The Seaside Town of Le Tréport
In late September my friends invited me to visit them in Normandy in a town called Le Tréport. I didn't know anything about the town, but a weekend trip at the end of summer sounded perfect to me. My friends met me inside the train station in Le Tréport and I followed them assuming that they would lead me to one of the many cars parked in the parking lot, however, they led me out of the parking lot on foot. As soon as we passed the tall barrier wall of the parking lot I was dazzled by the sparkling blue ocean reflecting the sunlight. I grew up on an island on the West Coast, so I'm no stranger to the ocean, but every time I see it I am amazed at its beauty and vastness. It may just have been the September sun, but the Atlantic Ocean seemed bluer and more welcoming than the Pacific ever has.
Image Credit: Nora Cramer
The walk from the train station to my friend's house only lasted 10 minutes. We walked on the side of the road inches from the rocky Plage de Mers-les-Bains. I had been shown pictures of the town, but I could not believe that the houses were so close to the ocean, separated by a mostly empty road. I followed them into their home and was caught off guard by how much it felt like a summer beach house filled with sunlight. The entryway had beach towels hanging in it, plastic buckets and shovels scattered around, and more sand than remained on the beach. This house, like most houses in Le Tréport, has five levels. Each of the floors has a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. Most of the homes in Le Tréport have been converted to apartments on each floor. This house is one of the few that remains as a single residence. The ground floor has only an entryway, kitchen and living room, but the living room has an amazing floor to ceiling window with a balcony that looks out onto the beach and ocean.
Image Credit: Nora Cramer
During World War II, this particular house had been bombed and if someone was standing on the ground floor they could look up and see the sky. After the war, the house was rebuilt to look like the original. After leaving my bag in my room, I threw on my bathing suit and went to the beach with my friends. We went to Plage de Mers-les-Bains which runs along the road Esplanade du Général Leclerc. However, Plage du Tréport which runs along the road Esplanade de la Plage is equally as beautiful and just as easy to access. It was late September, so the air was warm, but the wind was cold. The beach is mostly rock, so I recommend taking more than a jacket to sit on, a beach chair, cushion or blanket would be best. My friends told me that they had been going swimming, but I didn't believe them until I got there. After relaxing on the beach for a while we all got in the ocean. It was cold, but worth it because I swam 20 yards away from the beach and was still only neck deep. The beach was mostly empty only a few families relatively far away from us, but the tide wasn't too strong, so I felt safe in the ocean. After we got done swimming we went home to eat and warm up. However, relaxing in the sun after swimming would have been just as nice. There is one kebab stand on the beach that sells only kebab, fries and sodas, but for a more substantial meal, I would recommend packing a lunch or heading into town.
Image Credit: Nora Cramer
After staying in the water until I pruned, we went back to the house for showers and lunch. There are tons of great seafood restaurants all with beautiful views of the water in Le Tréport. O’crocodile on the street Quai François 1er is a great and casual cafe that has outdoor seating, a view of the ocean, an affordable formule that includes three courses and plenty of seafood options. Grain d'sel on Esplanade Louis Aragon has lots of seafood options and a menu posted in the window, but the ocean is barely visible from there. Additionally, there is a seafood market called Poissonnerie Municipale that is open every day except Tuesday. We decided to buy shrimp from a local fisherman and cook lunch. In the afternoon I was taken to a play mini-golf, which Le Tréport claims is France's first course. We got clubs and balls for a round of mini-golf as well as cold beers in plastic cups to take with us. The name of the course is just "mini golf" located on Avenue du 18 Juin 1940.
Image Credit: Wikimedia/Philippe Alès
I was feeling pretty confident in my abilities, so I agreed to a bet on loser buys a round at the end of the game. However, this was one of the hardest mini-gold courses I've ever played. Regardless of my golfing abilities, this is a must in Le Tréport. Along with swimming and golfing I recommend exploring the hillsides that sit on top of white limestones cliffs. As far as I could tell these cliffs were unnamed, but they boarder both Le Tréport and Mers-les-Bains. The cliffs that border Mers-les-Bains have a statue called Notre-Dame-de-la-Falaise which was crafted in 1878 by Marie Josephe and Cotelle Clère. It faces the sea because it was created to protect the fishermen and sailors of this area. It is a rather small statue of the Virgin Mary, but the walk to get to it is nice and these cliffs are covered in grass and sheep and give an amazing view of the beach and town below.
Image Credit: Nora Cramer
Le Tréport is easily accessed from Paris, which has made it a sought-after seaside getaway. It is a beautiful and inexpensive town where I was able to practice my French and did not feel overwhelmed by masses of tourists. There were, of course, other tourists in Le Tréport, but they were all French which made me feel like I was in a picturesque French movie. Also, I did not feel overwhelmed with the need to see as many sites as possible in the limited time I was there. I was able to relax and de-stress during this weekend. There are Airbnb's that range in price from €25 to €95 and train tickets are affordable even last minute. Le Tréport is the perfect town for a truly French weekend getaway.
Image Credit: Wikimedia/Ricardo Boimare
