A weekend near Dieppe in a holiday home 55 minutes away

A weekend near Dieppe, based at Demeure Bleue, suits people who want two things at once: a full day in Dieppe, and in the evening a quiet house in a village in the Durdent valley. A typical case is a group of eleven arriving in three or four cars with no wish to hunt for parking in town all weekend. Behind the gate, the property takes 4 of them.

It also suits those who enjoy the coast road for its own sake. Between Dieppe and the house, the stops come a few minutes apart: Varengeville, Quiberville, Veules-les-Roses, Saint-Valery-en-Caux. The drive home becomes part of the plan rather than a chore. And if you cross on the DFDS ferry from Newhaven, Dieppe is where you land, so the weekend can begin and end at the port, provided the sailings, which change with the season, fit the 4 pm check-in.

It does not suit anyone dreaming of strolling down to the harbour in the morning, or dining on the quays and walking back. For that kind of stay, you are better off sleeping in Dieppe itself. We would rather say so here than let you find out on the road.

The whole weekend revolves around one appointment. On Saturday morning, Dieppe holds its big market along the Grande Rue and through the town centre, the one voted the most beautiful market in France in 2020 by viewers of TF1, the French TV channel, in its “Coups de cœur pour nos marchés” poll. As it runs in the morning only, allow for the hour's drive and set off accordingly.

Friday evening is therefore for preparing that departure. After check-in, from 4 pm, the group settles around the bar and the big table, decides who drives and who carries the market bags, and goes to bed at a sensible hour. Check-out is on Sunday by 10 am; the other rules of the format are set out on our page about renting a house in Normandy for the weekend.

One thing to know if you are torn between the two sides of the coast: Fécamp also holds its market on Saturday morning. You cannot do both in the same weekend. If Fécamp's harbour appeals more, our weekend itinerary for the Fécamp side is built for the west.

Saturday in Dieppe runs from the centre towards the sea. Here is the order that avoids doubling back, from the end of the market to mid-afternoon, before you take the road again.

The road home follows the coast westwards, and the driving time to the house shrinks at every stop. One afternoon is not enough to see them all: pick two, depending on the season and what time you leave Dieppe.

Veules-les-Roses deserves more than a passing stop; if the village tempts you, advice on when to go and where to park is on our page about making the most of a day in Veules-les-Roses.

From April to May, the balance of the plan shifts. The Bois des Moutiers in Varengeville is a garden designed with Gertrude Jekyll around a house by the architect Edwin Lutyens, two names that garden lovers from Britain will know, and it is famous for its rhododendrons and azaleas. It opens seasonally, so check the days before setting off. That weekend, you can flip the order: the Dieppe market in the morning, the garden in the afternoon, and Quiberville at sunset.

If the list seems long for two days, that is because it is. The end-of-season events, ESTRAN with children and the villages taken one at a time fit better into seven days, as our page for a week on the Dieppe side shows.

To rent the house for a weekend on the Dieppe side, aim for a Saturday outside high season, when two nights are enough. Saturdays in April and May combine the market and the flowers: check availability with Idylliq as soon as a date looks right.