Featuring nine family-friendly seaside resorts which still have a number of beautiful period villas, the Mother-of-Pearl Coast runs along the English Channel, between Ouistreham and Courseulles-sur-Mer, in Calvados. Its delightful name evokes the iridescent shades of the sky, always changing and shifting, reflected in the water.
Despite the permanent traces left by the D-Day Landings in 1944, the charm of the coast is undeniable. Every year, its sandy beaches attract many visitors who appreciate the setting and its wide range of water sports.
Due to its location close to Caen, the town of Ouistreham remains lively all year, with visitors and holiday-makers enjoying its big, sandy beach and its seaside resort of Riva-Bella. In the harbour, you can regularly watch the impressive ferries setting off for England. Nature-lovers will be charmed by its old towpath, offering a lovely walk along the Orne Canal, and by the Pointe du Siège, a headland of sandbanks with a high level of biodiversity. On the cultural side of things, the Grand Bunker Atlantic Wall Museum documents the area's eventful history, while the beautiful Church of St. Samson in Ouistreham boasts a richly decorated Romanesque façade and a vast nave reflecting the town's prosperous past.
Luc-sur-Mer is a charming spa resort that attracts visitors with its lovely beach, thalassotherapy centre and casino. Be sure to pay a visit to the Whale Museum (Maison de la baleine) devoted to cetaceans, one of which washed up on the beach in 1885. Its skeleton is on display in the pleasant Town Hall Park (Parc de l'Hôtel-de-Ville).
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, now one of the Coast's emblematic resorts, is a former fishing village that has lost none of its charm. Its seafront villas, the narrow alleys of its old town, abundant floral displays, fishermen's houses and concerts held in its Art Deco casino give it a distinctive identity.
The last stop before Bessin, Courseulles-sur-Mer is known for its big marina, where some 750 boats are spread across two basins, as well as its large, sandy beach, its Juno Beach Centre in honour of the Canadian Allies who landed on D-Day... and its oysters!
