Situated on the Normandy coast, in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy and 20 kilometers north of Le Havre, Etretat is renowned for the coastal scenery around the town, in particular, its white cliffs and three natural rock arches that are among the most impressive natural sites in Europe.

The rock formations are known as the Elephant and the Needle because of their shapes and have inspired many well-known painters and authors including Claude Monet, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Courbet, Guy de Maupassant, or Maurice Leblanc who used the hollow needle as the den of the famous gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin.

Etretat is probably one of the most romantic places in the world and figures among the top places everyone must see at least once in their life. As Alphonse Karr wrote: "If I had to show the sea to a friend, I would choose to Etretat"!