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The
Tourist
Information Office
on the Pont Ango
is a mine of
information. The
office is open
daily, 9am to 12
midday and 2pm to
6pm or later,
between May and
September, but
closed on Sundays
between October
and April. You can
learn a lot about
Dieppe and what’s
on in town from
the internet site
www.dieppetourisme.com
or you can email
the office at
officetour.dieppe@wanadoo.fr
Take a ride round
town on
Jean-Louis
Guillou’s "Petit
Train"
between April and
September. It sets
out on its
hour-long journey
from outside the
Tourist
Information Office
but you can get on
at any of its
stops. (Tel: 0235
045608).
There is
free parking on
the seafront
and along the quai
Duquesne, by the
fishing port.
Otherwise, parking
is for a maximum
of two and a half
hours in the main
streets of the
town, and for up
to 24 hours if you
were willing to
walk a couple of
hundred metres
from the central
zone: a veritable
parking bargain.
No charge for
street parking
between 12.30 and
1.30pm when, like
everybody else,
the meter
attendants are at
lunch. Parking is
free on Sundays
and public
holidays. There is
a covered car park
off the rue Claude
Groulard,
convenient for
Shopi.
From Dieppe, you
can get a
train to Rouen
or to Paris.Trains
are comfortable
and on time, but
not too frequent
for Paris and the
last train back
from the capital
leaves at
8.22pm.(weekdays)
The last train
back from Rouen is
at 9.54pm Monday
to Friday, 9.57pm
Saturday and
9.41pm Sunday.
Nearby towns,
including Le
Tréport, Eu,
Veules-les-Roses,
St-Valery-en-Caux
and Fécamp, can be
reached by buses
from the railway
station. Dieppe
has a cheap and
efficient local
bus service,
Stradibus. If you
are using it for a
number of
journeys, buy a
7.10€ "carnet" of
10 tickets from
the Café des
Voyageurs,
opposite the
Tourist
Information
Office.
The No 2 bus,
which stops
outside the
tourist office,
will take you to
Auchan, the main
hypermarket. Taxis
are not expensive.
One firm, Boivin
(0235 842578), has
a people carrier
that can take nine
passengers. If you
ring Radio-Taxis
(0235 842005) for
a taxi from the
terminal to Auchan.
There is a
fine beach walk
over the pebbles
and rocks to
Pourville, nearly
two miles to the
west of Dieppe,
but we can’t
recommend it to
you. We used to do
it at low tide,
feeling then
fairly safe from
falling cliffs or
rising waters. But
the cliffs have
become very
unstable and we
have to say take
the top road to
Pourville,
allowing 50 to 60
minutes. The view
to the west from
the last twist in
the road is
stunning. At
Pourville, revive
yourself with a
visit to an
elegant tea room
or the oyster bar.
There is an
occasional bus, or
take a taxi, to
return. For
walkers and
bikers, there are
delightful routes
through the
adjacent forests.
Also, the Avenue
verte, a section
of the future
cycle path from
London to Paris,
can be followed
from Dieppe to
Forges-les-Eaux.
Get a map or ask
at the Tourist
Office. Also you
can explore the
three river
valleys that lead
down to the sea:
at Le Tréport (the
Bresle), Dieppe
(the Arques) and
Pourville (the
Scie). Every route
out of Dieppe,
except the road to
Arques from next
to the Town Hall,
entails climbing a
steep hill. Lazy
cyclists are
advised to ride
out of town along
the rue Thiers.
Transmanche
Ferries carries
passengers' cycles
free. Otherwise,
you can hire a
bike at the cabin
on the quai
Duquesne after the
bridge you cross
into the town
centre. In summer,
bikes are on hire
from the MJC
leisure centre on
the beach near the
swimming pool.
At low tide, you
will find sand at
the western end of
the beach, or at
Pourville to the
west and Puys to
the east. The
water is heated to
25C in the
open-air swimming
pool on the
seafront, open
daily from 1 June
to 31 August. In
July and August,
you can hire
canoes and
surfboards on the
beach at the MJC
leisure centre.
The great thing
about taking kids
to France is that
they can sit with
you in any café or
bar: the family is
not regarded as an
unwelcome presence
as it still is in
most British pubs.
Ask for
child-sized
portions in
restaurants.
One that is very
child-orientated
is the Ankara, in
the rue de la Rade,
where Danila will
provide you with
story books and
toys. There is a
children's
playground at the
western end of the
seafront, where
there is also a
mini-golf open in
summer. The MJC
leisure centre on
the beach by the
swimming pool has
children's
activities in
summer. There is
bowling at the
Belvédère, next to
Auchan, and a
skating rink (as
well as covered
swimming pools) at
Ludibulle, a
15-minute drive to
the east, at St
Martin-en-
Campagne.
The Castle
Museum at
the top of the
hill at the west
end of the town is
a must visit. It
is open every day,
10am-midday and
2-6pm, from June
to September. From
October to May, it
is closed all day
on Tuesday, and at
5pm instead of 6pm
on all other days
except Sunday.
It houses
fascinating
exhibits evoking
Dieppe's rich
history and
maritime
connections, and
some fine works by
Boudin, Pissarro,
Blanche, Sickert,
Braque and other
artists who knew
this town well.
The ancient
collection of
ivory carvings,
dating from when
Dieppe imported
ivory from West
Africa, is unique.
Unfortunately,
there is no
disabled access to
the museum beyond
the ground floor:
the ancient
building cannot
incorporate lifts.
The Cité de la Mer
in the rue de
l’Asile Thomas, is
a cultural venue
for people of all
ages. The exhibits
explain how the
tides and currents
shape the
coastline, and
tell the history
of boat-building
and of the fishing
industry along
this Channel
coast.
Allow 45 minutes
for the visit
which ends with a
small
aquarium.
Guided visits with
interpreter can be
arranged in
advance by phoning
0235069320. Open
daily 10am-midday
and 2-6pm, closing
half an hour later
in July and
August. The
long-closed Petit
Théatre (B4) on
the rue du
Commandant Fayolle,
with its exquisite
but fragile
nineteenth-
century interior,
has recently been
reopened to the
public and houses
a museum of the
1942 Dieppe Raid.
Check for opening
times.
Get hold of the
programme of the
Centre
Culturel Jean
Renoir,
or Dieppe Scène
Nationale as it is
now known (near
the railway
station). In
summer it has a
rich season of
international
films, and here
they don’t go in
for the appalling
practice of
dubbing. Films at
other times of
year too, and also
theatrical and
dance
performances.
There’s a fine
library in the
building too.
DIEPPE, with
35,000
inhabitants, is
not famed for its
night life.
However, a number
of cafés serve
until midnight in
the week and until
2am on Saturday
night. The young
scene, with a vast
dance floor and
bar comparable
with what you can
find in Brighton,
is at the Abordage,
beneath the Casino
at 3 boulevard de
Verdun. Good
all-round
present-day pop
music, but
expensive drinks.
You won’t get in
wearing trainers,
warns Sean Avis, a
practised visiting
clubber from
Brighton. The
Verrazano bar at
the Présidence
hotel, next door,
is open late. Dark
and smoky.
Other
late-night bars
include the (not
very) Scottish Pub
in the rue St
Jacques, which
serves exotic
beers at
reasonable prices
and sometimes has
a tiny disco
downstairs; the
Rade in the rue of
that name, which
serves beer from
the engine of a
Harley Davidson
1200 motorbike;
and the Cactus,
favoured by young
people, on the
quai Henri IV: it
offers full pints
of beer and
pseudo-Mexican
cuisine in monster
portions. OK for
veggies.
New on the Dieppe
scene is D’julz,
described as
"lounge bar and
disco house", at
22 rue de l‘Epée.
Expect techno
music. Other spots
on the night scene
include the
Speedo, a peaceful
bar with sometimes
Irish music on the
CD player, in the
rue Tête de Boeuf
on Le Pollet
island. It is
recommended by
discerning and
civilised
nightlifers who
can congregate in
its picturesque
cellar. Closed
Tuesday. The
Boussole, meaning
compass, is to be
found, but not
always entered,
behind the
anonymous green
door with a grille
at the quayside
end of the rue du
Boeuf. There has
to be room and you
have to appear
acceptable to
Bernard Françoise,
the intellectual
"patron". Eclectic
music (you can
choose it). Open
from Wednesday to
Sunday night.
Try also the
cocktails of
Philippe Galas at
the elegant bar of
the Hôtel de
l’Europe, at 63
boulevard de
Verdun at the port
end of the
seafront. Open to
the public as well
as hotel guests,
with a nice breeze
off the sea on
summer evenings.
Now open every
night.
The Dieppe region
is rich in
gardens to visit
and is a
gardener's
paradise.,
and the Tourist
Office can provide
you with a list of
gardens and how to
get to them. The
most famous,
Monet's Garden in
Giverny,is within
a 90 minute drive
of Dieppe. Les
Moutiers at
Varengeville which
was originally
laid out by
Gertrude Jekyll
over a century ago
is only 40 minutes
away. Other
gardens include
the recently
created Agapanthe
at Grisneuseville,
which has its own
bilingual website,
www.jardins-agapanthe.fr;
Le Vasterival,
with plants from
all over the world
at
Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer;
the Château de
Bosmelet, whose
kitchen garden is
part of a listed
site surrounding a
Louis XIII period
chateau; and the
Jardin d’Annabelle
at Beauval-en-Caux,
ever expanding
under the green
fingers of Mr and
Mrs Grout.
Book a
ride in a
helicopter
(ring 0614221593).
Or, if you are
under 10 years
old, it would be a
better idea to try
the go-karts in
the children’s
playground, behind
the seafront
swimming pool
Dieppe's
18-hole golf
course,
on the road west
to Pourville, was
designed by Willie
Park Jnr in 1897
and is one of the
finest in France.
It has a bar,
restaurant and
magnificent views
over the sea to
the west. (0235
842505).
The hobby of canny
shopper
John Boyett,
the Burgess Hill
jazzman and sage
critic of
society’s foibles,
is paying visits
to his many
friends in Dieppe.
He recommends
buying canned peas
and carrots; wine
vinegar; French
mustard; posh
jams; French car
parts; soap ("savon
de Marseille",
rich in
glycerine);
bottles of oddly
named whisky and
gin at about 8€ a
bottle at Auchan;
melons, artichokes
and "endives"
(chicory) when in
season; and DIY
materials frm
Brico Dépôt, at
the Belvédère.
Several
grocery and
vegetable shops
in the town centre
are open on Sunday
mornings. At 44
rue du Haut Pas,
Monsieur Martinez
has a grocer's
shop, open from
8am to 8pm every
day except Monday.
Across the road is
the cheap and
cheerful Hôtel de
l'Union, with a
tiny shop
attached, open on
Sunday.
The Shopi
supermarket in the
rue de la Barre is
open on Sunday
mornings in
summer. A smaller
supermarket,
Marché Plus on the
quai Duquesne, is
also open on
Sunday mornings.
Beware: Monsieur
Olivier’s cheese
and wine shop in
the rue St
Jacques, for many
years a favourite
Sunday port of
call, is now
closed on Sundays.
Make the best of
it. The banks and
most of the shops
will be closed and
many of the
restaurants, too.
You have more
chance of finding
places open in the
afternoon than in
the morning.
Happily,
museums are
generally open on
Monday,
being generally
closed on Tuesday
out of season.
MOST churches are
Catholic in a
country where 80
per cent of the
population have
been baptised as
such, although the
majority of French
people, like the
British, are not
regular
churchgoers. The
Dieppe area has a
strong Protestant
tradition, centred
on the town of
Luneray. The
Protestant Eglise
Réformée de
France, formerly a
Carmelite chapel,
is hidden behind
the facades of the
rue de la Barre,
25 metres beyond
the Shopi
supermarket.
Services are at
10am on Sundays
and the priest is
into gospel
singing.
There is an
Apostolic Church
in Dieppe, at 23
avenue Jean-Jaurès,
on the edge of
town off the
avenue Gambetta,
and an Evangelical
Church at nearby
St Aubin-sur-Scie.
A mosque,
established by the
local Turkish
population, is to
be found at the
top of the avenue
de la République
(beyond J7) in
Neuville. For a
synagogue, you
need to go to
Rouen or Paris.
There is now
something of a gay
scene
in Dieppe,
although "coming
out" is not much
practised in the
French provinces.
The Mieux
ici qu’en face bar
in le Pollet,
overlooking the
port, is a
friendly place to
know (for gays and
non-gays). It also
puts on
interesting
exhibitions and
sometimes has live
music at night. A
night bar
frequented by
people of various
sexual
orientations, is
the
Bousolle
which has an
anonymous entrance
at the quayside
end of the rue du
Boeuf. But the gay
scene in Dieppe is
a modest one that
can’t rival what’s
on offer in San
Francisco or
Brighton.
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