Tourism in Normandy: Dieppe

Dieppe became a famous seaside resort at the beginning of the 19th century, when aristocrats flocked there to bathe in the sea water on the advice of their family doctors. Over time, the seafront has become home to a multitude of luxurious hotels and beautiful villas near its baths, which are now the city's casino. Located on the seafront, it is only separated from the beach by an impressive heated outdoor seawater swimming pool. For a truly special experience, we recommend that you swim a few lengths there in the shadow of Dieppe’s 14th century castle, which towers on the cliff overlooking the pool.

Dieppe’s historic relevance doesn’t end there, as the town is also marked by history in a more tragic way. During World War II on August 19 1942, 6,000 soldiers, including 5,000 Canadians and 1,000 British, attempted a first landing on Dieppe’s shores with the aim of destroying the German coastal defences. Between the high cliffs putting them in sight of German soldiers and the pebble beaches making their machines less mobile, the operation was ultimately a disaster for the Allied forces. However, the failure eventually led to the successful D-Day landings on the sandy beaches of the south of Normandy a few years later.