The Normandy beach town of Trouville-sur-Mer is just a two-hour train ride from the center of Paris, but it feels a world away.

Gone are the heat and traffic of the city, replaced by English Channel breezes and the sound of seagulls screeching through the cobbled streets.

The beaches along this expanse of coastline known as the Norman Riviera are wide, with big tides, and many Parisians come up just for the day — as I did — relaxing in chaise lounge chairs under colorful beach umbrellas that line the boardwalk.

The Impressionists captured Trouville's sandy beaches and shifting skies just as fashionable holiday makers began taking to the waters here in the 19th century in what was known as "sea bathing."

Looking at one of Claude Monet's Trouville-sur-Mer beach scenes of turreted houses and fashionable boardwalk strollers, it feels like nothing has changed since then ... except perhaps the strollers' attire.

Copyright 2026 NPR