The Étretat cliff walk

Which cliff should you walk first, Aval or Amont?

With time for one, climb Aval: it has the arch, the needle and the path to the Manneporte. With time for both, start with Amont for the view across the bay, then cross to Aval.

Stand on the promenade facing the sea. On your left is the Falaise d'Aval, the cliff on every postcard. On your right is the Falaise d'Amont, with a small chapel on top. The routes:

The Antifer loop is from Visorando, graded easy, with about 240 metres of climbing in total.

How do you walk up the Falaise d'Aval?

From the west end of the promenade, take the steps up, then follow the grass path past the golf course. The view over the arch and the needle opens up within minutes.

The steps are steep and uneven; take them slowly and let people pass. At the top the path runs along the cliff with the Étretat golf course on your left. Keep walking and the Porte d'Aval appears below you with the Aiguille beside it. The needle is 51 metres high, and Maurice Leblanc hid Arsène Lupin's treasure inside it in L'Aiguille creuse.

Rope barriers mark the safe distance in places, but not everywhere. Keep at least 5 metres from the edge, wherever the line is or isn't. The best photos are taken from the path anyway: the arch frames better from a few metres back.

How far is the Manneporte, and can you still see it?

About 30 minutes on foot from the centre, along the Aval clifftop. You see it from above; the beach below it and the tunnel down are closed.

The Manneporte is the largest of the three arches, at the far end of the little Jambourg beach. From the top of the Aval steps, keep going past the arch and the needle and the path dips and rises to a viewpoint over it. Allow about 3 km and 1.5 to 2 hours for the round trip from the promenade, with photo stops.

Older guides send you down to Jambourg beach through the cliff tunnels at low tide. That's over. The tunnels and the beaches beyond the promenade are banned, and a rescue from below the cliffs is billed to you on top of the fine.

How do you get up the Falaise d'Amont?

Steps from the east end of the promenade, about 10 minutes up. On top: the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Nungesser et Coli monument and the Jardins d'Étretat.

Amont is the easier climb and the better view of Aval: from here the arch and the needle line up across the bay, and Maupassant's elephant (the Porte d'Amont, dipping its trunk in the sea) is right below you. The chapel was rebuilt in 1950. The white monument nearby remembers Nungesser and Coli, who flew west in L'Oiseau Blanc in 1927 to cross the Atlantic and vanished; they were last seen off this coast.

Light matters on this side. In the morning the sun is behind you and lights the Aval face; from mid-afternoon you're looking into it. If you can choose, do Amont before lunch. The best time guide has more on light.

What is banned on the Étretat cliffs since 2025?

The tunnels, the caves, the foot of the cliffs and the beaches beyond the promenade. On top, you must stay 5 metres from the edge. The fine is 135 euros plus rescue costs.

The town order of 28 April 2025, as listed by the official tourist office:

• The Trou à l'Homme cave and tunnel, and the rocks above it.
• The Chambre des Demoiselles and the Descente au Chaudron.
• Walking along the foot of the cliffs, and the beaches across their full width, except in line with the promenade.
• The clifftop plateaus within 5 metres of the edge.
• Taking pebbles from the beach, and camping anywhere on the Grand Site.

The reason is simple: the chalk falls. The Seine-Maritime coast sees some sixty landslides a year (Städel Museum timeline). Reviews written before the order, and a few after it, still describe walking into caves. Ignore them. The rules post has the full detail.

Is the Étretat cliff walk hard or dangerous?

It's short and steep, not technical. The danger is the edge, the wind and wet chalk. Stay on the path and it's a walk most people manage.

The hard part is the stairs at the start of each side. After that the paths are grass and packed chalk with gentle ups and downs, slippery after rain. Wind is stronger on top than in town, and gusts near an unfenced edge are the real risk. Hold small children's hands. One August guest summed it up: "The Cliffs were absolutely beautiful (though a bit challenging to climb to the top for my not so athletic self). But my eight year old loved it."

Skip the walk with serious back, heart or knee trouble; the coach listing warns about the first two. The promenade and the beach give you the arch at sea level without a single step.

A private day from Paris with a 1-hour guided clifftop walk and the Jardins d'Étretat ticket included.

★ 5.0 · 13 hours · from $320

Explore the private day with the gardens → Tour details

What should you wear and bring?

Shoes with grip, a windproof layer, water and sunscreen. That's it; there's nothing to buy at the top except at the hotel on the Aval side.

• Shoes with grip. Trainers are fine in the dry; skip sandals on the steps and wet chalk.
• A windproof layer, even in summer. The clifftop runs a few degrees colder than the town.
• Water and sunscreen. A guest on the private tour: "There are coastal paths to hike up; take water along and sunscreen if sunny."
• A charged phone if you have a pickup time, plus card or cash for lunch and parking.
• Water shoes only if you plan to swim. The beach is pebbles, no sand.

Are the Jardins d'Étretat worth adding?

Yes, with an hour to spare. These clifftop gardens on the Amont side frame the Aval arch with clipped hedges and sculpture, for 12.90 euros from April to October.

The Jardins d'Étretat run from 16 February to 29 November in 2026. Adults pay 12.90 euros from April to October and 11 euros in March and November; teens aged 15 to 17 pay 10 euros, children 8 to 14 pay 8 euros, under-8s are free. Book a timed slot in July and August.

Two tours include the ticket: the private day with the gardens and the Giverny, Honfleur and Étretat day. The coach from Paris lists the gardens as a stop, without the ticket.

Frequently asked questions