Belle Époque Villas of Houlgate

Houlgate is a typical seaside resort of the Belle Époque at the end of the 19th century. The beach, the grand hotels, the casino, the beach villas and the Rue des Bains still breathe the atmosphere of that era.

You can still discover some gems of late 19th century seaside resort architecture. Most villas in the town were built between 1860 and 1914 in a wide variety of styles. The architects were inspired by Gothic country houses, Swiss chalets and houses in traditional Norman, Anglo-Saxon and sometimes even Oriental style.

This is truly a textbook example of a Norman town, where the coast is as charming as the hinterland. Houlgate was one of the very first seaside resorts on the Côte Fleurie (1858) and many more villas and chalets bear witness to the typical seaside resort architecture of the end of the 19th century. There are many, they are well preserved and all different. The villas represent a rich and unique heritage.