Hi! I am planning a trip that would include some road tripping around the Normandy area including the beaches. Looking at the calendar dates I noticed that one of these dates (May 21 this year) is a public holiday that I'm unfamiliar with, Ascension Day.
Wondering if anyone knows what impact this would have on the beaches area in terms of access, closures, etc? Thanks!
That's an interesting question, and I don't know the answer. I'd check the websites of a few of the key installations you plan to see--such as the invasion museum in Bayeux, the American Cemetery and the Airborne Museum in St-Mere-Eglise. A lot of what you'll see--if you can find it (I always recommend a tour for those who aren't experts in invasion history)--is outdoors, and there is nothing to close.
I can't advise you specifically about Normandy, but I can share what it was like on the Riviera last year over Ascension weekend, and we might be able to extrapolate from there. First, be aware that the official Ascension holiday is Thursday the 21st, but many people will take Friday the 22nd off, thus gaining a 4-day weekend. On the Riviera, there seemed to be a lot of French people on weekend trips, as well as some foreign tourists. For the most part, tourist services were not only open, but quite busy.
Will you still be in France the following weekend? It's a holiday weekend too; Monday, 6/1 is the public holiday for Pentecost. Last year, I got caught in a huge traffic jam leaving Aix-en-Provence on the Saturday morning of that weekend.
