Dieppe
Dieppe was France's first seaside resort and is now a designated
'Cité de l'Art et Histoire'. It's a bit like Nice and Cannes rolled
into one and transported to Normandy specially for you. There
are masses of restaurants, including one of those quays jam-packed
with them. It's great for shopping too.
The town hosted the Impressionists, Renoir, Monet, Sickert, Whistler
and Pissarro, and it was in exile in Dieppe that Oscar Wilde wrote his last work - The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Along with
these, Gustave Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant, local literary heroes, were regular
customers at the Café des Tribunaux in the heart of Dieppe.
Be sure to arrive well before midday for the
famous Saturday morning market in Grande Rue, which spreads into
several side streets and is the largest market in the region. The
cheapest, freshest fish is available from the fishermen's wives who
sell their husbands' catch on the quai in the mornings; there's also
a 7-day-a-week fish market to the right after you cross the first
bridge to Le Pollet; it's open in the mornings only.
If you cross the next swing bridge, the
Pont Colbert, and turn left, you will
come across a wonderful little bar, Mieux Ici Qu'en Face, at 9 Quai
de la Somme.
You're now able to explore the little lanes, flights of steps and
the cottages of this, the old fishing quarter of Dieppe. The
painter, Walter Sickert, lived and worked here.
Right up on the cliff top is the Chapel of Notre Dame de Bon
Secours, built in 1876 in memory of sailors lost at sea - some
beautiful stained glass and the walls are covered with plaques in
remembrance of loved ones.
Returning over the bridges in Dieppe itself you will find the Quai
Henri IV is choc-a-bloc with restaurants, most of them good
for families. There are many other eating places in Dieppe, and
don't forget
La Chaloupe,
18 cours de Dakar, one of those places where you get a four course meal, with wine,
cider, bread and coffee included for less than €15.00.
Dieppe has two grand churches,
Saint-Jacques and Saint-Rémy,
and of course the
Castle Museum.
If you want to spend some time paying tribute to the terrible
battering soldiers, particularly Canadian, took in World War II in
Dieppe, you can visit the
Italian-style Theatre
and the
Canadian Dieppe War Cemetery, as well as the
other memorials in Dieppe and along the coast.
For children and those who want a quick
tour of the town there is a
Petit Train de Dieppe
and of course don't forget
Estran Cité de la Mer
and the sea front with its
sea water swimming complex.
Les Bruyères at Varengeville-sur-Mer
Getting There
Restaurants
In the Vicinity
Dieppe
Rouen
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© Mary Burnard 2008-2019