Granville's Haute Ville (Upper Town)
Perched on a granite headland jutting into the English Channel, Granville's fortified upper town is one of Normandy's most dramatic medieval ensembles. Cobbled lanes, 18th-century ramparts and salt-bleached stone houses reward every step.
Walking the Ramparts
The circuit of the old walls takes about 30 minutes on foot and delivers uninterrupted panoramas stretching from the Chausey Islands to the distant silhouette of Mont-Saint-Michel on clear days.
Start at the Grande Porte, the only surviving landward gate, whose twin towers date to the 1440s. The stone is local granite — pink-grey and rough-hewn — and it glows warm amber in the late-afternoon sun.
Don't rush: every embrasure frames a different seascape, and the western stretch looks directly down onto the tidal beach of Plat Gousset far below.
Inside the Walls
The upper town's tight grid of streets hides the Église Notre-Dame de Granville, a Gothic and Renaissance church whose tower has guided sailors since the 15th century. Step inside for the cool silence and the carved wooden altarpiece.
A handful of crêperies and cider bars line Rue Saint-Jean, making it easy to refuel without leaving the historic core. The locals actually live here — window boxes, cats on doorsteps — so it never feels like a theme park.
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