Falaise is the birthplace of William the Conqueror, and his castle still dominates the town from its rocky spur above the valley. The Anglo-Norman keeps, the city walls, and the ramparts flanked by towers give the place a genuinely medieval silhouette — not prettified, but powerful.
The town also carries deep scars from the Second World War. In August 1944, the German 7th Army was trapped in the "Falaise Pocket" by Canadian, Polish, British, American, and French forces. The fighting destroyed much of the town, and three-quarters of the German forces were lost. The Musée Août 1944 documents the battle with memorabilia unique in Normandy.
Beyond the castle and the war history, Falaise has a cluster of Romanesque churches — Saint-Gervais, the Holy Trinity, and Notre-Dame de Guibray — and a Saturday market in the town centre. It also makes a good base for exploring the Suisse Normande, the hilly countryside to the southwest.