The Cider Route.

Why drive the Cider Route

The signposted Route du Cidre loops through the pretty Pays d'Auge, past half-timbered farms and apple orchards. It's the tastiest way to experience rural Normandy — stopping to sample cider, Calvados, Pommeau and the region's famous Camembert straight from the producers.

What to expect

• Farm stops with tastings and bottles to take home (buy direct, it's cheaper and better).
• Postcard villages like Beuvron-en-Auge, among the prettiest in France.
• Gentle, scenic driving through orchards and meadows.

Getting there & doing it well

This trip needs a car — it's the whole point, and there's no practical public-transport alternative. Allow a half to full day, start mid-morning, and remember the driver should taste in moderation (spit buckets are normal at tastings). It's roughly an hour from Rouen to the heart of the route.