Etretat

Étretat Essentials

Étretat’s landscape is defined by three massive natural arches—Porte d’Aval, Porte d’Amont, and the Manneporte—and the 70-meter Needle rock. These chalk formations on the Alabaster Coast served as frequent subjects for Claude Monet and other Impressionist painters. Beyond the cliffs, the town features the 19th-century timber-framed Les Halles, the Romanesque Église Notre-Dame, and the avant-garde Les Jardins d’Étretat. Literary history is preserved at Le Clos Lupin, the former residence of author Maurice Leblanc.

Cliffs of Etretat

High chalk formations overlooking the Alabaster Coast with extensive hiking trails along the GR21 path.

Porte d'Aval

A natural flint-streaked arch carved by coastal erosion, famously compared by writer Guy de Maupassant to an elephant dipping its trunk into the sea.

L'Aiguille

A 70-meter-high isolated rock needle standing in the sea, which serves as the central setting for Maurice Leblanc’s mystery novel 'The Hollow Needle'.

Etretat Garden

Neo-futuristic cliffside gardens combining environmental art with sculpted greenery that mimics the textures and shapes of the surrounding coastline.

Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Garde

Stone chapel on the Amont cliff, originally built by sailors in 1854 and reconstructed in 1950 after its destruction during World War II.

la Manneporte

The largest of the three natural arches in Étretat, situated further west of the Porte d'Aval and accessible via the cliff-top walking paths.

Porte d'Amont

The smallest of the three main arches, located to the north of the town beach and topped by the sailors' chapel and the Nungesser and Coli monument.

Le Clos Lupin, Maison Mauricio Leblanc

A museum housed in Maurice Leblanc's former 19th-century villa, featuring an immersive audio tour dedicated to his character, the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin.

Les Halles

A traditional timber-framed market hall in the town center, reconstructed using authentic materials and currently housing local craft and souvenir shops.