#Top 10 activities to do with toddlers !

Do you have little ones in your family ? Are you staying in Normandy and looking for ideas for outings with the kids ?

Discover our suggestions, our good ideas and our activities for children under 4 years old in the Côte de Nacre and the surrounding area !

Playgrounds, parks, activities that can be understood by children… here are some ideas for a pleasant family holiday in Coeur de Nacre, in the heart of Normandy.

Try out the baby swimmer activity

Share a moment of complicity with your baby at the Aquanacre aquatic centre. From the age of 6 months, the youngest children can familiarise themselves with the water, which is heated to 32° for everyone’s comfort.

Aquanacre is the ideal place for children with its paddling pool, its indoor and outdoor play pools, and its water slides.

The Courseulles-sur-Mer swimming pool also has a paddling pool for children (open from May to October).

A Whale squeleton in Luc-sur-Mer

The 40-tonne and 19-metre long great whale washed up on the beach at Luc-sur-Mer. Its skeleton is on display in the beautiful park of the town hall. In this park, small children enjoy the playground, the farm animals and the free peacocks.

Children will also love the playground: a wooden train, a swing adapted for toddlers, and of course the turnstile.

• Accessible with a stroller
• Some animals (goats, birds, ducks)
• The whale museum can be visited in July and August
• Benches/picnic table in front of the whale

Meet animals

A former railway line linking Caen to the sea, the greenway from Luc-sur-Mer to Douvres-la-Délivrande follows the Capricieuse river.

It offers a beautiful 2.5 km itinerary accessible on foot, by bike, on a scooter or pushchair.

During this walk, meet the animals of the Capricieuse : sheep, goats, horses, donkeys… they like to be stroked.

At the end of the green lane, an association dedicated to animals is run by Gérard and Michel, two kind retirees who love to talk about their animals.

Playgrounds

Slides, swings, perched huts… there are several playgrounds for the little ones in Coeur de Nacre destination.

Carousel

Le Paradis des Enfants in Courseulles-sur-Mer: this is one of the largest enclosed carousel-lounge in Europe, so you can enjoy this attraction in summer and winter.

After 15 months and 3,400 hours of hard work in his building in Dover, Eric Tabaud has been rewarded with this beautiful vintage carousel.

What will your child choose ? The plane ? The tiger ? The wooden horse ?

• During the school year: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
• School holidays: every day

Fishing on foot

Amidst the algae, under the stones and in the small puddles, there is a multitude of small animals.

Even the smallest children can go fishing on foot and enjoy catching periwinkles, crabs, curlers and bouquet with their hands or with a landing net!

But be careful, before venturing out at low tide with children, a few rules are necessary:

• Check the tide schedule and the weather forecast,
• Equip your children well: boots, windbreaker, cap, net and bucket,
• Take a mobile phone with you (emergency number: 196),
• Tell someone close to you about your chosen fishing spot.

If your child doesn’t feel like fishing, land art can be a great fun activity on the beach. Some shells, a few sticks, small dry seaweed and let your child’s imagination run wild!

And don’t forget that sustainable and responsible fishing is regulated.

Bike ride

Put the little ones in the bicycle cart, and let’s go for a ride on the Calvados cycle paths !

Ask at the tourist office for the tourist map showing the routes of the greenways between land and sea.

Our recommendations for cycling with toddlers :

• the Vallon de la Capricieuse between Luc-sur-Mer and Douvres-la-Délivrande, safe and planted with trees, 5km return,
• the cycle path from Luc-sur-Mer to Lion-sur-Mer, which runs along the beach, 4km return,
• the walk from Bernières-sur-Mer to Courseulles-sur-Mer, to discover the beautiful Edit park 3km return

Credit : V. Rustuel-Calvados Attractivite

Mini-golf

Form your teams and try out the two mini-golf courses, one in Luc-sur-Mer and the other in Courseulles-sur-Mer. from 3 or 4 years old.

This activity combines fun, concentration and reflection.

Pony ride

Horse riding is a sport that is perfectly suited to children : learning to look after a pony, grooming it, stroking it, respecting its well-being…

The Coeur de Nacre riding centres located in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer offer hand-holding pony rides from the age of 4.

Our top visits and activities for children under 4 years old around Coeur de Nacre

20 minutes by car

Ornavik in Hérouville Saint Clair

16 km de Douvres-la-Délivrande

What about diving into the past?

This historical park presents some pages of Norman history through 3 spaces: Carolingian, Viking and ducal.

30 minutes by car

A walk in the countryside near Bayeux to discover and pet miniature animals and Alpacas.

It is the cutest outing par excellence. Without wasting any time, let’s go and meet this farm that is not really like the others. Immersed in this mini-farm atmosphere, you will undoubtedly enjoy the company of these charming little creatures!

A unique opportunity to meet these creatures from South America, cousins of the llama.

The Haizerie farm in Vaux-sur-Aure

28km from Douvres-la-Délivrande – Read more

Between Bayeux and Longues-sur-Mer, the Ferme de la Haizerie offers ice creams and sorbets made in the traditional way on site. All the preparations are guaranteed without preservatives and artificial coloring.

Come and discover their know-how and taste their preparations!

You can also find the ice creams of the Haizerie at the kiosk Les Gourmand’ys in Courseulles-sur-Mer and at the restaurant Les Gourmands Disent in Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer: