Granville's Haute Ville (Upper Town)
Perched on a rocky headland jutting into the English Channel, Granville's granite-walled upper town feels like a fortified island frozen in the 17th century. Cobbled lanes, candy-coloured shutters and sudden sea views make every turn a small revelation.
Inside the Ramparts
The Haute Ville sits on a narrow promontory enclosed by thick granite walls built under Louis XIV. Enter through the Grande Porte, the only surviving gate, and you step into a tight grid of slate-roofed townhouses that have barely changed in three centuries.
The Church of Notre-Dame de Granville anchors the upper town with its stern Norman Gothic façade. Step inside for the polychrome wooden statue of Our Lady of Cap Lihou, a sailors' talisman venerated for centuries by fishermen heading to the Newfoundland cod banks.
Walking the Walls
A footpath runs along the seaward ramparts, giving you uninterrupted views across the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel to the south and the Chausey archipelago to the west on clear days. Arrive in the late afternoon when the granite glows amber and the light on the water turns molten.
The Musée du Vieux Granville, housed in the old guardhouse near the Grande Porte, tells the story of the town's corsair past and its surprising connection to the Newfoundland fishing trade — a compact but genuinely absorbing collection.
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