A Complete Guide to Visiting the Cliffs of Monet in Étretat | 13 Best Things to Do and See on a Weekend Trip in Étretat, Normandy, France

Tucked along the windswept coast of Normandy in northern France, Étretat is a small seaside town famous for its dramatic white chalk cliffs and natural rock arches sculpted by the sea. Once a quiet fishing village, Étretat blossomed in the 19th century as a fashionable beach resort, attracting writers, artists, and Parisian elites. Its raw beauty, combined with the serenity of the sea and sky, has inspired generations. Étretat was immortalized by the French Impressionist painter Claude Monet through innumerable paintings of the town’s striking cliffs. Today, Étretat stands as a jewel of Normandy - a place where cliffs meet canvas, and history lives in the landscape.