In many North American minds, northern France carries a kind of soft-masc connotation. Perhaps the region’s harsh World War II history, when combined with the fairy-tale-looking Mont Saint-Michel, has built a brand that’s femme top.
Of course, if you were to ask a Parisian, they’d break Normandy, which points up into the English Channel, and Brittany, which juts out into the Celtic Sea, into two separate coastal bites. They’d mention Normandy’s right-leaning tendencies and rural character, which have gained it the reputation of “the West Virginia of France” among local queers. As for Brittany, with its Celtic-tinged counterculture, Parisians would consider it to be the country’s TikTok-addicted socialist because of its youthful and politically active population.
Here’s the tea: Normandy, though brimming with anti-woke, anti-European Union, anti-everything sentiment, still ultimately voted for left-leaning Emmanuel Macron. Brittany, on the other hand, is proud of its many centuries of history and traditions, thus belying its reputation for techno punk modernity.
And perhaps most importantly, Normandy and Brittany—two of France’s 18 administrative regions—are great places for queers. As you drive—and yes, we suggest driving—through the countryside, you’ll notice an abundance of food-themed town names (e.g., “Le Repas,” “La Table” and “Le Cookie,” which translate to “The Meal,” “The Table” and “The Cookie.”) You’ll also see oak-dotted fields, sleepy stone villages, pear orchards and dramatic views of the English Channel.
Perhaps most surprising is the region’s relaxed personality. Normans and Bretons will greet you with a smile—or, at the very least, a respectable nod. But French people are not the only reason to visit France. Here are a few more reasons why you should add Normandy and Brittany to your bucket list.
Beyond clichés
Often, when people think of northern France, they think of D-Day, when Allied forces invaded the German-occupied beaches of Normandy. Or maybe they think of the lonely, Gothic Mont Saint-Michel, with its medieval monastery that beckons just one kilometre off the coast.
But there’s much more history to be explored. There’s the towering walled city of Saint-Malo, which was a home base for pirates and which drew Celtic refugees through its gates as early as the sixth-century. It’s also where you can catch ferries to the Channel Islands. Explore its famous citadel before heading 20 minutes to the east to enjoy some of the best oysters of your life at Restaurant l’Atelier de l’Huître (15 Quai Gambetta, Cancale).
Meanwhile, Brittany’s oldest city, Quimper, revives the merry music and tautly choreographed dances of Brittany at the annual Festival de Cornouaille, which takes place every summer.
The French queer connection
Some of France’s queerest sites are tucked away in the northwest. In Normandy’s Granville, you can order a massive and exquisite seafood platter at La Citadelle (34 Rue du Port, Granville) before trekking up to Musee Christian Dior Granville (1 Rue d’Estouteville, Granville), the childhood home of early 20th-century fashion designer Christian Dior. As you feel the sea breeze, delight at the home’s storybook immaculateness and ogle the fashions on display, you can enjoy a sense of freedom that Dior sadly never did. Though it is known that he had male lovers, the attitude of his era (1905 to 1957) meant he never actually came out. But thanks to the museum’s well curated exhibits, you can learn about his life and his spectacular contributions to the world of fashion.

Speaking of sea breezes, you can visit the very same Bretagne coastline where Marianne and Héloïse found love in 2019’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. The scraggy, sea-hewn Quiberon Peninsula is home to a posh beach town of the same name where wayward tourists and Parisian weekenders devour salted caramels and smoked sardines.
In fact, Brittany is a popular setting for queer movies, as the 2018 French film Sorry Angel staged some of its crucial scenes in the Saint-Anne neighborhood of Rennes. Here, you’ll find a collection of queer-friendly establishments, including BATCHI (34 Rue Vasselot, Rennes).
L’amour, or something like it
If cruising is what you’re after, then L’Apollon in Caen (16 Rue Varignon, Caen, Normandy) is one of France’s oldest gay bars. Visit it after a day of exploring the bustling shops, serpentine alleyways and barbed, dignified historic homes of the city itself, which has a metropolitan population of almost 470,000.
About an hour and a half drive away, Rouen, Normandy’s capital, with a metro population of more than 700,000, has a robust queer nightlife scene in its medieval centre. You’ll find youthful partiers of all persuasions, body types and gender expressions at mainstays like Milk (1 bis Rue du Père Adam, Rouen) and XXL Discothèque (25 Rue de la Savonnerie, Rouen).
That said, Rouen shouldn’t be confused with Rennes (even though they sound very similar to a non-native ear). Brittany’s capital, which has a metro population of almost 750,000, has its own distinctive queer scene. For a modest night out among devilish twinks and angelic bartenders, consider visiting the subdued and hellishly decorated Le Diablo Q (36 Rue Dupont-des-Loges bis, Rennes).
Exit Cannes, enter Caen
The French Riviera gets all the love from monied queers planning glamorous Gallic vacations, but Normandy and Brittany boast their stunning beaches—though, admittedly, the beach season here in the north is shorter.
For a burst of romanticism, look no further than Normandy’s Étretat Beach (a one and a half hour drive from Rouen), whose chalk cliffs inspired Monet to paint multiple masterpieces. In Brittany, the Plage de Boutrouilles (about a 75-minute drive from Quimper) delights visitors with its hypnotic geography and iridescent waters.
And never mind the natural scenery, northern France has its own glamorous film festival. Every fall, Normandy’s Festival du Cinéma Américain de Deauville attracts Hollywood’s biggest stars to the region for 10 days of award-winning cinema. The festival—France’s second biggest—takes place in the picturesque Deauville, a beach town of about 4,000 people, which rivals Cannes in Old Hollywood glamour and opalescent sands.
So, here’s a bet: By the end of your trip through Normandy and Brittany, you’ll have forgotten all those preconceptions that you had about the region. Considering its multifaceted character, it’s much more than the site of D-Day. It’s also much gayer than you’d expect. Northern France, the soft top of the country, deserves a place at the ball.