Normandy, in northern France, is the country’s agricultural heartland. This is where the herds of cows graze that give us some of France’s finest cheeses, along with the rich butter so typical of French cuisine. And amid all this farming, the region also developed a fruit-growing industry, especially deciduous fruit: plums, peaches, pears and apples, whose cultivation here dates back to the Celtic tribes.
Beyond the usual dishes, cakes (this is where, some say mistakenly, the upside-down apple tart, Tarte Tatin, topped with rich cream, was invented), jams and stews, the French also mastered the art of making drinks from grinding, crushing, pressing and fermenting apples.
“Cidre” (pronounced “see-dr”) is apple juice that has gone through fermentation, like wine, where some of the fruit’s sugar turns into alcohol. “Soft” cidre contains up to 3% alcohol and is mild, sweet and not sharp. “Semi-dry” cidre contains 3-5% alcohol. Cidre Brut (raw, natural cidre, with no added alcohol and unfiltered) contains over 4.5% alcohol, and some reach as much as 7%.
The next stage in distilling apple drink produces Calvados (most French people just call it “Calva”). This is an apple brandy that’s been made in the region for almost as long as anyone can remember (the first written mention dates back to 1553). The drink is made from good-quality cidre, to which up to 200 different apple varieties are added (Normandy has hundreds of apple varieties).
The result is distilled and aged in oak barrels for at least two years, until it reaches a chestnut color (like cognac) and an alcohol content of 40-50%. Like cognac, Calvados is traditionally aged in barrels, and you can find bottles aged 15, 20, 30 years or even more. Strict regulations govern the production and sale of the drink, just as they do for wine, Champagne and cognac.
How Was the Cider Route Created?
Until the 1970s, the Normandy region had a real problem. Mont Saint Michel, the beautiful coastline and the seaside resort towns along it drew thousands of tourists, but those tourists never made it further inland. The pretty villages just a few kilometers from the coast saw none of that tourism. In 1973, someone on the tourism board of Houlgate, one of the area’s major tourist towns, came up with an idea: draw an inland touring route with a local theme that would attract travelers.
The model, of course, was the wine route that opened in Alsace in the 1950s (and later in the Bordeaux wine region as well), but with a local theme: the apple. A number of distinctive villages were chosen, some with apple orchards and others with facilities for processing apples, including estates and wineries producing Normandy’s flagship drinks: Cidre and Calvados.
The regional tourism board marked out the chosen route, set up inviting, eye-catching signs at the entrances to wineries open for visits (Visite), tastings (Dégustation) and sales (Vente), and on May 25, 1975, “La Route du Cidre” was officially opened.
The route isn’t long, only about 50 kilometers, but it’s circular, scenic and lovely, winding between apple orchards as far as the eye can see and picturesque villages, each smaller than the last. Officially, the route “begins” in the town of Cambremer and passes through the villages of Beuvron-en-Auge, Beaufour, Bonnebosq, Saint-Ouen-le-Pin and others, but of course you can join it at any point.
Every year, at the start of the apple harvest season in spring (March-April), a big fair is held in Cambremer (a second, smaller harvest takes place in the fall, September-October), where the various producers set up tables along the town’s streets and offer every visitor their wares: cheeses, Cidre, Calvados and, of course, apples.
Places You Shouldn’t Miss
Cambremer
A small, picturesque village, home to the Huet family, who have been producing cidre and Calvados here since 1865. If you come on a Monday or Tuesday between April 1 and September 30, you can enjoy a guided tour of the family’s estate, surrounded by 30 hectares of apple orchards. You can also buy Calvados aged 41 years here.
You can find more information about the tours and cidre tastings at this link.
Beuvron-en-Auge and Bonnebosq
Beuvron-en-Auge is a charming village that won the “Most Beautiful Villages of France” competition, and deservedly so. You’ll find quite a few 17th-century houses here combining stone and wooden beams, a style typical of Normandy. The most distinctive building here is an impressive 15th-century manor house, standing at the end of the village’s single street.
If you’d like to visit another charming village in the area, I highly recommend stopping in Bonnebosq. It’s a bit less picturesque than Beuvron, but it still has plenty of charm thanks to its old houses.
Château de Breuil
A lovely château surrounded by gardens, considered one of the finest Calvados producers in France. It’s best to arrive between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to enjoy the guided tour of the château and its cellars.
And by the way, since the château isn’t far from the D-Day beaches, this is a great opportunity to combine them into your trip as well. You can read more about them in Dani Ashkenazi’s article, A Walking Route Through Normandy Following the Landings.
Planning a Trip Along Normandy’s Cider Route
If everything you’ve read so far makes you want to go explore Normandy’s Cider Route, I’d be more than happy to build you the perfect trip tailored to your needs and interests. All you need to do is reach out to me at yossi.drory@gmail.com.
If you’d rather plan the trip yourself, here’s some helpful logistical information:
How Do You Get There?
There are two main routes to reach Normandy, and both are wonderful.
The first is a direct flight to Paris, followed by a train to Rouen or a rental car in the City of Light, then driving west to Normandy. If you choose this option, you can combine it with time in Paris before and/or after visiting Normandy, and of course a side trip to Giverny to enjoy Monet’s wonderful house and garden.
Another option is to fly directly to Nantes , where you can rent a car and explore Brittany before heading north to Normandy’s Cider Route. Of course, you can also mix the two options, for example starting in Brittany and ending in Paris, depending on how much time you have and what interests you.
So if you haven’t bought your plane ticket yet, feel free to read this article. There you’ll find a list of the best websites for booking a flight to Paris or Nantes, which will help you find the cheapest and most convenient flights.
Car Rental
You can’t really do a trip among wineries and small villages without a car, since buses in the area are rare and slow. So I highly recommend renting a car in Paris or Nantes. Another option that saves you some driving is to take a train from Paris or Nantes to Rouen, in Normandy, and rent your car there. If you’ve decided to rent a car, feel free to read the article Car Rental in France where you’ll find tips and websites to help you rent a car at a reasonable price.
Where to Stay Along the Cider Route
The Cider Route isn’t especially long, and you can cover most of it in a single day. But if you’d like to take it slow, it’s worth staying in the area for a few days. You can also use your accommodation as a base for day trips around Normandy and enjoy the peace and quiet that the villages along the Cider Route offer to those who decide to stop there for a few nights.
You can find excellent places to stay at the following links:
Another option is to stay in Deauville, a lovely seaside resort town, and use it as a base for day trips, some of which will take you along the Cider Route.
If you’d like to take my advice, I highly recommend this apartment, which belongs to Yael Suleiman, who also wrote the article Deauville and Trouville: A Lovely Pair. If the apartment isn’t available, you can find good vacation apartments and a few decent hotels at this link.
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