Manneporte Arch & the Aval Coastal Path to Antifer
Most visitors to Étretat stop at Falaise d'Aval and turn back, never knowing that a further 20 minutes along the GR21 coastal path brings you to the Manneporte — a colossal freestanding chalk arch with a central opening tall enough to sail a tall ship through, and almost always deserted. Beyond it, the path continues through open clifftop farmland toward the Cap d'Antifer lighthouse in a walk that
The Manneporte up close
Unlike Falaise d'Aval, which you view from above, the Manneporte is best appreciated from the beach at its base — accessible via a steep chalk path down from the cliff trail at low tide only. The scale is genuinely humbling: the arch rises around 20 m and the rock walls are streaked with flint bands that catch the light differently at every hour.
Monet painted the Manneporte at least four times, always fascinated by how the light changed the colour of the chalk from white to cream to deep ochre. Standing where he set up his easel, on the pebble beach just to the east, is a quietly moving experience.
Extending the walk to Cap d'Antifer
From the Manneporte, the GR21 continues north along open clifftops for roughly 7 km to the Cap d'Antifer lighthouse — a full half-day walk with no facilities en route, so pack water and food. The path passes through wheat fields that run right to the cliff edge, with uninterrupted views of the Channel and, on clear days, the distant outline of the English coast.
Cap d'Antifer lighthouse itself is a handsome 19th-century structure that marks one of the highest points of the Alabaster Coast. The return to Étretat by the same path takes about 2.5 hours; alternatively, a taxi from the nearby village of Saint-Jouin-Bruneval can be arranged in advance.
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