Mémorial de Caen

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.