Paris by the sea

This small, genteel centre ville is all top-end – designer boutiques, hotels, restaurants and casinos where a well-heeled clientele can probably afford to drop a euro or two. There are also regular yearling auctions which see some of the world's most prized horses change hands.

In fact, the equestrian tradition is so strong that Deauville is dubbed the "City of the Horse" and it has long been a playground for the royal, the rich and the famous. Just 4,000 residents live here all year round but at weekends Parisiens flock here in droves to shop, relax by the sea or be seen at one of the smart beachfront restaurants.

Previously, the Normandy town – which marks its 150th anniversary this year – was very much a destination for the moneyed few rather than the masses.

Regular guests have included the world's top polo players, who arrive each August for the Lucien Barrire Deauville Polo Cup, as well as Hollywood stars such as Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson, who have been spotted at the annual American Film Festival.

Now a new service makes Deauville more accessible to Brits. Within a few hours of hopping on the train in Yorkshire and a connection to London City Airport via the Docklands Light Railway, you can sit down to enjoy a seafood lunch and a tipple of the local speciality, Calvados.

In Deauville itself, there's plenty to do – even for those without a platinum credit card burning a hole in their wallet.

The beach boasts a long stretch of pristine white sands and a selection of upmarket bars and restaurants along the boardwalk. Away from the surf, there's fun to be had watching the horse racing at the town's two racecourses, which host regular meetings throughout the summer.

A more relaxing time, meanwhile, can be had at one of the numerous coffee shops in Deauville's picture-perfect town square, or strolling around the quiet streets for a look at the impressive and varied architecture of the half-timbered villas.

Eagle-eyed visitors will be able to spot a range of hand-made decorative finials in varnished terracotta on the roofs of some of Deauville's most exclusive manor houses which feature religious figures, goddesses and monkeys.

For those who wish to explore further afield, however, it's well worth the short drive through the verdant Normandy countryside to taste some of the local Calvados at the Pere Magloire distillery. It's a pretty wood-clad building nestling in and among apple orchards, and visitors can take a tour of the cellars and taste the apple brandy under the watchful eye of a cellar master.

Established in 1821, Pre Magloire is France's leading producer of Calvados and produces a range of brandies, from the younger "fine" brandy to the matured and woodier VSOP range.

When considering where to stay, visitors to Deauville can opt for anything from a campsite to a clutch of top-end hotels. Those with a larger budget can casually purchase Louis Vuitton baggage or Rolex watches in the foyer as they check in. For something extra-special, the newly-reopened Les Manoirs de Tourgeville, which stands in its own extensive park five miles out of town, is worth the taxi ride.

Guests can stay in the main hotel itself, built in typical Normandy architecture and set around a central grassy quadrant, or else – for real peace and quiet – book one of the larger suites in circular buildings dotted around the grounds.

After sampling the glitz and glamour of Deauville, those keen for a taste of the more traditional French seaside town can hop on the little foot ferry which links Deauville to its more relaxed neighbour, Trouville.

By the sea stands a statue of writer Gustave Flaubert, who spent a summer there in pursuit of London society girl Gertrude Tennant, who was two years his senior.

The Madame Bovary author is positioned so he is looking away from the sea, up towards the hotel room where the woman he loved stayed that summer. History has it that the pair enjoyed a passionate kiss at the opera in Paris, before she returned to London to wed former MP Charles Tennant, a landowner twice her age. Behind the waterfront, where fishmongers ply their trade at the daily seafood market, visitors can while away an afternoon wandering around Trouville's narrow and winding cobbled streets.

For such a small town there's also a great deal going on in the arts world – theatre productions, concerts and exhibitions on subjects ranging from marine life to photography and Impressionism.

With so much to offer and the handy new flights now landing at the tiny Deauville airport, it's unlikely that this quiet corner of Normandy will be staying quiet for long.

Getting there and staying there

CityJet flies to Deauville four times a week from London City Airport. One-way fares from 59, no hidden charges. CityJet offers 600 flights a week to 16 destinations in the UK and Europe. www.CityJet.com or call 0871 6665050.

East Coast Trains run regular fast services from York, Leeds, Doncaster to London. Advance return fares booked online from 19 standard or 85 first class. www.eastcoast.co.uk, or call 08457 225225 or visit any staffed station.

Manoirs de Tourgville hotel www.lesmanoirsdestourgeville.com. More information on Deauville and Trouville at www.normandy-tourism.org, www.deauville.org and www.trouvillesurmer.org.

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