You can find numerous museums, memorials and cemeteries dedicated to the Normandy landings all along the coast.
We have presented the best known below, yet feel free to ask us about any others to explore!
The D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains commemorates the Normandy landings on June 6th, 1944, and more specifically the construction of the artificial port in Arromanches and its use during the Battle of Normandy from June to August 1944 to replenish the Allied troops from across the Channel.
A strategic point on the Atlantic Wall, the site of the Pointe du Hoc was stormed on the morning of June 6th (D-Day) by Colonel Rudder’s Rangers. It was one of the most difficult battles of the landings; in the end, of 225 Rangers, only 90 of them made it through the liberation.
Today, the scars of the fighting are still visible. During your visit, you can explore what was an artillery battery with its grand bunker, its casemates and its covers, all amid an extraordinary landscape.
The Utah Beach Museum relates the events of D-Day in 10 sequences from its preparation up to its culmination and success. With its complete chronological itinerary, plunge into the history of the Normandy landings and discover a collection rich in objects, vehicles, equipment and testimonies.
At the heart of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, across from the bell tower from which a statue of parachutist John Steele still hangs, the Airborne Museum will help you experience and understand the events of D-Day, from its preparations in England to the liberation.
Many fighters are buried on Norman soil in the military cemeteries. Some of them are owned by the Allies, others are maintained by volunteers. In total, more than 99,000 soldiers of different nationalities are laid to rest in the 27 military cemeteries in Normandy. These are places where emotions run high, and some have memorials that you can visit for free. You can also attend the raising and lowering of the American flag to the sound of a military anthem by going to the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
The Commonwealth cemetery is in Bayeux, the Canadian cemetery in Bény-sur-Mer (20 km away) and the German cemetery in La Cambe (30 km away).
A major part of the Atlantic Wall, the German coastal defence battery in Longues-sur-Mer consists of a bunker and four casemates, each housing a 150 mm artillery gun.
Located at the heart of the sector of the Allied assault at the top of a cliff overlooking the Channel, it played a strategic role in the Allied landings on June 6th, 1944.
Despite aerial bombings on the night of June 5th and early morning of June 6th, the battery was still operational on the morning of June 6th. It was neutralised during the day by the ships sailing off the coast, and captured on June 7th by British soldiers of the Devonshire Regiment. They are now classed as historic monuments.
Start your day in Arromanches-les-Bains, where an incredible view of the pontoons awaits you. Then discover the museum or the 360-degree cinema. Continue along the coast to arrive in Longues-sur-Mer to see the German batteries which played a strategic role during the landings of the Allied forces on June 6th 1944.
For lunch, head to our fishing port known for scallops – Port-en-Bessin. Nestled amid a green setting, the town is a port with a prestigious history. For the rest of the day, we recommend visiting the American cemetery in Omaha Beach and its memorial. If you wish to see more, continue to Utah Beach the following day and stop at the museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise, which will give you an overview of D-Day.
