Étretat cliffs

Dramatic white chalk cliffs on the Normandy coast, with natural arches and a needle of rock standing in the sea, painted by Monet and Courbet. Footpaths climb the cliffs on both sides of the pebble beach of Étretat: to the Falaise d'Aval and its arch and needle to the south, and to the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Garde on the Falaise d'Amont to the north.

Keep well back from the cliff edges, which crumble. Check the tide times if you want to walk along the beach under the cliffs. It gets very busy at weekends.