Architecture: 7 incredible places open their doors inDeauville
Elegant seaside villas, Art Deco beach cabins, shell-shaped Olympic swimming pools or half-timbered mansions, the architecture of Deauville is nourished by multiple influences. They give our region a precious and surprising charm. During your stay, discover them by strolling through the streets of our towns, by meeting craftsmen at the Poterie de Bavent or by staying in one of our hotel-villas. Come and visit us!
1. Where to see villas ?
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Taking the time to wander the streets and look up is the best secret to discover their architectural peculiarities. They are visible everywhere, even if some streets have the privilege of having more of them than others! Some clues? Take a look at the following streets:
- in Bénerville-dur-Mer : Avenue du littoral, Rue des lais de mer
- in Blonville-sur-Mer: Rue Hoinville, Rue Avézard, Avenue Beauséjour, Avenue Michel d'Ornano (towards Villers-sur-Mer)
- in Deauville: Rue Jacques le Marois, Boulevard Cornuché (opposite the André Maurois secondary school and on the seafront), Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Rue Robert Fossorier, Rue Olliffe
- in Tourgéville : Rue d'Ivy, Avenue de la Terrasse
- in Villers-sur-Mer: Rue des Foulans, Rue des Muttes, Rue des Bosquets, Rue Pasteur, Rue des Tamaris
- in Villerville : Rue des bains, Allée du Jardin Madame
In Deauville, the Villa Strassburger is one of the masterpieces of the local heritage, an architectural jewel of the Norman and Belle Epoque style, dominating theDeauville-La Touques racecourse from the top of its hill. It was built in 1907 on the site of the Ferme du Coteau, property of the family of the novelist Gustave Flaubert, and then bought by the American newspaper publisher Ralph Beaver Strassburger in 1924. All year round, the villa opens its doors for guided tours Oil portraits of horses, relics from the life of the Strassburger family, furniture and caricatures testify to the life of the period.
2. Rent an Art Deco cabin
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At the beginning of the 20th century, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco currents clashed with the Anglo-Norman register of the city. Around an innovative project called "The Pompeian Baths"In 1923, the architect Charles Adda created the sea baths and its cabins, an establishment with colonnades. The modern architecture of the establishment, the purity of the lines and the mosaic decorations are inspired by the models of Antiquity. 250 cabins, 50 of which were luxurious and organized in two quarters, were built. With a low and horizontal composition, the Pompeian baths do not obstruct the view of the sea from the Casino terraces or the seafront villas. If the cabins are now the postcard of Deauville, it is still possible to rent them. There are two options for choosing a cabin: on the boulevard side with small indoor pools, and on the baths side, for the atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties. Reservations open every year in January at theEstablishment of sea bathswhere you can also rent umbrellas, deckchairs, sunbeds and mattresses.
3. Climb to the top of a lookout
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They were inaugurated a short time ago, and yet. The two belvederesinstalled on each side of the port between the Yacht Basin and the bassin MornyThe two belvederes, installed on either side of the harbor between the Yacht Basin and the Morny Basin, are the new must-see features of Deauville in the new Presqu'île district, like a gateway to the sea. Designed by the architect and master builder of public spaces and landscaping Xavier Bohl, the pair of obelisks, 28 meters high, is in fact a nod to the city's past. A flashback to the 19th and 20th centuries is necessary to visualize the lighthouse with its fixed light, with the same sailor-like appearance, built in 1874 and destroyed in 1929. The facing of each lookout is today composed of Sebastopol stone for the covering of the bays and window sills and Saint-Maximin stone for the base, alternating white and black bands. By raising these new towers, the architect was able to give back its splendor to the Bassin Morny and thus affirm the maritime character of the district by playing a role of signal but also of marker for the inhabitants, the sailors and the yachtsmen.
On the Empress Eugenie quay side, the belvedere invites you to climb the 170 steps or take the elevator, and offers a sumptuous 360° view. The sea as far as the eye can see on the north side, the rolling countryside of Auvergne on the south side, the old center of Deauville on the west side or Trouville-sur-Mer and its fishing boats on the east side, all visitors are delighted. The tower on the Quai de la Marine side has a more technical role, housing the harbourmaster's office, the Deauville Yacht Clubthe sailing club, an office of the SNSM and the machinery that links the two lookouts.
Practical information
Belvedere open every day from January 1st to May 31st : 9am-8pm / from June 1st to September 30th : 9am-9pm / from October 1st to December 31st : 9am-5pm October 1 to December 31, 9am to 5pm
Quai de l'Impératrice Eugénie, 14800 DEAUVILLE
Price : 2€. Ticket to be taken at the automatic terminal at the foot of the belvedere
4. Swim in a shell
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The Olympic swimming pool of Deauville has it all: seawater pumped off the coast of Deauville and heated to 28°C all year round, a 50-meter Olympic pool for long-distance swimming and architecture by Roger Taillibert, who also designed the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Olympic Park in Montreal. Far from the traditional Norman style in vogue on the Côte Fleurie when it was built in 1966, he used a process of thin long-span sails, which he had experimented with in the early 1960s and of which he became a specialist. With its concrete sails and curves, the outside of the pool looks like a shell on the sand, facing the sea, sheltered from the sea winds. Inside, it is a huge vault that catches the sun and light. An ideal place for a swim, a workout or an Aquagym class.
5. Meet the artisans at the Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent
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You will find the inspiration for your home, which deserves an ornamentation worthy of the most beautiful residences in the region at the Pottery of Mesnil de Baventa Norman know-how for 175 years. Its specialty? The finial, a characteristic roof decoration of Norman architecture, which today is used alongside a whole range of ceramic objects to decorate roofs, interiors, tables and gardens. During a guided tour offered only in summer, discover all the stages of manufacture of the finials, from their design to their finishing, but also the workshops of the pottery.
6. Have a drink at the bar of the mythical Normandy
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L'Hotel Barrière Le Normandy***** is one of the most majestic villas in Deauville, presented as "the most beautiful hotel in the world" at its inauguration. Its Anglo-Norman cottage style architecture, with its convoluted bell towers, its roofs adorned with finials and its painted half-timbered walls, makes it a mythical address. Inside, the palace houses a bar with British accents, with a stone fireplace and high mahogany chairs, where Winston Churchill used to hang out. The menu seduces with its audacious cocktails and its selection of wines, created by Manuel Peyrondet, Best Sommelier of France.
7. Attend a show in an Italian theater
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It is, with Cherbourg, Lisieux and Evreux, one of the four Italian theaters of Normandy. It was built in 1912 within the CasinoIt was built in 1912 within the Casino, on the initiative of Eugène Cornuché, who revived the resort by offering it a rich artistic program. Its architecture was inspired by the Opera of the Château de Versailles. He borrowed from this model the oval-shaped room and the arch supporting the ceiling. The decor of the place, which has kept its original composition, is signed by the toile de Jouy. The stage frame is surmounted by statues of Neptune and Amphitrite (a character from Greek mythology). Today, the theater hosts a program of shows of the Casino Barrière.
Where to eat?
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In the heart of theHôtel Barrière Le Royal*****, Le Côté Royal stands out with its period decoration: fine woodwork, majestic windows and sparkling chandeliers. Chef Éric Provost serves traditional gastronomic cuisine based on local products, according to the seasons. Savor the seared foie gras with blueberry and ginger marmalade, dare to try the marinated gambas with satay spices and bok choy cabbage and enjoy the raspberry mille-feuille with pistachio cream.
In the heart of the Normandy countryside, the hotel Les Manoirs de Tourgévillea splendid and authentic Norman manor, houses its bistronomic restaurant, the 1899. In the kitchen, Chef Emmanuel Andrieu takes pleasure in mixing local products and flavors to simmer simple and refined dishes such as creamy risotto with Parmigiano Reggiano and small artichokes, veal osso bucco with citrus fruits and tempura prawns with sweet and sour sauce. Colorful dishes, to be enjoyed on tables decorated with white tablecloths, sitting on comfortable velvet armchairs surrounded by large wooded fireplaces.
Facing the port of Trouville-sur-Mer and its fish market, the restaurant Les Vapeurs attracts curiosity with its 1920's setting arranged "à la Parisienne", its banquettes and vintage advertisements. Oysters, shrimp or seafood platters, mussels of all flavors and meats have made the reputation of the establishment for nearly 100 years.
Where to sleep?
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In an augeron manor
Authentic Pays d'Auge manor house from the 16th and 17th centuries, the hotel Les Manoirs des Portes de Deauville is nestled in a green setting, dressed in its original half-timbering and stone. A listed estate, it houses 27 rooms and suites with exposed beams, shades of white and monumental fireplaces. At the end of the day, you can't resist the heated outdoor swimming pool.
In the cradle of Impressionism
It is the most famous inn in Honfleur: the Ferme Saint-Siméon***** has seen the greatest impressionists, such as Boudin, Monet and Courbet, subjugated by the beauty of the place and its unobstructed view on the Seine Estuary. It's your turn to be impressed: the rooms are warm and attic, mixing the charm of the old and the modern comfort.
