Visit the D-Day Landing sites of Normandy
Top 10 activities and places of interest

The main sites to discover in Omaha Beach are the following:

• Omaha Beach: As you walk along Omaha Beach, you will understand how its layout made landing there particularly difficult. This beach is indeed huge and flat, with a clear view for the German gunners housed in large bunkers. The bombardment was not very effective, and the American soldiers had to fight their way through the bullets and came very close to giving up. It was not until they tried so hard that they finally made it to the beach, at the cost of the lives of many young soldiers. It is estimated that 1,000 to 3,000 Americans died in Omaha and thousands more were wounded (exact figures are unknown).
  Price & Online Booking for activities in Omaha Beach: Tandem paragliding / Land sailing session / Sea Kayaking / Catamaran sailing / Stand-up paddle / Fatbike
• American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer: this territory officially belongs to the United States. This land was indeed symbolically ceded by France to the Americans. It is a place with a heavy yet peaceful atmosphere, with a great view of the sea and Omaha Beach. Thousands of soldiers who died during the Battle of Normandy rest here in peace. Many people come here to pay their respects, as can be seen at the beginning of the film We Must Save Soldier Ryan. It is a strong and moving visit, where the lined up graves draw an almost endless path, witnessing the absurdity of such a war.
• Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer – Theme: the Battle of Normandy + Beautiful collection of vehicles: this great museum retraces the history of the Battle of Normandy. The staging is made very carefully close to reality. You will be able to see many period pieces including more than 40 vehicles, tanks and guns.
  Price: Overload Museum
  
• Memorial Museum of Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer – Theme: the landing at Omaha and Pointe du Hoc: this museum near the beach has large collections of uniforms, weapons, archival photos… It is mainly interested in the events that took place at Omaha Beach.
  Price: Omaha Beach Memorial Museum
  

Price & Online Booking : see links above
 Guided tours & excursions including Omaha Beach : Departing from Caen // Departing from Bayeux: Normandy Beaches Half-Day Trip from Bayeux or Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour from Bayeux
 Where to stay in Omaha Beach? Price for accomodation & Online booking: Vacation rentals / Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

The Pointe du Hoc site is located between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. It was attacked because it possessed large pieces of heavy artillery, which could reach the allied troops landing on these two beaches.

It is probably one of the best preserved landing sites today. It is indeed mainly a natural area where the blockhaus (= bunkers) and shell holes are still visible. You can either follow paths or walk freely inside the holes and some bunkers. However, most of them are in ruins, destroyed by the impact of the shells. In fact, blocks of concrete weighing several tons can be found over 50 feet from their original bunker!

No modern construction has replaced these vestiges of history, so it’s without a doubt an unmissable visit during your discovery of the landing sites. Ideally, try to visit the Pointe du Hoc when the weather is nice because the whole walk takes place in the open air. You will also be able to better enjoy the sea view.

Guided tours & excursions including La Pointe du Hoc: Excursions from Caen / Departing from Bayeux: Normandy Beaches Half-Day Trip from Bayeux or Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour from Bayeux
 Where to stay in Pointe du Hoc? see links of Omaha Beach above, both are located close to one another

Here are a few more details to learn more about the Memorial and its excursions:

• Caen Memorial – Theme: the history of war and peace in the 20th century: a visit to the Caen Memorial is one of the must-see activities in Normandy. The museum focuses mainly on World War II and the Cold War. It has entire sections dedicated to the Landing and the Battle of Normandy. The exhibitions are as complete as they are moving. The museum is huge, but thanks to its good signage, the visit remains easy to comprehend. Through videos, beautiful collections and explanatory panels, the events are presented in an instructive and interesting way. In particular, the chronology of WW2 stands out. From the rise of fascism to the extermination of the Jews, it is displayed on a long spiral path that symbolically forces us to sink into horror. Despite this, the museum distills notes of hope and advocates peace for the years to come.
  wp-svg-icons icon=”ticket” wrap=”i”] Price & Online Booking : Caen Memorial Museum e-ticket
• Guided excursions offered by the Memorial: the institution offers excursions in the company of excellent guides. They allow you to visit the Caen Memorial (your choice: self-guided or guided tour) before taking you to discover Omaha Beach, the American cemetery of Colleville, the Pointe du Hoc and the artificial harbor of Arromanches (with an entrance ticket for the exciting Cinéma 360). These are the sites ranked in the top 4 of our TOP 10! If you don’t have a lot of time or if you wish to be accompanied, this is a very interesting option.
  wp-svg-icons icon=”ticket” wrap=”i”] Price & Online Booking : Excursions from Caen

Price & Online Booking : see links above; online booking and e-tickets available
Where to stay in Caen? Price for accomodation & Online booking : Vacation rentals / Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

Here’s a short presentation of the main attractions and sites to see in Arromanches:

• 360 Cinema – Ideal for an introduction to the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy: this site cleverly presents unpublished archive images on 9 giant circular screens. It focuses on the landing of June 6, 1944 and the days that followed until the liberation of Normandy. It receives close to 250,000 visitors a year, which isn’t surprising given the clear, concise and poignant presentation 360 Cinema offers. If possible, we recommend you to do this activity at the beginning of your itinerary in order to better understand the events.
  Price & Online Booking : 360 Cinema e-ticket
  
• D-Day Museum – Theme: The Landing and its logistics + Amazing model of the artificial harbor: this museum is the oldest dedicated to the Normandy Landings. It presents various period pieces (uniforms, weapons) and archive videos. The most interesting part of the museum is its huge model of the artificial harbor. It allows you to understand the incredible logistics set up in 1944 to land tons of equipment on the Normandy coast.
  Price : Arromanches D-Day Museum
  
• Remains of the artificial harbor: large concrete blocks, remains of the former artificial harbor, can be seen a few hundred feet away from the shore.
• Gold Beach: Gold Beach now looks like any other urbanized beach on the Calvados coast. However, there are a few monuments and commemorative plaques that remind its historical importance.

Price & Online Booking : see links above: online booking available for 360 Cinema, tickets only available onsite for the museum
Guided tours & excursions including Arromanches: Excursions from Caen
Where to stay in Arromanches? Price for accomodation & Online booking :  Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

There are many museums dedicated to D-Day and the landings in Normandy. Here are some additional information on Utah Beach museum for you to get a clear idea:

• Utah Beach Landing Museum – Theme: the chronological stages of the landing + Authentic B-26 Bomber: this museum is one of the must-see! It presents the 10 key stages of the landing in an intelligent way, from its preparation to its final outcome. It is an exciting visit to better understand how the largest military operation in history was organized. It is also one of the few places in the world where you can see an authentic B-26 bomber plane.
  Price & Online Booking : Utah Beach Landing Museum e-ticket
  
• Utah Beach: Utah Beach has remained quite wild. You can still see some traces of the landing with bunkers and some Czech hedgehogs (steel anti-tank obstacles).

Price & Online Booking for the museum: see link above, online booking available
 Guided excursion including this stop : Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour from Bayeux
 Where to stay near Utah Beach ? Price for accomodation & Online booking : Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

The main sites to see in Sainte-Mère-Eglise are the following:

• Airborne Museum – Theme: the parachutings in Normandy on the day before the landing: this museum is very interesting because it presents another facet of the landing. During the night of 5 to 6 June 1944, more than 6,000 men parachuted into the centre of the Channel. Their role was to clear the roads in anticipation of the arrival of the troops landing on the beaches. Unfortunately, the drops were not very accurate and resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 soldiers. The Airborne Museum pays tribute to them and helps us understand this very complex operation. You will discover many historical objects and aircrafts. You will also be able to board a glider and an authentic C-47 aircraft. You will then relive the events of that night thanks to a realistic staging.
  Price & Online Booking : Airborne Museum e-ticket
  
• Bell tower of Saint-Mère-Eglise: the main place to see in connection to the landing is the town church of course. American John Steel’s parachute got stuck to the church’s bell tower! The unfortunate man then remained suspended all night long and at the mercy of fire. This scene is also included in the film The Longest Day. After several hours, a German soldier unhooked him and took him prisoner, but he finally managed to escape a few days later.

Price & Online Booking for the museum: see link above, online booking available
 Guided excursion including this stop : Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour from Bayeux
Where to stay in Sainte-Mère-Eglise? Price for accomodation & Online booking : Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

Additional information on the main tourist sites and attractions there are to visit around Sword Beach:

• Pegasus Memorial Museum – Theme: the first hours of the landings + The historic Pegasus Bridge: the Benouville Weighbridge, nicknamed Pegasus Bridge, was the first bridge liberated after the landings. It has a unique architecture, which can be seen in the movie The Longest Day. The original bridge is no longer in use today but you can see it by visiting the Pegasus Memorial Museum in Ranville. The museum presents the battle led by the English soldiers in a very instructive way. You will also see some heavy vehicles, guns, uniforms and a life-size model of a glider of the time.
  Price: Pegasus Memorial Museum
  
• Grand Bunker: Atlantic Wall Museum – Theme: the organization of the Atlantic Wall and life in a giant bunker: located in Ouistreham, this original museum is located in a former command post of the Atlantic Wall (see explanations in TOP N°8 below). In this huge 5-storey bunker, important decisions were taken concerning its organization and the coordination of defence fire. The rooms of the bunker have been entirely reconstructed and give a precise idea of life in this building (command room, armory, infirmary, radio transmission room, observation post…).
  Price: Grand Bunker: Atlantic World Museum
  
• Commando Museum N°4 – Theme: the 177 Frenchmen of the Kiefer Commando: this museum focuses on the landing on Sword Beach. It is also the only museum which devotes part of its exhibitions to the French combatants who took part in the landings. François’ brother-in-law’s grandfother, Joseph Hourçourigaray, was one of them!
  Price: Commando Museum #4
  
• Sword Beach: attached to Ouistreham, the closest beach to Caen, Sword Beach is now bordered by many houses. We can still see some traces of the landing, with memorials, blockhouses and “dragon teeth” (concrete obstacles designed to block tanks going forward).

Price & Online Booking : see links above, no online reservation, tickets sold only onsite
 Guided excursion including this stop : Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour from Bayeux
Where to stay in Ouistreham/Sword Beach? Price for accomodation & Online booking :  Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

The Longues-sur-Mer battery stands out from the other landing sites mentioned in our article. It is indeed an extremely well-preserved place and still very close to its state at the time of World War II. Its discovery takes place in the open air and allows a better understanding of what the Atlantic Wall was. It is a fairly quick walk (there are “only” 4 bunkers and cannons) but highly recommended.

Guided tours/excursions including this stop : Departing from Bayeux: Omaha and Band Of Brothers Full Day Tour
 Where to stay in Longues sur Mer? Price for accomodation & Online booking : Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

Here is some additional information to visit the main sites around Juno Beach:

• Juno Beach Center – Theme: Canada’s Role in the War and the D-Day Landings: this is the only Norman museum dedicated to Canada’s investment in World War II. Canada’s pivotal role is often overlooked and underestimated. Juno Beach Center pays tribute to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the war. It presents relatively few objects and is mainly interested in maps, archival images and audio documentaries. In this way, it serves as a true cultural centre. The museum is located across the street from Juno Beach and its bunkers.
  Price: Juno Beach Center
  
• Bény-sur-Mer Canadian Military Cemetery: this place of meditation is home to the graves of more than 2,000 Canadian soldiers who fell in battle.
  
• Juno Beach: Juno Beach is located across from Courseulles-sur-Mer. There are few remains of the fighting, but some bunkers and monuments can still be seen. Part of the beach has remained quite wild and enjoys an atmosphere now calm and peaceful (facing the cultural center).

Price & Online Booking for the center: see link above, no online booking, tickets only sold directly onsite
 Excursion including this stop: Departing from Bayeux: Normandy Battlefields Tour – Canadian World War II Sites
 Where to stay in Courseulles / Juno Beach? Price for accomodation & Online booking :  Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

Here are the main activities to do in Bayeux in link with D-day and the landings:

• Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum: this museum presents the events of the Battle of Normandy in chronological order. It is also interested in different subjects (De Gaulle’s resistance, civilian life…) and presents many historical objects (including some vehicles and tanks).  
• Bayeux British Military Cemetery: with more than 4,600 graves of soldiers who fell during the fighting, this is the largest British cemetery in France. There are also graves of French, Canadian, Italian, South African and German soldiers.
• Guided sightseeing tours & excursions to the landing sites: many guided excursions are offered from Bayeux. The town is indeed ideally located close to the most visited places (and with a direct train from Paris). The excursions are of good quality and allow you to efficiently discover the main sites. It is therefore an ideal solution if you have little time, you don’t have a car or you want to benefit from the knowledge and company of an expert guide. There are dozens of different excursions (with different sites visited, a large or small group, an English-speaking guide or not…).
  Price: Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum
  
  

This has nothing to do with the landings, but if you visit Bayeux, make sure you don’t miss out on its famous 12th century Tapestry! It’s dedicated to the conquest of England by William the Conqueror and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Price & Online Booking : see links above
Where to stay Bayeux? Price for accomodation & Online booking :  Find all hotels Our selection : Best hotels on a budget (1, 2 or 3 stars) / Best luxurious hotels (4 or 5 stars)

In addition to the activities listed in our TOP 10 you’re looking for other ideas of what to do in the landing sites of Normandy ? Here is a selection of other things to do and see during your stay 

We’ve just presented the main sites related to the landings in Normandy. There are also many secondary sites which you could be interested in (see below). Also note that as you wander around the towns and along the Normandy coast, you will be able to see other symbols and relics of the landings (memorials, bunkers, artillery pieces). These hundreds of sites, from the most anonymous to the most famous, all have their own history and so they participate in the duty of remembrance.

• Other sites to see around Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc:
  • German military cemetery at La Cambe (the largest military cemetery in Normandy with more than 21,000 graves of German soldiers)
  • D-Day Omaha Museum in Vierville-sur-Mer
  • Big Red One Assault Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer
  • Maisy Battery at Grancamp-Maisy
  • Ranger Museum at Grandcamp-Maisy
• Other sites to see around Caen:
  • Many British military cemeteries : Saint-Manvieu-Norrey, Banneville-la-Campagne…
  • Musée de la Percée du Bocage in Saint-Martin-des-Besaces
  • Memorial of Falaise – The Civil War
• Other sites to see around Bayeux, Arromanches and Gold Beach:
  • America Gold Beach Museum in Ver-sur-Mer
  • Liberator Museum – Normandy 1944 at Arromanches
  • Museum of the underwater wrecks of the landing at Commes
• Other sites to see around Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Eglise
  • Battery of Azeville
  • Crisbecq Battery
• Other sites to see around Sword Beach
  • Museum and site of the Merville Battery at Merville-Franceville-Plage
  • British Military Cemeteries of Ranville, Dover la Délivrande and Hermanville-sur-mer
  • Hillman Fortified Site at Colleville-Montgomery
  • Radar Museum 1944 in Dover-la-Délivrande
  • La Flamme – Memorial to the 177 Frenchmen who took part in the landings
• Other sites to see around Juno Beach
  • Cross of Lorraine at Graye-Courseulles: this monument symbolizes the exact place where General de Gaulle landed on his return to France, a few days after the landing.
• Other sites to see in The Channel:
  • Liberation Museum in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
  • Mausoleum of the Mont d’Huisnes – German Military Cemetery in Huisnes-sur-Mer
  • American Military Cemetery in St. James
  • Undergrounds of the Py Park at Folligny
  • Normandy Victory Museum in Carentan-les-Marais
  • D-Day Experience Museum (Dead Man’s Corner Museum) in Carentan-les-Marais

This article is ONLY dedicated to the things to do and see at Normandy’s D-Day Landing sites & beaches. However there are many other activities and attractions in the region, close to the sites we mentioned din this article.To find out all there is to visit in Normandy, check out our other articles:

• TOP 10 activities in Normandy
• TOP 10 activities in Mont-Saint-Michel / South Channel