9 Things To Do in Normandy With the Grandkids This Summer That Will Create Special Memories (Not the Usual Crowded Attractions)

I became a grandparent two years ago, and now I have two beautiful granddaughters. So, for the first time since moving to France, I’m not looking for suitable activities or things to keep them occupied. Now, of course, they are still a wee bit young yet for me to need to go to any great lengths, but it won’t be long before a picnic at the lake won’t be enough.

But this article wasn’t inspired by my grandchildren; instead, it was by one of my lovely followers on my Facebook page. She was interested in finding things to do with her grandkids in Normandy. 

Normandy has a lot going on. It’s the region that gave France its Vikings, its dinosaurs, and some stunning coastlines. But the usual attractions, such as the D-Day Landings, Monet’s House at Giverny, and the Bayeux Tapestry, aren’t necessarily going to inspire the kids. But these 9 activities will.

10 Things To Do in Normandy With the Grandkids This Summer

I challenge you to not find something your grandchildren will enjoy in this lineup of activities. From Jurassic-style dinosaurs to doing battle on a motte-and-bailey castle from the era of William the Conqueror, there is plenty to choose from.

SkyPark – Viaduc de la Souleuvre

The site at Souleuvre-en-Bocage, around 40 minutes from Caen, is actually two separate operations sharing the same viaduct location: SkyPark Normandie handles the extreme adult activities, while Normandie Luge runs the family-oriented side. 

The viaduct itself was built between 1887 and 1889 to plans attributed to Gustave Eiffel. Entrance and parking are free on both sides of the valley.

For younger children (from age 3): the rail luge, a 1.2km descent on rails with banked turns and speeds up to 45km/h, rideable solo or in pairs. Also, a treetop tunnel course (the Accrotunnel) built for ages 3 to 6, fully enclosed in safety nets. A barefoot sensory garden with 600 meters of different surfaces. Free children’s playground. Mini-golf from age 3.

For ages 8 and up: a 40-stage net treetop course requiring no harness. For ages 8+ and a minimum height of 1.30m: the full treetop/zip line forest circuit of 35 zip lines.

For older children and teenagers (minimum height 1.20m accompanied, or 1.45m solo): the 35-zip-line forest canopy circuit. The giant zip line (Scable) runs 400 meters across the valley at over 100km/h, with children under 13 needing to be accompanied by someone 13 or older.

The Skybridge is a 140-meter suspended walkway at 61 meters in height along the original railway line, with a glass balcony cube at the end. Cost is €1 per person to cross, free for under 13s. The Giant Swing costs €46-60 for 1-3 people.

Open every day during French school holidays, weekends, and public holidays outside school holidays.

Go Fossil Hunting at the Vaches Noires Cliffs

A trip to Normandy isn’t completely without taking them fossil hunting at the Vaches Noires cliffs between Houlgate and Villers-sur-Mer. These black clay cliffs along the Calvados coast are a Jurassic-era site, and at low tide, the beach is scattered with 160-million-year-old fossils. So much more interesting than the pebble collecting we did as kids.

You’ll find everything from ammonites and sea urchin fossils to shark teeth, and the occasional fragment of a marine reptile. Plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs lived in the tropical seas that covered Normandy during the Jurassic period, and erosion continues to release their remains onto the beach. 

The Paléospace Museum in Villers-sur-Mer runs guided family walks along the cliffs, led by scientific mediators who pitch everything at children’s level. The walks take about 90 minutes, cover 2 to 3 kilometers, and depart from the Villers-sur-Mer tourist office. One important rule: Collecting fossils on the beach is allowed, but digging into the cliffs is prohibited. Always check the tide table before you go, because the tide comes in fast.

Park in Villers-sur-Mer and walk to the beach rather than following the GPS, which has a habit of routing people to a campsite instead. Bring boots, a bottle of water, and a bag for finds.

Ride the Rails Through the Noireau Valley, Suisse Normande

The Vélorail des Collines Normandes starts from the old station at Pont-Érambourg, near Condé-sur-Noireau, and follows a disused 19th-century railway line deep into the Suisse Normande countryside. Up to five people ride together on a pedal-powered platform, two people at the front doing the actual work while everyone else sits back and watches the valley roll past.

The route covers 13 kilometers round trip along the Noireau valley, passing through woodland, over viaducts, and into a dark railway tunnel at the halfway point, which children tend to find the most memorable part of the whole thing. 

The return journey takes around 90 minutes in total. Picnic tables are set up along the route for anyone who wants to stop, and there’s a restaurant at the station serving galettes and crêpes before or after.

Book in advance, especially on summer weekends, as departure slots fill quickly. Open April to October, weekends and public holidays, plus Wednesday afternoons. During July and August, open daily except Monday and Thursday mornings. Cost is €21-23 per vélorail (not per person), making it great value for a group.

Alligator Bay, Beauvoir

Five minutes from Mont Saint-Michel on the road that leads to it, Alligator Bay is Europe’s largest reptile farm, and it is not a place you’ll be dragging children into. You’ll be dragging them out.

More than 700 animals from 100 species across five continents live here, including rare albino alligators, Komodo dragons, giant Seychelles tortoises weighing up to 250 kilograms, and snakes, which I’d have to give a wide berth as I’m petrified of them. 

The Dragon Maze is a winding indoor route through enclosures housing iguanas, boas, chameleons, and monitor lizards. The turtle farm has a petting area where children can touch the giant tortoises, which would fascinate my eldest granddaughter. Feeding demonstrations run throughout the day and tend to pull the biggest crowds.

There’s a playground on site, picnic tables, and a café selling crêpes and ice cream. Families who have been to Mont Saint-Michel itself often add this on the same day. It costs very little, takes two to three hours, and makes for a sharp contrast to the medieval grandeur next door.

Admission: €10-15, free for children under 3. Open year-round, until 8 pm in summer.

Parc Ornavik: A Living Viking Village, Near Caen

This is the one that most people, even those who know Normandy well, haven’t heard of. Parc Ornavik in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, just outside Caen, is a 10-hectare outdoor living history site covering the entire period from Rollo the Viking founding Normandy in 911 to William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings in 1066.

It’s run almost entirely by around 100 volunteers. They are archaeologists, historians, and craftspeople who build the structures on site using period techniques and materials, guided by archaeological research. 

When you visit, you find people forging weapons, weaving cloth, mixing lime mortar by hand to build a 10th-century chapel, and tending agricultural crops. Children can try on Viking helmets and shields, swing a sword, and blow a natural horn.

The site includes a Carolingian village, a Norse trading post with a 40-meter longhouse, and a motte-and-bailey castle from the era of William the Conqueror. You walk through a forest of over 600 trees that were all present in Normandy during the 10th century. Guided tours are available in English.

Parc Ornavik is open weekends April through August, daily in July and August, excluding some Mondays. Accessible by bus from central Caen on line 10.

Bayeux Aventure, Near Bayeux

When children have spent two days absorbing history, what they need is a day of pure physical chaos. Bayeux Aventure, on a working farm in Cussy, about 10 minutes from Bayeux, is the answer to that.

The list of what’s available reads like a child’s wish list: tree climbing, spider climbing, a giant jump, pedal go-karting, a corn maze, pony rides, a mini excavator zone, inflatable structures, giant slides, paintball, and a mini farm with animals. 

The site divides activities by age, with a separate Explorer zone for children aged three to five and the full Adventure zone for those six and up. 

Pack a picnic because there are tables on site, or eat at the restaurant.

Admission 2026: Adventure (6+) €23.50. Explorer (3-5) €16.50. Accompanying adult €14.50.

Le Monde Miniature, Clécy

Le Monde Miniature in Clécy, in the heart of the Suisse Normande, is a 310-square-meter animated miniature world built over 55 years by the same family. It runs on a day/night cycle, and interactive controls let children trigger movements, lights, and scenes throughout the model. 

Outside, a tourist train circles old limestone quarries, a G-scale garden railway runs through the grounds, and a large play area gives younger children room to burn off energy. There’s a bar, a snack area, and a shop selling local and organic produce.

Open April through October. Admission: Adults €10.80, children under 12 €8.50. Pets welcome.

Festyland, Near Caen

Normandy’s largest amusement park, Festyland, sits 10 minutes from the center of Caen and is organized around four themed zones: Viking, Medieval, Pirate, and Belle Époque. Around 30 rides cover everything from gentle carousels for small children to the Kaskade water ride, the Viking Drakkar, bumper boats, and a roller coaster.

The prehistoric area has life-size dinosaur models scattered through it. There are also three live shows daily throughout the summer, two cinema domes, and picnic areas if you’d rather not eat at one of the four on-site restaurants.

The park is built at a human scale rather than competing with mega-parks, and most families find that one day is all you need here.

Admission: Adults €24.50, children under 12 €21, free under 95cm. Open seasonally.

B.R.A.I.N. Escape Game, Near Caen

Mondeville, just outside Caen, has a themed room, “Back to the 80’s” that puts teams of two to five players in a colorful, music-filled world of cassette tapes, synthesizers, and arcade games, where they have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and escape. 

The venue has English-speaking staff and has made the effort to translate rooms for visiting groups who arrive without French. There’s also a quiz room called “Buzz Your Brain” for groups of 4 to 16 that runs like a comedy game show and is suitable for ages 8 and up. 

Book online in advance. The venue is at 41 Bis Rue Pasteur, Mondeville, about five minutes from central Caen.

Walk the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel with a Guide

Everyone knows Mont Saint-Michel from the pictures, but the bay surrounding it is an entirely separate experience. At low tide, certified guides take families on walks across the tidal flats, including a version specifically designed for young children: a 1.5-kilometer quicksand discovery walk that lasts 90 minutes. 

Children learn how quicksand forms, what it feels like to walk into it safely, and how pilgrims have been crossing this bay for over a thousand years. The guides adapt the commentary to the group’s age. 

The abbey itself is free for anyone under 18, and the tourist office offers a family treasure hunt for children aged 7 to 13.