Circular route in Granville, the Monaco of the North

Park in the Port Foulon car park: access by car or bike via the Hacqueville roundabout (height limit 2 m) or by bus, Lycée stop on line 2 or 3, free transport.

(S/E) Take Rue du Port Foulon then Voie Communale de la Cale d'Hacqueville, joining the^GR®223coastal path just before the roundabout.

(1) Turn left onto it to quickly reach the top of the cliff. Follow it along, then, via a passage between a row of buildings, reach Chemin de la Roche Gautier.

(2) Turn left onto this path, then right to reach Rue Saint-Gaud. Turn left onto this street, and you will come to a crossroads and an information board.

(3) Go down the stairs to reach Quai de Herel, then turn right onto it. Continue left along Rue Saint-Gaud until you reach the roundabout.

(4) Turn left onto Boulevard des Amiraux Granvillais, walking alongside the Granville Regional Water Sports Centre until you reach the marina. Continue left along Promenade du Docteur Paul Lavat. Head towards the ferry terminal.

(5) Go round it, but be careful here:
- at low tide, use the bridge over the lock of the floating dock to reach the fish market,
- otherwise, go round the basin via Quai de Plevile,
in both cases, head towards Rue du Port.

(6) Head up it to the left, arriving at a first blockhouse just before the Forme de Radoub. Turn right onto the Promenade du Roc, then left onto the customs officers’ path and Cap Lihou. Go round the Roc to reach the Roc promontory.

(7) Climb the steps to the semaphore and the lighthouse. Once on the Esplanade de Bunker Tedeschi, walk around the German blockhouses and the memorial, admiring the view of the Chausey Islands (Granville district) and perhaps catching a glimpse of Jersey. Continue along the path to the Collège André Malraux and the parade ground of the former Roc barracks.

(8) Go round the first building to enter the upper town via the Porte Saint-Jean, then take the^first street on the left to reach Rue du Nord on the ramparts. Head towards Rue de l'Égout.

(9) Turn right onto it and, at the end, cross Place Cambernon. Turn left before the drawbridge, climb the stairs of the Logis du Roi and follow Rue Lecarpentier to the Richard Anacréon Museum of Modern Art.

(10) Stroll down the first flight of steps, pass the casino and continue to the Plat Gousset promontory.

(11) Head along the Promenade du Plat Gousset to the top of the steps to reach the park and the Christian Dior garden.

(12) Walk around the Villa des Rhumbs and lose yourself in the rose gardens. Leave the park of Christian Dior’s birthplace via the Tennis Club and Rue d’Estouteville. Cross the junction and take Rue de la Croix du Lude opposite. Then take the^first right onto Boulevard Girard Desprairies. A few hundred metres further on, turn right onto a shaded path and continue along Chemin des Moulins. Walk around the Val ès Fleurs ponds.

(13) Leave Granville’s green lung and reach Cours Jonville via the greenway on Rue du Bosq. At the end of this street, turn left onto Boulevard d’Hauteserve. Cross the road and walk down Rue Couraye for a few metres, then climb the Escalier Pellerin to reach Saint-Paul’s Church.

(14) Turn left, then left again to cross the neighbourhood, following Rue Saint-Paul all the way.

(15) Take Rue de la Houle, then turn right onto Rue de la Barberie. First turn left then right onto Rue Jeanne Lugan to take Rue du Robinet, and reach the Cité des Sports.

(16) Cross the stadiums and leave the Cité des Sports via Boulevard des Amériques towards the sea. At the end, at the roundabout, turn left onto Rue de la Crête via the cycle path. You will reach the junction with^{the GR®223}.

(17) Turn right onto it and continue along the cliff path to Port Foulon (S/E).

Warning: this route follows cliff paths; please ensure you are properly equipped and do not stray from the path: there is a significant risk of falling.
Refreshments are available at several shops along the route.

Between (1) and (2) Top of the cliff: admire the Roche Gautier, the Cale d’Hacqueville (Granville’s first maritime shelter), the fishing huts; on the opposite side, views stretch as far as the Pointe de Carolle, passing by the beaches of Jullouville.
(3) Orientation table: enjoy the view of Brittany, from the entrance to Saint-Malo to the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel.
Between (5) and (6) Bassin à Flot: this is where the Marité, France’s last sailing Newfoundland whaler, is moored.
Between (6) and (7) Forme de Radoub: this is a listed building, designed to accommodate boats in need of repair.
Between (9) and (10) Place Cambernon: enjoy the bars for a break and the art galleries for a visit.
(11) Plat Gousset: admire the unspoilt beaches of Donville-les-Bains and Bréville-sur-Mer. As you head down the steps towards the Casino, enjoy views over the rooftops of Granville and the iconic Saint-Paul church.
Between (13) and (14) After the cinema, on the left, admire the remarkable houses of the Dior family.
Between (14) and ::15: Rue de la Houle: admire the houses of shipowners or fishermen, depending on their social status.
Between (17) and (S/E)^GR®223: enjoy the view of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer from the Château de la Crête.
(S/E) Back at Hacqueville beach, get your swimwear ready to take a dip at the first sea shelter on the Granville coast.
Elsewhere along this route, the upper town boasts several points of interest to visit:
- Notre-Dame du Cap Lihou Church,
- the Museum of Art and History,
- the Richard Anacréon Museum of Modern Art, with a permanent collection enhanced by temporary exhibitions and a section on the life and work of Colette,
- the Roc des Curiosités, the Aquarium Museum,
- as well as numerous art galleries.
The Christian Dior Museum, located in his childhood home, presents themed collections that are updated annually.
Interesting note: passes are available depending on the museums you visit.
Annual events can also enhance your exploration of Granville:
- Mardi Gras: the Carnival, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
- early July: Les Sorties de Bains, a street theatre festival,
- Early August: the Night of the Welders, where artists, sculptors and blacksmiths draw inspiration from a pile of scrap metal on the quays to create original works. Working alone or in teams, they light up the quays at night for a whole weekend.
- Late August: Les Voiles de Travail – our maritime region invites you to the port of Granville to tell you its story, a centuries-old history of men and women with their hearts set on the sea.
- Early October: the whole sea on a platter. A grand celebration of seafood cuisine and the people who make it in France’s^leading shellfish port.

Head out to sea on the Bisquine ‘La Granvillaise’, aboard the last Newfoundland-bound vessel ‘Le Marité’, or set sail for the Chausey Archipelago.