Normandy landing beaches: our travel guide

It was here – on the 80 km of coastline between Ouistreham and Quinéville – in Normandy that Operation Overlord began.

On the morning of June 6, 1944, the Allied Landings – the largest amphibious and airborne operation of all time – threw more than 150,000 soldiers on five beaches in a deluge of fire, iron and blood.

Today, these long and peaceful stretches of clear sand, sometimes raised by chalky cliffs, punctuated by blockhouses, museums, military cemeteries and memorials, perpetuate the emotional memory of this furious battle, the sacrifice of these men for our Freedom .

Let's never forget them!

But these beaches also offer a vast family playground in the open air, bordered by several small seaside resorts where – between two swims – are practiced: sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking, kitesurfing, sand yachting, shore fishing, hiking, cycling, horse-riding… Not to mention the good restaurants with direct access to fresh produce from the sea and the famous Normandy bocage.

On the way !

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Sword Beach, the beach of the French 177

Hermanville-sur-Mer beach.

OT Caen / Fabien Mahaut

It

that the English infantry landed with the objective of heading for Caen.

To lend her a hand, 177 French commandos precede her.

Led by Commander Kieffer, they destroyed the defensive system of

.

On site, the No. 4 Commando Museum details the epic of this French unit, the only one engaged on D-Day.

A few steps away, you can also visit Le Grand Bunker – Museum of the Atlantic Wall, an impressive five-storey blockhouse which housed the German command of one of the most powerful coastal batteries in the sector.

Everything is reconstituted there as on the eve of D-Day;

panoramic view of historic beaches as a bonus!

In the hinterland, see the Pegasus Bridge, the

tilting bridge , taken by English paratroopers and made famous by the film

.

While on the other side of the mouth of the Orne, stands the formidable battery of Merville, neutralized in the early hours of June 6.

There, over several hectares, an “educational trail” explores the bunker-museums and pays tribute to the action of the English paratroopers.

The Great Bunker of the Atlantic Wall Museum.

Grégory Cassiau - Getaways / Congress Tourist Office

SLEEPING THE

 : on the main beach of Ouistreham, beautiful, contemporary and bright 4-star rooms in this thalassotherapy center and restaurant.

Boulevard du Commandant Kieffer, 14150 Ouistreham.

Such.

: 02 31 96 40 40;

thalazur.fr;

double room €150-550.

GOOD TABLE

, one of the best restaurants on the coast.

Tasty cuisine that is both creative, fine and rooted, signed by the talented chef Yoann Lavalley.

10, av.

of General Leclerc, 14150 Ouistreham.

Such.

: 02 31 97 18 44;

latabledhotes-caen.com;

menus €22-51, à la carte €40-70.

Tourist Office: caenlamer-tourisme.fr

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Juno Beach, Canadians in the land of their ancestors

Platon beach in Bernières-sur-Mer.

Michael Dehaye

The beaches

see Canadian troops landing with a strong desire to fight, because many of them remember their French origins.

At the cost of heavy losses, they carried the small port of

, at the mouth of the Seulles, then converged on

with the English of 'Sword' and 'Gold'.

The following days, "Juno Beach" also sees landing Winston Churchill, General de Gaulle and King George VI.

Canada's involvement in the Second World War is told at the Juno Beach Center in Courseulles-sur-Mer.

And in front of this design building, we explore the German blockhouses of Juno Park with young Canadian guides.

The Juno Beach Center in Courseulles-sur-Mer.

Nathalie Papouin

SLEEPING THERE

 : 500 m from the beach, an elegant château dating from 1882 with beautiful spacious and bright apartments, fitted out in a discreet and functional contemporary style, which magnifies the original architecture.

Indoor swimming pool and wooded park with duck pond.

4, rue de la Liberation, 14114 Ver-sur-Mer.

Such.

: 06 87 13 30 71;

www.chateaucotedenacre.com;

apartments 4-9 people 200-460€/night, min.

2 nights.

GOOD TABLES

 : an excellent traditional family creperie, also appreciated for its salads and its small simple local dishes, prepared and renewed according to the market.

8bis, place de la Basilique, 14440 Douvres-la-Delivrande.

Such.

: 02 31 37 03 61;

www.facebook.com/RestaurantLePetitFlaubert;

meal €15-25.

L'As de Clover

 : chef Anthony Vallette concocts delicate cuisine, with original flavors and always directly linked to the land and the tide.

420, rue Léopold Hettier, 14990 Bernières-sur-Mer.

Such.

: 02 31 97 22 60;

restaurantasdetrefle.com;

menus €26-69, à la carte €45-70.

Tourist Office: www.terresdenacre.com

Gold Beach, the logistical asset

Landing beaches of Arromanches-les-Bains.

L. Recouvrot / CRT Normandy

The assault touches the sand

.

And as soon as they landed, the English built a large artificial port at

, in service from June 14 to supply the combatants of the Battle of Normandy.

It is an ingenious prefabricated system of cement caissons, towed from England and submerged in front of the beach, accessible via floating walkways.

The remains of the port are still visible a few hundred meters from the shore.

And facing them, the Landing Museum – the very first of its kind, inaugurated in 1954 – details the innovative design and operation of this astonishing work of art.

For its part, the Circular Cinema Arromanches 360 compiles 20 minutes of unpublished archive images that immerse us in the juice of the battle.

And as the Germans are never far away here, the impressive Longues-sur-Mer battery – perched on a cliff – remains the only one in the area to have kept its guns.

Further south, hook recommended by the superb historic center of

, spared from destruction and liberated on June 7, 1944. It was there that General de Gaulle, then leader of Free France, gave a resounding speech on June 14, announcing the creation of the Provisional Government of the French Republic.

He did it again in 1946 with another famous speech, setting out the foundations of the Fifth Republic.

On site, the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy pays a vibrant tribute to him, while retracing Operation Overlord.

Finally, don't miss the Bayeux Tapestry, a wonderful 11th century embroidered comic strip, 70 meters long and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

The medieval city of Bayeux.

G. Wait / OT Bayeux Intercom

SLEEPING Y

 : several charming and cozy rooms, installed in an 18th century house, admirably run by Australian hosts, 300 m from the sea.

7, rue de l'Abreuvoir, 14117 Arromanches-les-Bains .

Such.

: 02 31 10 62 64;

www.lapommetier.com;

double room €160-205.

Hotel Villa Lara

 : in the heart of medieval Bayeux, this charming 5-star hotel with a cozy atmosphere offers elegant rooms in a very classic style.

6, place du Quebec, 14400 Bayeux.

Such.

: 02 31 92 00 55;

www.hotel-villalara.com;

double room €350-620.

GOOD TABLES

 : a stone's throw from the sea, the good little creperie in the center of Arromanches.

17, rue du Maréchal Joffre, 14117 Arromanches-les-Bains.

Such.

: 02 31 51 82 61;

meal €15-25.

Au P'tit Bistrot

 : really a nice surprise that this little modern restaurant, fresh and fragrant with fine flavors, led by a promising young chef, Romain Huault.

31ter, rue Larcher, 14400 Bayeux.

Such.

: 02 31 92 30 08;

www.facebook.com/auptitbistrot;

meals €20-60.

L'Angle Saint-Laurent

 : on the piano of the talented young chef Sébastien Rémy, Norman standards take original and refined detours to the delight of our taste buds.

2, rue des Bouchers, 14400 Bayeux.

Such.

: 02 31 92 03 01;

www.langlesaintlaurent.com;

menus 18-46, à la carte €40-65.

Tourist Office: www.bayeux-bessin-tourisme.com

Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc, the Americans against the wall

Omaha Beach, beach of the D-Day American sector.

ThHouyelIsigny / OmahaTourism

It is here,

, that the legend of “Bloody Omaha” was forged.

Caught in an infernal death trap, the Americans seize the coast at the cost of carnage (3,000 dead) and also of incredible courage, founder of the myth of the GIs.

Overlooking this beach – one of the most beautiful in

– the moving American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer lines up endlessly and in a peaceful green setting 9,385 graves of US soldiers killed in the Norman battles.

And on the road to the cemetery, the Overlord Museum brings together a rich collection of objects and vehicles in scenes evoking the main lines of the D-Day landings.

Further west, climb the Pointe du Hoc, a magnificent natural site surrounded by steep cliffs.

On the morning of June 6, US Rangers scaled it in a heroic attack celebrated by the film

.

The American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer.

OT Bayeux Intercom

SLEEPING THERE

 : large classic and refined 5-star rooms, in this 18th century manor house surrounded by a vast romantic park with swimming pool;

2 km from the charming fishing port of Port-en-Bessin, used as an oil port at the time of the Landings.

Restaurant and wellness area.

Escures-Commes, 14520 Port-en-Bessin.

Such.

: 02 31 51 25 25;

www.lacheneviere.com;

double room €225-620.

GOOD DINING

 : excellent family dining, renowned on the coast since the 1960s for its seafood cuisine which shines with its wonderful freshness and tasty traditional recipes.

7, rue du Joncal, 14450 Grandcamp-Maisy.

Such.

: 02 31 22 64 90;

www.restaurant-la-trinquette.com;

à la carte €30-55.

Tourist Office: www.isigny-omaha-tourisme.fr

Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the first liberated French town

In Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, the name "Utah Beach" refers to that of an American state chosen as the code name of a landing place.

Maxime Coquard for Best Jobers / Latitude Manche

Operation Overlord started here!

Facing the

, this beach – the westernmost of the Landings and backed by dunes and marshes – was chosen by the Americans to reach the port of

.

In front of the sand trodden by the

, the Utah Beach Landing Museum immerses us in the D-Day adventure with its testimonies, objects, vehicles and this astonishing B26 Marauder bomber, parked under a glass roof.

We also learn that General Leclerc's 2nd BD will land at Utah Beach on August 1 to throw themselves into battle.

A few kilometers away, the famous bell tower of

was immortalized in the film

.

On site, the Airborne Museum recounts the night attack by American paratroopers on this village, the first in France to be liberated in the early morning of June 6.

And take to the skies with the D-Day Experience, a new generation museum dedicated to parachute drops in

, another strategic crossroads.

There, a very realistic flight simulator takes us over the English Channel aboard a mythical C47 plane, to the drop zone!

And with children, don't miss the Cotentin Farm-Museum, which presents – in Sainte-Mère-Eglise – four centuries of rural and agricultural life in Normandy, with a host of old objects and tools, as well as than animals.

On June 6, 1944, the allied forces of the 82nd and 101st Airborne landed around Sainte Mère-Eglise, one of the first towns in mainland France to be liberated.

OT / En Contentin

SLEEPING Y

 : spacious, elegant and classic rooms, in a picturesque 17th century family manor surrounded by woods and marshes, in the heart of the Normandy bocage.

Isle Marie, 50360 Picauville.

Such.

: 02 33 93 27 20;

www.islemarie.fr;

double room €150-190.

GOOD TABLE

 : excellent traditional creperie which works only with the best fresh and local products;

also popular for its salads and omelettes, simple and well put together.

1, rue Division Leclerc, 50480 Sainte-Mère-Eglise.

Such.

: 02 14 14 13 60;

www.chezjeannecreperie.com;

meal €15-30.

Tourist Office: www.ot-baieducotentin.fr 

June 6, 1944: the Allies land in Normandy.

Infographic Le Figaro

The Caen memorial

The Mémorial de Caen is devoted to the history of the 20th century, the whole theme of which is focused on the fragility of peace.

Caen Memorial

Close to the landing beaches, Caen – liberated by the Canadians on July 9, 1944 after fierce fighting – delivers this unmissable "city of history for peace", built on the remains of a German command bunker and dedicated to the Second World War.

An exceptional scenography, combining often poignant archival documents, military vehicles and uniforms, models, reconstructions, digital tools, etc., in which the Landings and the 100 days of the Battle of Normandy occupy a prominent place.

Without forgetting the period after 1945 and the Cold War... More than a museum, the Mémorial de Caen aims to be educational and invites reflection on the fragility of peace, the devastating madness of men.

SLEEPING THERE

 : in the historic heart of Caen, a 4-star hotel with modern, neat rooms, with a hint of elegance as a bonus.

116, boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, 14000 Caen.

Such.

: 02 31 97 44 48;

www.hotel-caen.com;

double room €110-160.

GOOD TABLES

 : a true traditional bistro for fresh local cuisine full of flavor, punctuated with a few modern touches.

12, rue Graindorge, 14000 Caen.

Such.

: 02 31 44 26 26;

www.bouchonduvaugueux.com;

meals €25-35.

À Contre Sens

 : one of the best restaurants in the region – both inspired and firmly rooted in the Norman tradition – run by starred chef Anthony Caillot, attached to his terroir and the good products it contains.

8-10, rue des Croisiers, 14000 Caen.

Such.

: 02 31 97 44 48;

www.acontresens.fr;

menus €27-68, à la carte €40-80.

Tourist office: www.caenlamer-tourisme.fr

Party landing

Parade of vehicles in Dover during the D-Day Festival Normandy.

CRT Normandy

Every year since 2007, in the first half of June, the D-Day Festival Normandy celebrates the anniversary of the Landing in the villages of the coast and gives rise to many events: jazzy concerts, balls of the Liberation, guided tours, parades vintage military vehicles, old-fashioned parachute drops, religious celebrations, fireworks...

PRACTICAL

INFORMATION – Normandy Tourist Office (www.normandie-tourisme.fr).

– Calvados Tourist Office (www.calvados-tourisme.com).

– La Manche tourist office (www.manchetourisme.com).

– Cotentin Tourist Office (www.encotentin.fr).

– Guide to D-Day beaches (www.plagesdu6juin1944.com).