Best of 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.

Étretat Essentials — Map

konjar.luka / CC-BY-SA

A

Cliffs of Etretat

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

Ron de Lange / CC-BY-SA

B

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.

markasiet / CC BY-SA 2.0

C

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'.

Etretatgarden / CC BY-SA 4.0

D

Etretat Garden

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

AnaMary18 / CC BY-SA 4.0

E

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.

F

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.

konjar.luka / CC-BY-SA

G

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.

H

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.

I

Les Halles

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

Patrick / CC BY-SA 2.0

J

Église Notre-Dame

A 12th-century Romanesque and Gothic church located slightly inland, notable for its Norman architecture and 13th-century lantern tower.

Other Lists

Iconic Cliffs of Étretat