But this part of France must surely be best remembered as that which inspired the artist Claude Monet. Unsurprisingly, Monet's beautiful gardens and house at Giverny are a very popular tourist destination. The connections to the art world do not end there; Les Andelys were home to the classical master Nicolas Poussin, and a museum there is dedicated to his work. Other key galleries in the département are found at Vernon, Évreux and Bernay. At Louviers there is a museum of theatre and cinema sets and props.

Richard Coeur de Lion's Château Gaillard, at Les Andelys, and the château of Gisors are both breathtaking testaments to the Hundred Years' War. Other essential viewings are the ruins of the Bec-Hellouin, founded in 1034, and Lyons-la-Forêt, an impressive medieval village.

Later constructions are the châteaux of Acquigny, Vandrimare, Beaumesnil and le Champ de Bataille, all with ornamental parks. Fans of horticulture will also be interested by the arboretum at Harcourt. The green and fertile marshland towards the estuary of the Seine is the Brotonne regional natural park.

Manche (50)

Population: 480,000
Principal city: St-Lô
Tourist board

The most famous landmark of the Manche département, le mont St-Michel, is barely in Manche at all. The hilltop site was founded in 706 by the Bishop of Avranches, Normandy, but the neighbouring Bretons also see it as part of their heritage. It's true that the architecture of the houses on the mount does resemble more closely the malouinières to the west than the maisons à pans de bois in the east, and Bretons lament that "if the Mount is in Normandy, it's because of the Couesnon's folly", referring to the arbitrary course of the river that separates them from the Mount. Be that as it may, serene, graceful and mysterious, the mont St-Michel is the most visited landmark in France.

The best way to explore the peninsula is to slow down the pace and follow one of the many footpaths or cycleways discovering historic sites, tiny fishing ports and lush riverbanks along the way. One of the oldest footpaths is le Sentier des Douaniers that follows the coastline from la baie des Veys, near Sainte-Mère-Église, site of the D-Day landings, for nearly 400 kilometres to Mont Saint-Michel and beyond. The merveille of Mont Saint-Michel needs no introduction; its famous silhouette is familiar to us all, but however amazing, there is more to Saint-Michel than the roc and the beautiful simplicity of its abbey. The Maison de la Baie du Mont Saint- Michel is an information centre, located in three different sites, where you can learn all about the history of the bay and the richness of its ecosystem. Regulated by the rhythm of the sea, la baie is home to exceptional flora and fauna and makes ideal grazing for the moutons de pré-salé. Events: 7 July, Fête du Mouton de Pré-salé at Courtils 18 July, annual pilgrimage across the bay

Along this route you will pass through the smallest fishing harbour in France, Port Racine, and one of the prettiest, Barfleur; you will also see some of the highest cliffs in Europe at le Nez de Voidries and le Nez de Jobourg on the west coast and the picturesque, listed village of La Roche. Near the beginning of the route is l'île de Tatihou, once a quarantine centre for residents of Le Havre who were suffering from the plague, and now housing a maritime museum alongside its 17th-century Vauban fortress. The island is accessible by boat from St-Vaast-la-Hougue and is popular with birdwatchers, being home to a resident population of seagulls as well as being a staging post for migrating species. Every summer it hosts a four-day music festival 'Les Traversées Tatihou' welcoming groups from as far afield as Canada as well as its nearer Celtic neighbours. Venture farther along the coastal path and you will come across the rock formation at Castel Vendon immortalised by painter Jean-François Millet, a native of the nearby village of Greville-Hague. He loved the open, unending vistas of the sea, these grandes vues marines et l'horizon sans bornes typical of this, his own piece of Normandy. Poet Jacques Prévert also lays claim to this 'petite Irlande', this land of dry-stone walls, sunken lanes and stone-roofed houses, spending his latter years in Omonville-la-Petite until his death in 1977.

The eastern corner of the département, where the Cotentin peninsula meets the beaches of Bessin (Calvados), is low-lying and marshy, and form important conservation reserves, with several museums devoted to the local way of life. Among the projects has been the renovation and preservation of traditionally built earth-clad houses, les maisons en terre. There are also many reminders of D-Day, particularly at the small town of Ste-Mère-Église, the first to be liberated by airborne troops, on the eve of the invasion. The history of capital of Manche, St-Lô, has been marked by invasions and violence, but the worst episode must be its treatment during World War II. The damage was so great that today only the ramparts remain as a link with the town's past.

British visitors are likely to be familiar with the port of Cherbourg. If you are travelling through, you are unlikely to see very much of interest on your way to the ferry terminal, but across the swing bridge is a bustling town with plenty of shopping, hotels and good restaurants. Seafood is likely to be on the menu: to the east of Cherbourg lies St-Vaast-la-Hougue, a well-known centre for oyster rearing. Other oyster farms are to be found on the west coast of the peninsula at Blainville, Coutainville and Gouville. Villedieu-les-Poêles — 'God's Frying Pan Town' — is, as its name might suggest, famous for its copperware. This traditional craft can be traced back to the times of the Knights Hospitaller who founded a Commanderie here, and there are numerous shops where kitchen utensils and other such items can be bought.

The cathedral of Coutances, famous for its lantern tower, has been described as 'the supreme expression of pure Norman Gothic'. The cliffside haven of Granville, to the south, is an erstwhile haunt of privateers - vessels commissioned to seize and plunder enemy ships - and the Grande Porte to the town still has a drawbridge. The great coutuier Christian Dior was born here, and the Dior family house is now a museum. Some of his finest creations are on view, including the tailleur that launched the New Look in 1947, and the 'little black dress' made famous by Édith Piaf.

2002 saw the opening of La Cité de la Mer, a new marine complex in Cherbourg. Located in the former gare maritime transatlantique it has two main focuses: the largest aquarium in Europe and the visit of the submarine Redoutable (the world's largest submarine open to visitors). The aquarium contains 500,000 litres of water and also houses exhibitions on various themes connected with the world beneath the sea. Tel: (Fr) 825 33 50 50 Fax: (Fr) 2 33 20 26 27 www.citedelamer.com

Ludiver: From the sea to the stars: on the northern coast of the peninsula in Flottemanville-Hague is an astronomical centre with a hundred-seat planetarium, an observatory where members of the public can view the planets through powerful telescopes and a landscaped garden with views of the sea.

Orne (61)

Population: 293,000
Principal city: Alençon
Tourist board

There are many départements in France that have strong links with the horse, but the Orne is perhaps the one that proclaims itself 'the land of the horse' most loudly: "in the Orne, everything is geared to the horse." Prime Minister Colbert sited the nation's most prestigious stud farm in the Orne. Ever since, Le Haras du Pin has been called "the Versailles of the horse world". Here you can see perfect examples of thoroughbreds, trotteurs and percherons; the stud presents horses and carriages in the main courtyard each Thursday from mid-July to the end of September. Major shows are also regularly held at Le Haras; these have included the European Horse and Carriage Racing Championship, and the World Percheron Congress.

Other equestrian centres include the Village du Cheval and the Draught-horse farm, both near Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, which is also an important Belle Époque spa town.

There are many areas of interest in the Orne. In the north lie the town of Flers and the picturesque Suisse normande, so-named because this region is more hilly than the rest of Normandy, although it certainly does not reach Alpine heights. Argentan, lies to the east of the Suisse normande, along with the Haras du Pin.

The Pays d'Auge, also in the north of the département, is famous for its apple orchards, Calvados spirit and Camembert cheese. Vimoutiers is a well-visited town on the Camember and Normandy Cheese Route. Gacé, in the south of the Pays d'Auge is the home of the true-life Lady of the Camellias, Alexandre Dumas fils's heroine who inspired Verdi's La Traviata. There is a museum to her in the town.

The region is dotted with timber-framed manor houses and majestic châteaux. Set inside a moat, the that of Carrouges is well worth the visit, as is the château d'O in Mortrée, which is a beautiful fantasy-piece from the 15th to 17th centuries. The magnificent cathedral at nearby Sées is also a source of intense pride to the département; at night it is bathed by floodlights.

The capital, Alençon, has been renowned for its lace since the 16th century - so much so that in the 17th century Prime Minister Colbert decreed that the import of Venetian lace should be discontinued in favour of that of Alençon (known as le point d'Alençon).

In the south-east of the département is the Perche area, from which many emigrants set out to found French Canada. Amidst these hills stands Mortagne, a historic and attractive town famous for draught horses and black pudding. Of note in the north of the Perche area is the town of Soligny-la-Trappe, which gives its name to the reformed 17th-century order of Cistercian monks known as Trappists, noted for their rule of silence. The abbey was rebuilt in the 19th century, and remains the Orne's only monastery.

Seine-Maritime (76)

Population: 1,223,000
Principal city: Rouen
Tourist board

The département of Seine-Maritime is rich in colour and history. More than forty gardens are open to the public ranging from Monet's famous garden in Giverny to the walled gardens at Château de Canon.

The history of Rouen is written in its narrow, cobbled streets, and it justifiably claims to be one of the finest cities in Europe. Wander through the narrow cobbled streets and under the Gros Horloge to the notorious place Jeanne-d'Arc, where the patron saint of France was executed by the English. There is much to do in the city, but a good place to start is the Musée des beaux-arts. The River Seine is still very much a working river along these stretches.

From Le Havre to Le Tréport stand more than 100 kilometres of spectacular scenery known as the Côte d'Albâtre. Its sheer cliff faces are punctuated by modern yachting marinas and tidy little seaside resorts that seem to have changed little over the years.

Le Hâvre is a large port and industrial centre; further up the coast stands Étretat, the famous arches and needles cut out of the chalk cliff coastline being one of the most recognisable landscapes in France. There are clifftop walks at both ends of the resort.

In the 19th century, the remarkably named Alexandre Le Grand rediscovered an old herbal elixir recipe written by monks. Thanks to his clever marketing, the wine-merchant from Fécamp made the Bénédictine liqueur famous. The factory where it is made can be visited. At Veules-les-Roses is the shortest river in France: it rises and meets the sea in the same village! (The département not only has the shortest river, it also has the longest village in France, if not in Europe: Aliermont, at 17 kilometres.)

Dieppe retains its charm, and there is much to please the discerning visitor. Dieppe has seen changes in the recent past: the old ferry terminal has been replaced with a marina and the waterfront has had a facelift. The sea fronts and lawns of the wide promenade have an English feel, but the market could not be more French. During WWII, the Dieppe shores were earmarked for a dress-rehearsal for the invasion of Europe. Sadly, although lessons were learnt which helped the later invasion, it resulted in the deaths of many Canadian troops.

The small fishing village-cum-bustling seaside resort of Le Tréport is convenient for exploring inland, and in particular the lovely town of Eu, which frequently features in French crossword puzzles for obvious reasons. King Louis-Philippe twice received Queen Victoria at the château d'Eu, sowing the seeds for entente cordiale.

The lip of land between the cliffs of Étretat and the Seine Valley contains the vast Caux plateau, punctuated by deep ravines and river valleys, and whose focus is the the market town of Yvetot. In contrast to the plateau of the Caux, the Bray region is a land of undulating hills and meandering rivers. It was nicknamed 'the larder of Paris' in the last century, and is most famous for the cheeses from Neufchâtel-en-Bray.

Travelling the Seine Valley is a varied and fruitful journey, which takes in the Tancarville Bridge, the pont de Normandie and the impressive abbey of Jumièges, which is a must-see for any visitor to this part of the world.