Route du Cidre (Pays d'Auge Cider Route)

The Route du Cidre (Cider Route) of the Pays d'Auge is a signposted driving circuit of approximately 40 kilometres through the most quintessential apple-orchard country in Normandy, France. The Pays d'Auge, centred on the area between Lisieux and Deauville in Calvados, is the heartland of Norman cider and Calvados apple brandy production. The route passes through a succession of small villages and traditional fermes cidrières (cider farms) where visitors can stop for tastings and purchases, as well as through a landscape of half-timbered manors and medieval churches that defines rural Normandy at its most picturesque. The official starting point is the village of Cambremer, where the route is marked with apple motifs on roadside posts. The circuit passes through or near Beuvron-en-Auge (one of France's most beautiful villages), Bonnebosq, Saint-Julien-de-Mailloc, and several cider estates including the Domaine Dupont at Victot-Pontfol, one of the most awarded Calvados producers in Normandy. Participating farms display the Route du Cidre sign and are typically open April through November for tastings, which are generally free or included in a small purchase. October is the peak month — the apple harvest is under way, the orchards have turned gold, and the presses are running. Spring blossom in late April and May is equally beautiful, with the orchards in full white flower. A car is essential; public transport does not reach the farms.