a 40km route running along the railway.

This Renaissance dwelling in Normandy was built in the 16th century, and is said to be one of the most beautiful homes in the country. It was commissioned by Jean Ango, who was governor of Dieppe and Maritime Advisor to King Francis I. It’s famous for its 1600 pigeonholes that can hold up to 3200 pigeons at a time. Apart from seeing how the countryside nobility lived, there isn’t much to do here. It’s still a worthwhile excursion out of Dieppe if you have the time.

The establishment can be rented out to host social events – weddings, communions, baptisms and so on.

Constructed in 1876 to commemorate the sailors who lost their lives at sea, this neo-Gothic chapel looks sombre and vulnerable. It combines various architectural influences though, such as a high Romanesque bell tower. It was a place of pilgrimage once. Outside the church, the views are superb, as it is set atop a cliff. Inside, you’ll find hundreds of plaques commemorating individual sailors.

It is also the starting point of the famous GR21 hiking trail at Dieppe.

Jacques-Emile Blanche was an acclaimed and prolific writer and painter. This museum, on the second floor of Maison du Parc du Colombier exhibits his painting and writings. The building, which is set in a park, is itself is an 18th century cart-shed that also houses a cafe-restaurant.

The park, which is spread over 7 acres, contains about 18 themed gardens of 2500 plants through which various paths course. There is also a lake, a waterfall and a stream. The whole place is rich in vegetation and color.

Of the original 13th century church, only the tower remains. The construction of the church you see today began in the 15th century, but due to wars and revolutions, was only finished in the 18th. That’s why it starts out with a Gothic centre, and then gains Renaissance and Catholic reform influences. It’s easy enough to find in town, as it is one of the tallest buildings around. The tower, along with the tower of Saint-Jaques right next to it, dominates the skyline of Dieppe.

Dieppe may not have the best beach around, but it’s the closest one to Paris and that makes it highly popular. It’s kind of pebbly, but has wonderful views of the white cliffs that flank its sides. Though not the best for sunbathing, it’s is utterly beautiful, and has inspired many painters such as Delcroix, Monet and Gaugin, all of whom were enraptured by the way the light played on cliffs. There are large lawns and children’s playgrounds nearby.

They should really rename Varengeville-sur-Mer as “Flower Town”. In this specific case, this garden focuses on only one plant – the Hydrangea. Over 2 hectares, this living museum covers more than 2000 plants of 1200 different varieties of Hydrangea. The garden is divided into distinct sections:

• The Maze: Individual beds are dedicated to plants from specific geographic areas.
• Dragon Wood: An exhibition garden of Asian hydrangeas.

This is one of the most scenic walking trails in the country. It stretches from the port of Le Havre to Le Treport resort, and passes Dieppe along the way. You don’t have to tackle all of it, of course, but you can definitely walk some of it. Our recommendation is that you go west towards Le Treport 30 km or so, that way you’ll be able to follow some of the best stretches of the salt cliffs the Seine-Maritime department is famous for. You’ll also cross woodlands and fields and crops.

On the other hand if you go south-west, you’ll get to see some spectacular overviews at Pourville-sur-MerandVarengeville-sur-Mer.

In Dieppe, the trail starts at the Notre-Dame de Bonsecours chapel.