Calvados – The Normandy Beaches
The Battle of Normandy
Immerse yourself in history and visit the emblematic sites of the Normandy Landings, starting with the beaches where thousands of British, American and Canadian allied troops landed on 6 June 1944. Utah, Omaha, Sword, Juno and Gold Beach are places of remembrance where the sweet smell of liberty still floats on the breeze. Every year on 6 June many people come to commemorate the Battle of Normandy, remember and pay tribute to the soldiers who liberated us.
There are numerous places to visit, suitable for all family members. Some museums present the story of the Normandy Landings to children using audio guides and models. Guided tours of the Beaches are a marvellous way to discover the history of the Second World War for people of all ages. You can even hire a Jeep to visit the D Day sites ! There are a multitude of leftovers from the war in the area and the Normandy coastline is still dominated by guns, batteries and blockhouses
Spend a weekend or a full week discovering the Battle of Normandy; there are so many emblematic sites and museums to see. You can spend different days visiting the main attractions of the battle of Normandy :
« D-day - the impact » takes you from Bayeux to Carentan
« Operation Overlord – the assault » from Merville-Franceville to Arromanches
« Confrontation » from Pégasus Bridge to the Musée Mémorial de Caen
« Conclusion » from Caen to Falaise
The Normandy Beaches – an open-air museum
Calvados and its beaches are a veritable open-air museum. There are also plenty of museums devoted to the Second World War to visit, a fun way to understand the story of D-Day. Museums which are ‘absolute musts’ are : Musée du Débarquement at Arromanches, Musée Mémorial de Caen, Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie at Bayeux, Mémorial des Civils de Falaise, the 360° circular cinema at Arromanches, Overlord Museum at Colleville-sur-Mer and the Musée Mémorial Pegasus at Ranville.
To remember the war dead, you can visit one of the 27 military cemeteries including the famous American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. These are extraordinary places, beautifully landscaped with a tranquil atmosphere filled with emotion.
When planning your visit of landmark sites of the Normandy Landings, don’t forget to include the Pointe du Hoc, Batterie de Longues-sur-Mer, Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches and Pegasus Bridge at Ranville.
The Normandy Beaches are in the Bessin, an area with an attractive, tranquil landscape of cliffs, pastureland and long, sandy beaches. Don’t forget your swimsuit ! Walkers will enjoy the coastal footpath between Arromanches and Port en Bessin with its magnificent viewpoints of the Normandy Beaches from the cliff tops.
No visit to the Normandy Beaches is complete without a stop in the charming town of Bayeux, the first town to be liberated by the Allies. The medieval town is an architectural treasure house with the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Bayeux and the famous Bayeux Tapestry. The city of Caen is also a ‘must see’ place to see during your stay in Calvados with the Musée Mémorial de Caen, William the Conqueror’s castle, the old town dating back to medieval times and the marina.
« I feel incredibly lucky to live in Calvados. Whenever family or friends come to stay I always organise a day out centred round the D-Day Landings with lots of emotion, culture and scenery and also plenty to talk about. My personal favourite is the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The atmosphere there is unique, everything is so peaceful, the sea view is magnificent and the trees are beautiful », says Gaëtane, owner of Chez Gaëtane B&B at Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil.
How to get to the Normandy Beaches
The Normandy Beaches are along the coast of Calvados and Manche départements.
The beach furthest to the east is Sword Beach at Ouistreham. From the Caen ring road (périphérique) simply follow the signs for « Carferry Ouistreham ».
The beach furthest to the west in Calvados is La Pointe du Hoc at Cricqueville-en-Bessin which is on the N13 towards Cherbourg, after Bayeux."
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