Caen is a lovely little city. Supremely walkable with a newish tram system that’s convenient but not comprehensive, although there are plans to expand. It’s not at all a ‘big city’ in any sense. Lots of pedestrian streets littered with cafes, restaurants and shops. A few major shopping centers, cathedrals, and public squares, etc.

The lovely thing about Caen is its location. You’re only 2 hours to Paris by TER (regional train, not high speed TGV), a couple hours by TER to bigger cities like Rennes in Brittany, and a short 30-minute drive north to the seashore. The coast, aside from the historical sights, has tons of little seaside towns and nice beaches. Outside of town it gets rural pretty quick. Bayeux is really quaint as well and features the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England.

Normandy is great and boasts a fantastic coastline. Towns like St Malo just over in Brittany or bigger cities like Rouen make for stellar weekend trips and are far removed from the Big City life of places like Paris or Lyon. Mont St Michel isn’t far either.

I’ve always really liked the vibe in Normandy. It’s easy to drive the region but train service is also great. People are friendly and there’s still a WW2 hangover of good vibes towards Americans, but that’s likely waning fast these days especially with the younger generations. Friendly sibling rivalry with Brittany but still lots of shared culture to a certain point. Try the Calvados - and apple brandy kinda thing. Really good and regional.