Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église

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.