The Alabaster Coast, the most impressive cliffs in Normandy

From Le Havre to Le Tréport, on the borders of Normandy, via Dieppe and Fécamp, the Alabaster Coast extends its landscapes in blue, green, grey and white tones along the English Channel. The cliffs can reach 120 metres at Le Tréport and nearly 90 metres at Etretat.

Bateau au sec sur la plage d'Etretat
Vue la plage d'Antifer et le phare

A chalk coastline stretching for 130km

Its name recalls the whiteness of alabaster, that noble white material, quite similar to marble, used for sculpture and carving. This whiteness which takes on the changing reflections created by clouds and the Normandy sun and which extends down to the sea, where fragile chalk slabs collapse into the water. Its 130 kilometres of chalk, clay and flint are interspersed with valleys, small inlets created by coastal rivers which offer so many breathtaking sites, such as the Antifer valley, suspended on the sea between Etretat and Le Havre.

The current Opération Grand Site des Falaises d’Étretat – Côte d’Albâtre (Operation Grand Site of the Étretat Cliffs – Alabaster Coast) brings together 13 municipalities wishing to preserve and enhance this fragile natural environment.

Official website !

Randonneurs face à la Manneporte
Etretat par la mer

A land of fishermen, artists and seaside recreation

The main activity of the Alabaster Coast has long been fishing. The small stranding port of Etretat brought together all these seafarers, fishermen who practised essentially coastal fishing, young people busy hauling nets, women handling the capstans that brought the boats up onto the shore…
But in 1824, the Alabaster Coast welcomed the first seaside resort in Normandy, at Dieppe. Shorelines and townships were transformed by these new leisure activities: villas, hotels, casinos, bathing establishments, beach huts all made their appearance. The Heritage Museum of Etretat explains these developments.

La plage d'Etretat
Vue sur la falaise d'Aval depuis les Jardins d'Etretat

These exceptional landscapes, these laborious activities and scenes of seaside life also attracted painters, especially painters like Monet, his master, Boudin, or Sisley. Their paintings are largely exhibited at the MUMA in Le Havre.

Promenade en bateau auprès de la Manneporte

Some experiences to discover the Alabaster Coast

On land, in the air or at sea, come and discover the coastline, between sea and countryside:

Golfeur au golf d'Etretat