Fewer crowds
January is quietest.
January, at 9.5% of the busiest month (August). Low season, under 35% of the peak: October to March. In off-season months, many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitWestern Normandy.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with September.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 6.8/10
Overnight stays are 43% of the busiest month.
Based on Basse-Normandie regional averages.
- Afternoon high
- 70°F
- Sea temperature
- 64°F
- Crowds
- Moderate
The sea averages 64°F (18°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Price context. National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little above usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover Basse-Normandie , including Mont-Saint-Michel, D-Day beaches and Caen. Conditions vary within the region. Part of Normandy; see the France guide for the wider area.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
September at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 6.8/10
Overnight stays are 43% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 64°F (18°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the September guide- Afternoon high
- 70°F
- Night low
- 52°F
- Sea temperature
- 64°F
- Rain days
- 8
- Daylight
- 12h 41m
- Crowds
- Moderate
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | September | 6.8 | 6.8/10 Good | Moderate | Pricey | 70°F | 52°F | 64°F | 8 | 12h 41m |
| #2 | July | 6.5 | 7.9/10 Very good | Busy | Pricey | 75°F | 55°F | 63°F | 8 | 15h 49m |
| #3 | June | 6.5 | 6.8/10 Good | Moderate | Pricey | 71°F | 52°F | 59°F | 7 | 16h 10m |
| #4 | August | 6.0 | 7.8/10 Very good | Peak | Pricey | 74°F | 55°F | 65°F | 8 | 14h 27m |
| #5 | May | 5.9 | 5.4/10 Good | Moderate | Pricey | 65°F | 47°F | 54°F | 9 | 15h 14m |
| #6 | October | 5.9 | 4.4/10 Fair | Low | Pricey | 63°F | 48°F | 62°F | 11 | 10h 54m |
| #7 | April | 5.7 | 4.3/10 Fair | Moderate | Pricey | 60°F | 42°F | 51°F | 7 | 13h 39m |
| #8 | March | 4.3 | 2.3/10 Poor | Low | Moderate | 55°F | 39°F | 48°F | 9 | 11h 48m |
| #9 | November | 3.7 | 1.7/10 Poor | Low | Moderate | 54°F | 43°F | 57°F | 13 | 9h 13m |
| #10 | January | 3.0 | 1.0/10 Poor | Off season many places closed | Moderate | 48°F | 37°F | 50°F | 14 | 8h 40m |
| #11 | February | 3.0 | 1.0/10 Poor | Low | Moderate | 50°F | 37°F | 48°F | 11 | 10h 08m |
| #12 | December | 3.0 | 1.0/10 Poor | Low | Moderate | 50°F | 40°F | 53°F | 13 | 8h 17m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · September
September
- High
- 70°F
- Low
- 52°F
- Rain
- 8 days
- Crowds
- Moderate
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
Basse-Normandie regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 10.4 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
Very-good-or-better weather scores: July to August. Poor weather scores: November to March.
Peak-season months: August. Low-season months: October to March.
The two busiest months account for 40% of annual overnight stays.
On the 2024 EU comparison, France's restaurants and hotels are above EU average.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
June and September, outside the busy season.
Very good or better July to August. July has the highest displayed weather score (7.9/10). Highest weather score outside the busy season: June and September.
Lower prices
January to March.
These are three lower-price months on France's historical 2024–2025 national hotel index. It cannot identify this region's cheapest bookable rooms.
School holidays
School breaks span different visitor seasons.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in moderate season; July falls in busy season; August falls in peak season. Spring break spans low season in March and moderate season in April.
Local families travel too: at least 30% of people in France live where schools are out on a typical day February, April, October and December. France's school calendar for May to September isn't fully published yet. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
A quieter stretch of the year.
December falls in low season; January falls in off season; February falls in low season. In off-season months, many seasonal hotels and restaurants may be closed.
48–50°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
A quieter start, a busier finish.
March falls in low season; April and May fall in moderate season.
55–65°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A quieter start, a busier finish.
June falls in moderate season; July falls in busy season; August falls in peak season.
71–75°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September falls in moderate season; October and November fall in low season.
54–70°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within Western Normandy.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 2. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | FRD1 · Basse-Normandie |
| Region type | Beach (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 0%, coastal 82%, mountain 0%; median ground height 112 m) |
| Population used | 1.5 million (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2024–2025 average |
| How our weather was checked | 66 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.1°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Beach, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | 57% |
| Accommodation mix | 44% hotels, 42% camping |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 110 |
| Daylight latitude | 48.93° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.