Upper Normandy – also known as Haute Normandie – is where France's most important ports of Le Havre and Dieppe are located. Unsurprisingly therefore, the local economy does, in a comparative sense at least, tend to be considerably more consistent than that of many other French regions, especially during the recent economic downturn. Haute Normandie is in general an absolutely unmissable prospect for domestic and international travellers too, with a thriving long and short-term tourism industry that's relatively consistent for much of the year. Home to the famous towns of Rouen and La Havre, visitors go for the Notre Dame cathedral and stay for the beach, the proximity to England and the buy-to-let investment potential.