Dieppe

Understand

Perhaps because of its drippy-sounding name, Dieppe is unfairly characterised in the British media as a boring and rainy resort, popular only for its ease of access from Newhaven. Well, the town can't do anything about the weather, but there is little truth to the rest of the cliché. Dieppe is in fact the nearest beach resort to Paris, and is lively all year round. It has a fine beach, a good range of activities, several pretty harbours, lots of attractive brick architecture and numerous critically-acclaimed seafood restaurants.

Dieppe is also well-known for a raid on the area during World War II, on the 19th of August 1942, by a predominantly Canadian force. Casualties were heavy and some consider the attack a disaster for the Allies, but others argue that it provided intelligence that was essential in planning the D-Day invasion. Later in the war, as the Allies drove east after D-Day, Canadian troops had the left flank and liberated Dieppe. You will rarely find a French flag flying in Dieppe without a Canadian flag alongside it.

Get around

Dieppe is a small town with a population of about 35,000 (54,000 for the metropolitan area called Dieppe Maritime). Most of the tourist destinations are within walking distance of hotels, but you can hire bicycles for a few euros per day from opposite the tourist information office in the harbour area.

See

The historic town centre, reconstructed by M. De Ventabren, architect to Louis XIV, after the bombardment of 1694. Avenue Verte - Hire a bike, and head for the 40-km, traffic-free Avenue Verte, which follows the old Paris-Dieppe railway. Follow the Rue du Géneral Chazny out of town, through Rouxmesil-Bouteilles to Arques la Bataille. Bear left then right to Saint Aubin le Cauf. You'll find the start of the Avenue Verte before you get to St Aubin. Saint-Marguerite-sur-Mer. With neighbouring Varengeville, an attractive area just 5km to the west of Dieppe. The painter Georges Braque is buried in the Church of Saint Marguerite.

Do

The Saturday morning market is a must-see. It is one of the largest and one of the most popular markets in Normandy. From 08:00 to 12:30 you can find almost everything there.

Eat

There are plenty of traditional restaurants, especially for seafood, around the quayside area.