You start at the Super U car park (with petrol station) just outside Caen at exit 31 of the Autoroute de Normandie.
Driving right through the bocage landscape is a wonderful experience. It seems as if the verges and rows of hedges want to keep the route secret. Indeed you have to do something for it. Steer attentively, look out of your heads and estimate the curves correctly. And so you sink deeper and deeper into the leafy Normandy hinterland.
The castle of Motte in Cesny-les-Cources is a beautiful building and it is not without reason that it has been declared a historical monument. Built between 1598 and 1614, it is one of the earliest examples of sleek, classical architecture in France. The castle gardens are also worth a detour.

When the fields and fields start to sway up and down and small valleys and wooded ridges form in the landscape, the region becomes even more attractive. We have arrived in 'Suisse Normande', a regional national park. The height differences increase, in the valley the river Orne finds its way between steep cliffs.
The village of Thury-Harcourt is the northern gateway to this mini Switzerland. You can take a quiet tour here and at the same time enjoy what appears on the left and right of the decor: green fields and golden fields full of grain. Construction is only available in the form of a few hamlets, which are barely a few houses.
The castle of Pontécoulant, near Clécy and Condé-sur-Noireau, is one of the most precious jewels of this region. During your visit, you will discover the story of one of the noble families of Normandy: the Doulcet de Pontécoulant, located here in Calvados since the 14th century. The castle is decorated with 16th and 18th century furniture. You can also enjoy a walk through the landscaped estate, created during the reign of Louis XVI. It overlooks the river and offers a pleasant rest in any season.

In Condé-en-Normandie you can have lunch in the restaurant La Renaissance. This is a small family run hotel / restaurant. There are different menu formulas. The food is very delicious, the portions are generous. J is received warmly and is a must. There is also plenty of parking space.
Hills alternate with some sharp ridges that are up to 300 m high. You drive over a thin line of asphalt that sprawls through the mostly deep green landscape of forests and meadows. The forest gets thinner and we end up in an open field.
Les Roches d'Oëtre is located in the heart of the Suisse Normande and offers you one of the most beautiful nature-built viewpoints in Western France. You stand in the green more than a hundred meters above the gorge of the Rouvre. You look out over rock formations in all kinds of fantastic shapes.
In a descending line you drive to the valley and there you come back to the banks of the Orne.
The rock formations gradually disappear and make way for the valleys of a large plateau that reaches to the sea.

Château Guillaume-le-Conquérant in Falaise is an important example of medieval architecture from the 12th and 13th centuries. Completely restored, William the Conqueror's castle dominates the city with its 3 dungeons and its ramparts flanked by 15 towers. The stronghold was built by the first Dukes of Normandy, fortified by the descendants of William the Conqueror, and completed by the King of France, Philippe II Auguste. Today, the context of this long history of conquests, alliances, troubles and splendor is illustrated through new technologies to bring to life in augmented reality the everyday environment of a duke or king through the burst of color and luxurious furnishings.
The Mémorial des Civils dans la Guerre, the monument of civilians in wartime, is a unique new museum about the lives of civilians in France under the German occupation, during the Allied liberation and in the aftermath of the war. It sits atop houses that were bombed during the Allied liberation of Normandy. The museum has three sections spread over three floors and on the ground floor you enter the 'Immersive Room' where through a glass floor you can see the excavations of a bombed house and experience the feeling of a bombing raid. On the second and third floors are the 'Citizens and Liberation' and 'Citizens and Occupation' exhibits that show what life was like in occupied France under the Nazis and when two million Allied soldiers arrived on the beaches of Normandy.
Featuring a brand new Allied bombing film featuring British, French and German archival footage, historical artifacts, propaganda, photographs and more, this museum is a fascinating introduction to a forgotten history. There are also reconstructions of a French cinema and recruiting office where French were recruited to work in Germany to aid the war effort.

The Château de Vendeuvre is one of the most beautiful castles in Normandy. In this magical place you will discover the museum of miniature furniture, the first collection in the world - everyday life in the 18th century in a castle that has kept its original furniture and decor - the beautiful collection of animal kennels - the kitchens and their flavors. A long walk awaits you in the many gardens around the castle: utility garden, topiary garden, "surprising" water garden, romantic garden, labyrinths and exotic garden.

Château de Crèvecœur-en-Auge is home to the lord's residence and is protected by a moat and 12th-century walls, with defensive holes.
The agricultural function of the site is also extensively clear. The lower courtyard is indeed home to a farmhouse, dovecote and barn - which together form a beautiful architectural ensemble, very representative of the region's traditional half-timbered structures. Originally protected by a hill topped by a wooden stockade, it provided a safe haven for the villagers in the event of an attack. The medieval history of Normandy is here… alive, moving, captivating! An eventful history spanning about ten centuries, confirmed by documents and objects we have collected, from the 11th century - a prosperous period of donations to abbeys - to the 19th century publication of a book telling the story of the English treasure.

In this corner of Normandy you will only find small villages that are connected by narrow single lane roads.
In 'Les Jardins du Pays d'Auge' a multitude of themed gardens await you during your visit. Expect a cocktail of colors and scents! The beautiful gardens, thanks to their thematic setting, enhance a series of half-timbered houses typical of Norman architecture. One of them houses an eco-museum with the tools and crafts of yesteryear.

This route receives 5 stars. The green meadows, forests and steep slopes are an excellent area for nature lovers to travel through. In the valleys or on the flanks of the hills, there are also some picturesque villages with their typical half-timbered houses. Small country roads meander slowly through the varied landscape. Castles, parks and war memories make this region well worth a visit.