Cambremer, France: travel guide to the Pays d'Auge village at the heart of the Normandy Cider Route

Cambremer is a village in the Calvados department of Normandy, in north-western France, set in the rolling, orchard-covered countryside of the Pays d'Auge. It is best known as the hub of the Route du Cidre, the Normandy Cider Route, and as a centre of the region's cider and Calvados production.

For travellers searching for Cambremer Normandy, the Route du Cidre, the Pays d'Auge or Calvados producers, the village is the perfect starting point for a journey through one of the most picturesque corners of Normandy.

The Cider Route

Created in 1974, the Cambremer Cider Route was the first such trail in France set up by producers to promote their craft. It is a signposted circuit of around 40 kilometres through the Pays d'Auge, linking Cambremer with the villages of Bonnebosq, Beaufour-Druval and the beautiful Beuvron-en-Auge, classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. Along the way, around twenty cider and Calvados producers, identified by the Cru de Cambremer sign, welcome visitors for tours and tastings.

Landscape and produce

The route winds along quiet country lanes through a postcard landscape of apple orchards, half-timbered houses, manor houses, châteaux and grazing Norman cattle, with some of the region's most prestigious horse stud farms hidden behind their gates. The Pays d'Auge is the home of the protected-origin Cidre du Pays d'Auge, of Calvados apple brandy aged in oak casks, and of Pommeau, a blend of apple juice and Calvados. The wider area is also famous for its cheeses, including Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque.

Practical information

Cambremer lies in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, roughly half an hour from the seaside resorts of Deauville and Cabourg and between the towns of Caen and Lisieux. It is best explored by car or bicycle, stopping at farms and villages along the Cider Route.