# D-Day Beaches

Five beaches, cemeteries, batteries and museums along the coasts of Calvados and the Manche. They can be toured in two days from Bayeux, and a third gives time for the cider of the Pays d'Auge or Mont-Saint-Michel.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/normandy/d-day-beaches · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## How many days do you need?

Two full days for the coast. One for the American sector, in the west: Sainte-Mère-Église, Utah, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha and the Colleville cemetery. Another for the British and Canadian sector, in the east: Longues-sur-Mer, Arromanches, Juno, Pegasus Bridge and the Mémorial de Caen. A third day is what makes the trip work for anyone not coming for the history: Bayeux in the morning and then the cider route of the Pays d'Auge or Mont-Saint-Michel.

## Why sleep in Bayeux?

It is inland and in the middle of the front: the American sector lies to the west and the British to the east, so no visit of the day is far away. It has a direct train from Paris Saint-Lazare, the guided minibus tours leave from there and it has the biggest selection of hotels and restaurants in the area. British troops arriving from Gold Beach entered the town on 7 June 1944 without a fight, and the old town and the cathedral were preserved. If you want to wake up facing the sea, there are hotels in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, above Omaha, and motorhome areas at Arromanches.

## Do you need a car?

To see the five beaches in two days, yes. Without a car, the alternative is the guided minibus tours from Bayeux, from April to October. The Nomad 120 bus links Bayeux station with Colleville-sur-Mer, but it makes few trips a day and the timetable changes with the season: it works for the cemetery, not for a route.

## In what order do you see the beaches?

From west to east they are Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. From Bayeux, go west one day and leave the cemetery for the end of the afternoon, when the flag is lowered. The other day go east and finish in Caen. Sword is today an urban coast around Ouistreham: it is enough to see it in passing on the way to Pegasus Bridge.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Second World War routes
- Cerca: Étretat (a 82.5 km), Mont-Saint-Michel (a 94.7 km), Cancale (a 107.6 km), Saint-Malo (a 119.0 km)

## Qué hacer
- **D-Day Route in Two Days** (16 h · From age 10 · Cemeteries and batteries free · museums paid): One sector a day, with the afternoon of the first reserved for the American cemetery.
- **Omaha Beach and the Colleville American Cemetery** (2 h · From age 10; with small children, the beach only · Free · free parking): What it is
Omaha is one of the two beaches of the American sector on 6 June 1944. On the cliff that overlooks it, in Colleville-sur-Mer, stands the Normandy American Cemetery, built where the US First Army opened the first American cemetery of the war on European soil on 8 June 1944. It is run by the ABMC, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and more than a million people visit it every year. Entry is free.
Allow about two hours for the cemetery and the beach. It is a place of silence: go in discreet clothing and unhurried.
What you see

The visitor centre, opened in 2007 in a wooded area east of the cemetery, with the exhibition that explains D-Day. Start here.
The memorial: a semicircular colonnade with maps and accounts of the operations, and at the centre the bronze statue The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. An orientation table on the cliff shows the landings.
The Garden of the Missing, behind the memorial, with almost 1,600 names engraved on the walls; a rosette marks those who were later found and identified.
The graves: almost 9,400 graves in rows over about 70 hectares, with a pond, a circular chapel and, at the far end, granite statues representing the United States and France.

The flag lowering
Every day, an hour before closing, the flag is lowered to the sound of a bugle. People stand still until it ends. If you want to see it, arrive with time to spare.
Opening hours
Open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, except 25 December and 1 January; entry ends at 16:30. It is open on French public holidays. Staff at the visitor centre are on hand to answer questions and to accompany relatives to a grave. In summer there are guided tours. For now you do not need to book, although the ABMC has announced changes to the reservation system: check its website before you go.
Omaha Beach
Since 2016 the path from the cemetery to the beach has been closed for safety reasons. To get down to the sand, drive to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, a few minutes to the west, where the sculpture Les Braves stands on the beach. At low tide the beach is enormous and you can understand the distance the soldiers had to cross under fire.
Getting there and parking
From Bayeux, follow the N13 towards Formigny and then the D517 towards Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and the D514 to Colleville-sur-Mer; the entrance is signposted. The cemetery car park is free, next to the visitor centre.
Without a car, the Nomad 120 bus links Bayeux station with Colleville with only a few journeys a day; the ABMC recommends sorting out your return transport before setting off. The alternative is the minibus tours from Bayeux.
With children
The cemetery is a place of reflection and is better understood from about 10 years old. With small children, make a short visit to the memorial and then go down to the beach at Saint-Laurent.
Where to eat and sleep
Beside Omaha, the La Sapinière restaurant is open from March to early November, and La Sapinière has rooms by the beach. To continue the route, Pointe du Hoc is about 11 km to the west.
- **Pointe du Hoc** (45 min · All ages, holding children's hands near the cliff · Free): What it is
Pointe du Hoc is the headland between Utah and Omaha that the American Rangers scaled on 6 June 1944. The Germans had 155 mm artillery pieces there, capable of hitting both American beaches. Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder's 2nd Ranger Battalion was to land at 6:30, climb about 30 metres of cliff and destroy them. They arrived late, lost two landing craft and climbed under fire; at the top they found the guns had been moved inland, tracked them down and put them out of action. After two days of fighting, when relief arrived from Omaha, only about 90 Rangers were still standing.
The terrain remains almost as they left it: full of bomb craters and shattered bunkers. On one of them, a granite pillar with plaques in French and English commemorates the Rangers. It has been run by the ABMC since 1979 and entry is free.
Works until mid-2027
The site has been undergoing full restoration since February 2026, to protect the cliff from erosion and renew the paths, car park, welcome area, visitor centre and memorial esplanade. While the works last:

The visitor centre is closed since 9 March 2026. There is a staffed welcome point next to the temporary car park.
The main car park (P1) is closed until early 2027. There are alternative car parks, limited in number: follow the signs.
Part of the historic site is closed since mid-May 2026. You can only walk the west trail, which is well signposted.

ABMC guides walk around the site to answer questions, and in season there are talks and tours announced on their social media and on the information panels.
Hours and price
Open every day, including French public holidays, from 9:00 to 17:00. The ABMC visiting page says that from October to March it closes at midday, from 12:30 to 13:30; the works page speaks of continuous hours. If you go in winter, avoid that slot. Entry is free and no reservation is needed.
Getting there and parking
Pointe du Hoc is in Cricqueville-en-Bessin, about 11 km west of the American cemetery. From Bayeux, follow the N13, then the D517 to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and turn left onto the D514; at a roundabout about 10 km west of Saint-Laurent, a sign points to La Pointe du Hoc. Park where the staff direct you.
Without a car, the ABMC points out that public transport is scarce: the practical option is the minibus tours from Bayeux.
How long and when to go
Three quarters of an hour is enough for the west trail while the works last. The site is outdoors and very exposed to the wind: bring a waterproof. In summer, first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon there are usually fewer people.
With children and teenagers
Teenagers find it more impressive than any museum: you see the craters and bunkers up close. With small children, hold their hands at all times: the cliff edges and the craters are dangerous. With a pushchair, the grass and dirt path becomes difficult after rain.
On the route
Pointe du Hoc lies between Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église, to the west, and Omaha Beach and the American cemetery, to the east.
- **Arromanches and the Remains of the Artificial Harbour** (2 h · All ages; the museum from about age 8 · Desde 12.9 € adult · children aged 6 to 18, €8.30): What it is
Off Arromanches, in the Gold Beach sector, the great concrete caissons of the artificial harbour that the Allies assembled after the landings are still in the sea. It was Mulberry B, renamed Port Winston: floating piers that rose and fell with the tide, joined to the beach by steel roads on pontoons, and protected by breakwaters of Phoenix caissons deliberately sunk. The pieces were made in England, mostly between October 1943 and May 1944, and crossed the Channel under tow from 7 June. It was operating from 14 June 1944. Its twin at Omaha, Mulberry A, was wrecked by the storm of 19 to 21 June; the Arromanches one held.
The visit has two parts: the Musée du Débarquement, on the village promenade, which explains how it worked, and the beach with the remains of the harbour, which can be seen for free.
The museum
It starts with a background film and continues on the first floor: a projection on the five landing beaches, the animated historical models of the harbour and a video mapping on a 25 m² model that shows what the harbour was used for in the Battle of Normandy. The audio guide is included in the ticket and the visit is adapted for children. The average visit lasts an hour and a half.
Hours

February: from 10:00 to 17:00.
March and October: from 9:30 to 17:30.
April and September: from 9:00 to 18:00.
May to August: from 9:00 to 19:00.
November and December: from 10:00 to 17:00.

On Sundays it opens at 10:00, except in June, July and August. It is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, and has an annual closure in January (in 2026, from the 5th to the 27th). The ticket office closes 45 minutes before the museum.
Prices
2026 rates, only at the museum ticket office:

Adults: €12.90.
Children aged 6 to 18 and students: €8.30.
Family (2 adults and 2 children aged 6 to 18): €37, and €4 for each additional child.
People with disabilities: free.

If you keep your adult ticket from the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, you get €1 off here, and vice versa. The museum also applies discounts from the Explore Normandy Pass.
The beach and the remains of the harbour
From the promenade and the beach you see the Phoenix caissons lined up in the sea, and in the village pontoons from the floating roads are displayed. At low tide the beach opens up and the remains are better seen; at high tide the water reaches almost the promenade.
Getting there and parking
Arromanches is on the coast north of Bayeux. In summer arrive early if you are driving: the village is small and fills up. If you are in a motorhome, there is the Arromanches area. Without a car, the minibus tours from Bayeux usually include Arromanches.
Combine it
A little to the west, along the coast, is the Longues-sur-Mer battery, with its guns still in the casemates. Together they fill a morning.
- **Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église** (4 h · From about age 8 · Desde 10 € adult at Utah · Airborne Museum, €11.50): What it is
Utah was the westernmost D-Day beach, in the American sector, and Sainte-Mère-Église, a few kilometres inland, was the village where the paratroopers dropped on the night of 5 to 6 June 1944. Together they can be seen in half a day with two museums: the Musée du Débarquement de Utah Beach, built on the beach itself, and the Airborne Museum, devoted to the airborne troops.
The Utah Beach museum
It is in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, on the sand where the troops landed. It tells the story of the landing with documents, uniforms, military equipment and everyday objects, and holds a genuine full-size bomber. When you leave, you have the beach, the monuments and remains of the German defences.

Hours: from October to April, every day from 10:00 to 18:00; from May to September, 9:30 to 19:00. Closed from 16 November to 14 December. The ticket office closes an hour earlier.
Price: €10 adults; €7.50 students; €6.50 children aged 6 to 15; free for under-6s.
Guided tours, in French and English, booked by phone: 45 minutes inside the museum, or 1 hour 30 with the museum, the monuments and the beach. You pay on the day of the visit.

It is wheelchair accessible, with two lifts and reserved parking spaces; a wheelchair is lent at reception. Small dogs are admitted in a bag. There is an independent restaurant on site.
The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église
In the centre of the village, it tells the story of the jumps of the American airborne divisions, such as the 101st. It has five pavilions, one with a C-47 aircraft and a parachute jump simulator, spectacular scenes and interactive screens. The augmented-reality tablet, the Histopad, is a big hit with children, and there is a children's route with its own panels. The museum is designed so that children do not see harsh images. The visit takes about two hours.

Hours: May to August, 9:00 to 19:00; April and September, 9:30 to 18:30; October to March, 10:00 to 18:00. Closed in December and January, except the Christmas holidays (except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January). The ticket office closes one hour earlier, without exception.
Price: €11.50 adults; €7.50 children; free for under-6s. Family (2 adults and 2 children): €33.
Cross discounts: with an adult ticket from Utah Beach or the Arromanches museum you get €1 off here, and vice versa.
Animals only in a closed carrier.

Getting there and parking
By car, the N13 from Caen towards Cherbourg is a free dual carriageway. For Utah Beach, leave towards Sainte-Marie-du-Mont (D913 from Caen) and continue 5 km towards the beach: the museum car park is on the right. Sainte-Mère-Église is about 45 minutes from Caen. The nearest railway station is Carentan, on the Paris to Cherbourg line, 17 km from Utah Beach; bikes can be hired in Carentan.
Order and timing
Start at Sainte-Mère-Église first thing and then head down to Utah Beach: that way you finish on the beach. Allow about two hours in each museum. If you continue east, Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach and the American cemetery complete the day.
With children
The Airborne Museum is very well designed for children, with the simulator, the Histopad and its children's route. At Utah, the beach and the bomber work well from about 8 years old. Under-6s get in free at both.
- **Mémorial de Caen** (4 h · From age 10; some rooms are harrowing · Desde 20.8 € adult · ages 10 to 18, €18.50): What it is
The Mémorial de Caen is the museum that puts D-Day in context: not just 6 June 1944, but the whole of the Second World War, from its causes to its consequences, and the Cold War that came after. If the beaches show you the place, the Mémorial explains why it happened. A full visit takes about four hours on average, and some rooms are harrowing: it is designed for teenagers and adults.
What you see

The Second World War: the French defeat of 1940, life under the occupation, the Vichy regime, collaboration and the Resistance; then the world war, from Operation Barbarossa and Pearl Harbor in 1941, when the Soviets and the Americans join the Allies.
D-Day and the Battle of Normandy: the 1944 rooms, the ones of most interest if you come for the beaches.
General Richter's underground bunker, the German command post, which you visit as part of the tour.
The Cold War, the last part of the tour.
The gardens of remembrance, outdoors, next to the museum.

The library and a permanent exhibition on the war reporter Patrick Chauvel are open and free of charge. There are also temporary exhibitions.
Opening hours

From 1 April to 30 September: every day from 9:00 to 19:00.
The rest of the year: shorter hours; in November 2026, from 9:30 to 18:00.
Closures: Wednesdays 4, 18 and 25 November and 2, 9 and 16 December 2026.

Ticket sales at the ticket office end 1 hour 15 minutes before closing. Check the day's calendar on the museum's website.
Prices

Adults aged 18 to 65: €20.80.
Ages 10 to 18 and over 65: €18.50.
Post-secondary students: €6.
Family pass (two adults and at least one child aged 10 to 18, or one adult and at least two): €53.

Buy online in high season to avoid queuing. The Explore Normandy Pass gives discounts at sites around the region.
Getting there and parking
The Mémorial is on esplanade Général-Eisenhower, north of Caen. It has free parking for cars and a motorhome area (€13.70 a night, €5.50 for services only, closed from 21:00 to 8:45).
Without a car, from the centre of Caen take bus 2 towards "Caen Mémorial"; from the station, the Ellipse 6a or 6b circular line. From Paris Saint-Lazare the train takes about two hours to Caen. From Bayeux, Caen is on the train line towards Paris.
Facilities and accessibility
There is a cloakroom and left-luggage, a baby area, equipment loans, free wifi, a shop-bookshop and the Bistrot du Mémorial, open all day even for people not visiting the museum; it closes half an hour before the museum. It is accessible for people with reduced mobility. Animals are not admitted, except assistance dogs.
With teenagers
It works well from about 12 years old if they are interested in history; with younger children, stick to the 1944 rooms and the gardens. The museum has a family visit section on its website. If you only have an afternoon, head straight for the D-Day and Battle of Normandy rooms.
Trips to the beaches
The Mémorial itself runs guided day trips to the D-Day beaches, to the American sector or to Gold, Juno and Omaha, departing from the museum. Prices and dates are on its website. If you are staying in Bayeux, there are also minibus tours from Bayeux.
- **German Battery at Longues-sur-Mer** (45 min · All ages · Independent visit · free · guided visit €10): What it is
The Longues-sur-Mer battery is one of the best-preserved pieces of the Atlantic Wall, the line of defences that the Germans built along the coast. It is at the top of the cliff, between Arromanches and Port-en-Bessin, and was built from 1943. It consists of four concrete casemates in a row facing the sea, most of which keep their 150 mm guns, and further on, at the cliff edge, the observation and fire-control post. On 6 June 1944 it went into action against the Allied fleet; afterwards the British took it.
It is one of the few places on the coast where you see the guns in place, and that makes it very easy to understand, for teenagers too.
What you see

The four casemates. You look into them and see the guns up close.
The fire-control post. The bunker at the cliff edge from which fire was directed. Its interior is closed for safety; it is seen from outside.
The coast. From the cliff edge you see the coastline towards Arromanches and Gold Beach to the east, and towards Omaha to the west.

Independent visit
Entry is free all year. The tourist office at the entrance gives out a map and suggests a 1 km heritage trail with eight panels. Allow half an hour to three-quarters of an hour.
Guided visit
Guided visits are run by the interpreter-guides who work with the Bayeux Intercom tourist office: they go round the casemates and the observation post and tell the story of the battery, from its construction to its capture. They leave from in front of the site's reception building.

Price: €10 adults, €7 under-16s.
Hours: according to the seasonal visit calendar published by the Bayeux Bessin tourist office on its website.

Getting there and parking
The battery is at Longues-sur-Mer, between Arromanches and Port-en-Bessin, north of Bayeux. Park where the site's signs indicate. By bike, the Vélomaritime, the coastal greenway, links Arromanches with Longues-sur-Mer.
Without a car, see the minibus tours from Bayeux.
With children
The route is outdoors, over grass and paths, and works well with children: the guns impress them more than any display case. Keep an eye on them near the cliff. With a pushchair, expect grass and mud if it has rained.
When to go
It is open all year. In summer, early or at the end of the afternoon is calmer. On windy and rainy days, the cliff edge is very exposed: bring a waterproof and footwear for wet grass.
Combine it
It goes very well with Arromanches and the artificial harbour, a little further east, and with Omaha Beach and the American cemetery, to the west. If you sleep in Bayeux, it is handy for a morning.
- **Bayeux, Old Town and Cathedral** (3 h · All ages · Old town and cathedral free · battle museum €8.50): What it is
Bayeux is the natural base for exploring the D-Day beaches, a few kilometres from the coast. Its old town, around the cathedral and rue Saint-Jean, can be seen on foot in a morning, and almost all of it is free. This year its most famous piece is missing: the Bayeux Tapestry is in London and its museum is closed for building work.
The cathedral
Notre-Dame cathedral was consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror, his wife Matilda and Bishop Odo, William's half-brother. The tapestry may have been displayed for the first time then, and the cathedral kept it for centuries. The building mixes two eras: the crypt from around 1050 and the facade towers are Romanesque, while the choir and the upper part of the nave are 13th-century Gothic. It is 102 metres long and its spires reach 76.60 metres.
Don't miss:

The Romanesque crypt, with three barrel-vaulted aisles and 15th-century frescoes.
The chapter house, beside the north tower, with a glazed-tile floor that traces a medieval labyrinth and a mural of the Coronation of the Virgin.
The central tower, Gothic in its first stage and topped in the 19th century with a copper dome.

The treasury can only be visited on guided tours. Check times of masses and tours with the cathedral or the Bayeux tourist office.
The old town
From the cathedral, walk down through the town centre and follow rue Saint-Jean, the main street, with half-timbered houses and stone facades. On Saturday mornings there is a market in place Saint-Patrice, and on Wednesday mornings on rue Saint-Jean itself. For lunch, La Table du Lion is at 71 rue Saint-Jean and Le Pommier on rue des Cuisiniers.
The tapestry, in London
The Bayeux Tapestry Museum closed on 1 September 2025 for a two-year renovation and expects to reopen in October 2027. In the meantime the tapestry is on show at the British Museum in London from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027. If you travel in these dates, you will not see it in Bayeux.
The Battle of Normandy museum and the British cemetery
On boulevard Fabian Ware, a short walk from the centre, the Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie tells the story of the fighting in the summer of 1944 after D-Day. It is open daily: 9:30 to 18:30 from 1 May to 30 September, and 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00 the rest of the year, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. It closes in the afternoon on 24 and 25 December, in the afternoon on 31 December and on 1 January, and for about two weeks in January.

Price: €8.50 adults, €5 schoolchildren and students, free for under-10s. Ticket office only.
Two-museum pass, with the MAHB (the city's art and history museum): €14.

Opposite is the Bayeux War Cemetery, the largest British Second World War cemetery in France: 4,648 graves, including 3,935 British, 181 Canadian and 466 German. At the memorial across the road you can read the names of 2,092 Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave, beneath a Latin inscription recalling William the Conqueror: those he conquered have liberated his homeland.
Getting there and parking
Bayeux has a railway station with services from Paris Saint-Lazare; from there it is a 10 to 15 minute walk to the centre and the museums. By car from Caen, take the N13 to exit 36. There are car parks next to the museums and around the centre; if you are in a motorhome, the Bayeux service area is a 10-minute walk from the centre.
With children and accessibility
The old town can be explored on foot and with a pushchair. The Bayeux museums are wheelchair accessible and lend wheelchairs; they do not admit animals or bulky bags. With children, the battle museum works from about 10 years old, the age at which they start paying.
- **Pegasus Bridge** (20 min · All ages · Free from the outside): What it is
Pegasus Bridge is the bascule bridge over the Caen canal to the sea, in Bénouville, which British airborne troops took by surprise in the first hour of 6 June 1944. Major John Howard's gliders landed next to it at about 0:16, before the beach landings began, and within minutes they controlled the bridge; another group simultaneously took the Ranville bridge over the River Orne. The name comes from the emblem of the British 6th Airborne Division: the winged horse Pegasus.
Today it is a short stop of twenty minutes between the coast and Caen. The bridge you see is not the 1944 one: the original, from 1935, was replaced in 1994 by a similar, longer one, and the old one is on display in the museum next door.
What you see

The current bridge, over the same canal and on the same spot as the 1944 one.
The Café Gondrée, beside the bridge, which presents itself as the first house liberated in mainland France; some historians dispute this and point to another house across the road.
The Mémorial Pegasus, the museum of the 6th Airborne Division, in Ranville, on the other side of the canal. It holds the original bridge, a Horsa glider and a Bailey bridge.

The museum, closed for building work
The Mémorial Pegasus is undergoing building work. In 2026 it opened from 2 March to 31 August, with reduced prices because of the works, and is closed from 1 September to 15 December 2026. In 2027 it will close from January to May, and the reopening date has not yet been set; the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église treats it as closed until June 2027. Check its website before you go.
When it is open, the visit takes 1 hour 15 minutes on average. The 2026 rates were €8.50 for adults and €5 for children and students, with a €1 discount with the Explore Normandy Pass.
Getting there and parking
The bridge is in Bénouville, on the canal between Caen and Ouistreham, east of the beach sector. The museum is at 1 avenue du Major Howard, in Ranville. Park where the signs indicate and cross on foot.
When to go
While the museum is closed, it is not worth a separate trip: stop here in passing, between Sword Beach, Ouistreham and the Mémorial de Caen. When it reopens, allow an hour and a half for the museum and the bridge.
With children
The story of the gliders landing at night beside the bridge goes down well with children. With the museum closed, the stop is short and outdoors.
- **The Pays d'Auge Cider and Calvados Route** (6 h · 40 km · All ages; children try juice · Route free · tastings and visits paid): What it is
The cider route is a signposted circuit of about 40 km along the back roads of the Pays d'Auge, east of Caen. It links the villages of Beuvron-en-Auge, Cambremer, Bonnebosq and Beaufour-Druval through hills, apple orchards, meadows with cows, half-timbered houses, manor houses and stud farms behind white fences. Along the way there are more than twenty producers of cider, pommeau and calvados where you can stop to taste and buy. It is the day that balances the trip: no bunkers.
Allow a whole day with two or three stops at producers and an unhurried lunch.
What you drink

Cider: fermented from cider apples, which are not eating apples, blended in proportions each house keeps to itself. It is between 3 and 5 per cent ABV.
Pommeau: the Normandy aperitif, apple juice with calvados, aged in a barrel until it takes on an amber colour. It is served chilled.
Calvados: cider brandy, distilled twice and aged in oak barrels. Unlike cider, it improves with the years.

Producers with the Cru de Cambremer appellation have their own sign on the route.
The route, step by step

Beuvron-en-Auge. Start here: it is one of the villages classed among the most beautiful in France. Call in at the tourist office to pick up the route map.
Towards Cambremer. Follow the Route du Cidre signs along narrow roads between orchards. Stop at one or two producers; Calvados Pierre Huet, in Cambremer, shows its distillery and has a shop Monday to Saturday, and also on Sundays and public holidays from April to September.
Cambremer. It gives its name to the Cru de Cambremer, the area's cider appellation.
Bonnebosq and Beaufour-Druval. The loop back passes manor houses and stud farms before returning towards Beuvron.

A detour for cheese: Livarot
Further south, in Livarot, the E. Graindorge cheese dairy, founded in 1910, has a free tour, the Village Fromager: you watch the workshops from glazed galleries, with videos and a camembert room, and at the end you taste for free the four Normandy cheeses with a protected designation of origin: livarot, pont-l'évêque, camembert and neufchâtel. Allow an hour and a half.

2 November to 31 March: Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 17:30; Saturdays 10:00 to 13:00. Closed on 1 January, 1 and 11 November and 25 December.
April to June and September to October: Monday to Saturday, 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30.
July and August: Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 17:30 and Sundays 10:30 to 17:30.

Go in the morning, Tuesday to Saturday, to see more stages of production; on Sundays there is no activity in the workshops. There are leaflets in Spanish that translate the videos.
Getting there and getting around
You need a car or a bike: there is no practical public transport between the producers. From Caen you head east; Beuvron-en-Auge is signposted. The route can also be done by bike: the Normandie Cabourg Pays d'Auge tourist office publishes a cycling circuit through the Cru de Cambremer, starting at Cambremer or Beuvron-en-Auge.
When to go
From spring to autumn producers tend to have longer hours; in winter many open fewer days, so call ahead. In autumn Normandy celebrates its apple and cider festivals: Normandie Tourisme publishes the calendar.
With children and if you are driving
It works with children: there are orchards, small villages and apple juice for them at the tastings. If you are driving, taste only a little or buy to take away and drink when you arrive.
- **A Day at Mont-Saint-Michel** (8 h · All ages; with a pushchair, only the lower part · Village free · abbey €13 (€16 from April to September), free for under-18s): What it is
Mont-Saint-Michel is a rocky islet in the bay that separates Normandy from Brittany, crowned by an abbey and surrounded by a walled village. From Bayeux it is over an hour away by motorway, so it is a full-day excursion, off the D-Day beaches route. The village is a municipality and can be entered freely, at any time and without a ticket; you only pay for the abbey.
The abbey
It stands at the top of the rock, with the abbey church at the summit and the monastery buildings below. Your ticket gets you into all the rooms that are open, temporary exhibitions included. The visit is self-guided, with an optional visit tablet; there are also guided lecture tours.
Opening hours

From 1 May to 31 August: 9:00 to 19:00.
From 1 September to 30 April: 9:30 to 18:00.
Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Last entry is one hour before closing. There may be occasional changes to the hours; the abbey's website announces them.
Prices

From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027: €13, at the ticket office or online.
From 1 April to 30 September 2026: €16.
Free: under-18s, young people aged 18 to 25 from the European Union, people with a disability card and one companion, and for everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December.
Lecture tour: €20.50 until 31 March 2027 (€24 from April to September); €6 for under-17s.

Minors must enter accompanied by an adult.
The climb
From the car park to the abbey entrance allow 45 minutes to an hour on foot, depending on the crowds: first the shuttle, then the village's Grande Rue and the stairs. The abbey has many steps and calls for good fitness; it is difficult in a wheelchair, with certain medical conditions and with a pushchair, which has to be folded. With small children, bring a baby carrier.
Getting there and parking
By car from Caen, take the A84 motorway towards Rennes: exit 8, the N175 to Pontaubault and then the D43, D75 and D275 roads to the Mont. You cannot park next to the islet: you leave your car in the paid car parks on the mainland and a free, frequent shuttle takes you to the foot of the Mont. Car park rates are published on the website of the Mont-Saint-Michel public body, with a discount if you book a space online.
Without a car, there is no practical direct connection from Bayeux: the nearest station is Pontorson, with trains from Caen, and there are Keolis Armor buses from Rennes and Saint-Malo. From Paris you can take the train to Villedieu-les-Poêles, Rennes or Pontorson and connect by coach.
Abbey rules
There is a security check with a metal detector arch and bag inspection. Suitcases and bags larger than cabin luggage, knives (including picnic cutlery), scissors, glass bottles, scooters and animals, even in a carrier, are not allowed. The abbey has no left-luggage: there is some at the tourist information centre and at the entrance to the village. You may not eat inside, either in the rooms or on the terraces. There are free toilets with baby-changing facilities at the start and halfway along the route.
When to go
In July and August the Grande Rue fills up from mid-morning: arrive early or enter the abbey late in the day. Outside summer the abbey costs less (€13) and the village is easier to walk. On the first Sunday of November, December, January, February and March the abbey is free for everyone.
Planning it from Bayeux
Set off early, have lunch at the Mont or on the way, and come back in the afternoon. If you want to split the journey, the Mont is on the way to Brittany: Saint-Malo is nearby. Return to Bayeux to sleep and leave the next day for the beaches.

## Dónde comer
- **Le Pommier** (Restaurant, Bayeux, €€). Qué pedir: one of its two menus, with regional produce.
- **La Table du Lion** (Restaurant, Bayeux, €€€). Qué pedir: the lunchtime menu.
- **La Sapinière Restaurant** (Restaurant, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, €€). Qué pedir: French cooking with local produce, on the terrace if the weather is good.
- **Calvados Pierre Huet** (Winery, Cambremer). Qué pedir: a tasting of cider, pommeau and calvados; juice for children.
- **Bayeux Market** (Market, Bayeux). Qué pedir: cheese, cider and something to eat on the road.

## By car: The Usual: Two Nights in Bayeux
With a car you can see the coast in two days, one sector a day, and on the third go to the cider route or Mont-Saint-Michel. Bayeux is in the middle and distances are short.
Presupuesto orientativo: 90–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hôtel Le Lion d'Or** (Hotel, desde 99 € / night): An 18th-century coaching inn on the pedestrian street in the centre, with its own restaurant. From here you can walk to all of Bayeux.
- **Hôtel d'Argouges** (Small hotel): A hotel on rue Saint-Patrice with its own car park: you set off early for the coast without hunting for a space.
- **La Sapinière** (Small hotel): To wake up facing Omaha and be at the American cemetery in five minutes. It has a garden, a restaurant and admits pets.
### Servicios
- **American Cemetery Car Park**: Colleville-sur-Mer · free · next to the visitor centre
- **Explore Normandy Pass**: Premium version at €1 per person · discounts at more than 70 museums and sites · QR code on your phone

## By plane: Flying to Paris and a Train or Car to Bayeux
From Spain the practical option is to fly to Paris, where there are direct flights from the main cities, and continue by train or car: Bayeux is about 270 km from the capital. Caen-Carpiquet airport is half an hour from Bayeux, but has few routes: check whether there is a flight from your city that season before counting on it.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Hôtel Le Lion d'Or** (Hotel, desde 99 € / night): An 18th-century coaching inn on the pedestrian street in the centre, with its own restaurant. From here you can walk to all of Bayeux.
- **Hôtel d'Argouges** (Small hotel): A hotel on rue Saint-Patrice with its own car park: you set off early for the coast without hunting for a space.
- **Hôtel de la Gare** (Hotel): A family-run hotel since 1962, opposite the station. The minibus tours to the beaches start at its reception: you arrive by train and need nothing else.
- **Hôtel Churchill** (Hotel, desde 150 € / night): Rooms for up to four people in the centre, within walking distance of the cathedral and the restaurants. Closed from 30 November 2026 to 28 February 2027.
- **La Sapinière** (Small hotel): To wake up facing Omaha and be at the American cemetery in five minutes. It has a garden, a restaurant and admits pets.
### Servicios
- **Car Hire in Bayeux**: Hertz and Free2Move have an office in Bayeux, in the Vaucelles area · office hours, Monday to Friday · book ahead in season

## Car-free: By Train to Bayeux and Minibus to the Beaches
It can be done, on two conditions: travel from April to October, when the minibus tours run, and accept that the guide chooses the sites. Bayeux can be explored on foot and has a direct train from Paris.
Presupuesto orientativo: 150–220 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hôtel Le Lion d'Or** (Hotel, desde 99 € / night): An 18th-century coaching inn on the pedestrian street in the centre, with its own restaurant. From here you can walk to all of Bayeux.
- **Hôtel de la Gare** (Hotel): A family-run hotel since 1962, opposite the station. The minibus tours to the beaches start at its reception: you arrive by train and need nothing else.
- **Hôtel Churchill** (Hotel, desde 150 € / night): Rooms for up to four people in the centre, within walking distance of the cathedral and the restaurants. Closed from 30 November 2026 to 28 February 2027.
### Servicios
- **Guided Minibus Tours from Bayeux**: Normandy Tours · 1 to 8 people · half day from €95, full day €160 · April to October
- **Explore Normandy Pass**: Premium version at €1 per person · discounts at more than 70 museums and sites · QR code on your phone
- **Nomad 120 Bus to Colleville**: Bayeux station – Colleville-sur-Mer · few journeys a day · check the season's timetable at nomad.normandie.fr
- **Car Hire in Bayeux**: Hertz and Free2Move have an office in Bayeux, in the Vaucelles area · office hours, Monday to Friday · book ahead in season

## By campervan: Municipal Areas in Bayeux and Arromanches
The coast is well equipped: Arromanches has large areas above the village and Bayeux has one ten minutes' walk from the centre. In winter the Bayeux campsite closes and the areas remain.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–80 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir in a campervan
- **Camping des Bords de l'Aure** (Campsite, desde 23.9 € / pitch): A three-star campsite on the banks of the Aure, on boulevard Eindhoven. It has mobile homes and tents for cyclists, and the centre of Bayeux is close.
- **Arromanches Motorhome Area** (Campervan area, desde 12.5 € / pitch): A municipal area beside the Arromanches 360 cinema, above the village, open all year. You can walk down to the museum and to the beach with the Mulberry harbour.
### Servicios
- **Explore Normandy Pass**: Premium version at €1 per person · discounts at more than 70 museums and sites · QR code on your phone
- **Bayeux Motorhome Service Area and Parking**: Municipal area renovated in 2026, 10 min walk from the centre · entrance via rue de Verdun · 25 spaces for vehicles under 8 m · paid, with water and waste disposal

## With teenagers: What They Can Touch Tells Them More Than Display Cases

From 12 or 13 years old, the D-Day coast tends to interest them more than they expect, especially if they have seen a film or series. What works is what you walk around: craters, casemates, the beach. What tires them is linking one museum after another.

### What works best
Pointe du Hoc: the bomb craters and the shattered bunkers

The Longues battery, where you walk into the casemates with the guns

The flag lowering at Colleville: a few minutes, and they remember it

The Mémorial de Caen, from about 15 years old and for no more than half a day

### Where to sleep
Bayeux, so they can get around the centre on their own in the evening

Rooms for four in the centre, like those at the Hôtel Churchill

### Eating
The Saturday market in Bayeux, so each can choose

Arromanches at lunchtime, with the beach in front

### Keep in mind
More than two museums a day is too much: alternate with outdoor sites

The Mémorial and some rooms at Utah have harsh images; ask them beforehand

Mont-Saint-Michel or the cider route on the third day gives a break from the war

At the cemetery, explain beforehand what is expected: silence and stillness during the flag lowering

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- D-Day Route in Two Days
- Omaha Beach and the Colleville American Cemetery
- Pointe du Hoc
- Arromanches and the Remains of the Artificial Harbour
- Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église
- Mémorial de Caen
- German Battery at Longues-sur-Mer
- A Day at Mont-Saint-Michel

## As a family: Few Museums, More Open Air and a Day Without War

With children of different ages, the key is to choose. The batteries and the beaches can be explored at everyone's pace; museums, one a day and a short one. With children under 6, the trip becomes long: nothing is designed for them and the cemeteries ask for a silence they won't keep up for long.

### What works best
The Longues battery and Pointe du Hoc, outdoors and free

The museum at Arromanches, with models, and the beach with the harbour remains

The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, with a comic-book exhibition in 2026

Mont-Saint-Michel or the cider route as a rest day

### Where to sleep
Camping des Bords de l'Aure, with mobile homes, April to October

Hotels with rooms for four in the centre of Bayeux

### Eating
A picnic with what you buy at the Bayeux market

Apple juice at the Pays d'Auge tastings

### Keep in mind
At Pointe du Hoc, hold children's hands: the paths run beside the cliff

Under-6s do not pay at Utah or the Airborne Museum; at the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, neither do under-18s

At Mont-Saint-Michel there are many stairs: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair

A small child copes poorly with more than an hour of museum at a stretch

### Qué hacer as a family
- Pointe du Hoc
- Arromanches and the Remains of the Artificial Harbour
- Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église
- German Battery at Longues-sur-Mer
- Bayeux, Old Town and Cathedral
- The Pays d'Auge Cider and Calvados Route
- A Day at Mont-Saint-Michel

## Consejos

### Leave the cemetery for the afternoon
The flag is lowered every day an hour before closing: around 17:00 from April to September and around 16:00 the rest of the year. The entrance closes half an hour before the site does.

### Behave as you would in a cemetery
Speak quietly, don't sit or lean on the crosses and leave food in the car. During the flag lowering, people stand still and silent until the bugle call ends.

### Get the Explore Normandy Pass
The premium version costs €1 per person and gives discounts at more than 70 museums and sites in the region. You get it on the website before you go and show the QR code at the ticket office.

### Out of season, check the opening hours
In winter museums close earlier and some stop in January: the one in Arromanches was closed from 5 to 27 January 2026. The Mémorial de Caen closes on some Wednesdays in November and December.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need to see the D-Day beaches?
Two full days for the coast, one per sector. With three, you add Bayeux and an activity that has nothing to do with the war.

### Is it better to sleep in Bayeux or Caen?
Bayeux, because it is in the middle of the front and has the guided tours. Caen has more city and the Mémorial, but is at the eastern end.

### Can the beaches be seen without a car?
Yes, with a guided minibus tour from Bayeux, from April to October: half a day around the Omaha sector from €95 per person, or the whole day with Utah from €160. By public transport you can only comfortably reach the American cemetery.

### How much does it cost to enter the American cemetery?
Nothing. Entry and parking are free and no booking is needed. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

### Can I go with children?
With children from about 10, yes: the batteries at Longues and Pointe du Hoc are toured in the open air and the museums at Arromanches and Sainte-Mère-Église have models and vehicles. With small children, the route becomes long and the museums have harsh images; choose one or two outdoor sites and the beach.

### Can I see the Bayeux Tapestry?
Not until 2027. It is on show at the British Museum in London until 11 July 2027 and the Bayeux museum is due to reopen in autumn 2027.

### What is there that isn't history?
The old town and cathedral of Bayeux, the Saturday market, the cider and calvados route of the Pays d'Auge and, a day away, Mont-Saint-Michel.