Caen, France

This website might help. The two Norman churches, the castle, and the Gallo-Roman archeological site and museum would appeal to me, but I haven't been to them. The Memorial de Caen is a very good WWII museum which I have visited. I'd recommend it for you unless you've been there or really want to boycott the war while your cousins are on their tour.

Heavy WWII damage has made Caen less of a visitor draw than other places in Normandy, but it seems like there would be enough for you to fill a day.

Is there a reason to stay in Caen? As previously pointed out there are much more interesting places to base yourself.

Bayeux was captured on the first day of the invasion and is therefore mostly intact. It is the location of the first ring-road in Europe since the Indian division decided that it was easier to bulldoze a road around the intact town rather than destroying it to follow the main road through. It has a lovely cathedral (holding a medieval fair the day we visited), and just down the road the Bayeux Tapestry is on display at its own museum. The BT is the original political spin document justifying why William was actually the rightful king of England instead of Harold...

In between the two abbeys (William’s and Mathilda’s) is the castle of Caen. Next to the castle is a lovely little pedestrian area called the Quartier Vaugueux. Try some traditional buckwheat crepes (galettes) and cider at one of the restaurants.

Other than this great historical assemblage of buildings the only other significant tourist attraction is the wonderful World War II Museum.

Caen is a major transportation hub. You could take a day-trip to Honfleur, Deauville/Trouville or Cabourg by train or bus. Or there's the relatively new and very good museum about civilian life during the war (including the Resistance) located in Falaise. That town took a beating during the invasion and is not a good destination if you're looking for French charm.

We are open to going around Caen, easy driving distance from Caen. We will be driving them from the Loire Valley to Bayeaux. We've just never been to Caen and wondered if there is anything there or around there other than Normandy things to see. I would say we are especially interested in French culture. Even a nice park to have a picnic would be nice.

The reason to go to Caen is to visit the Memorial de Caen, a museum devoted to WWII, D DAY invasions. Very worthwhile. I would not stay in Caen though.

Caen is bigger than Bayeux and so offers more choice for accommodations, dining etc. It is an easy commute to Bayeux if you want a Beaches tour but a few start in Caen. I like William's fortress for an hour's stroll.

I spent several mights in Caen in 2017, using it as a base for visiting points south and east because I didn't have a car. Caen's major points of interest are delineated above. The main knock on the city is that its historic district seems to be one street not much more than a block long. Just about everything else is post-WWII. Folks on a short trip to France are likely to be disappointed in the lack of atmosphere.

I wouldn't bother staying in Caen, or visiting its over-hyped museum. There are much better towns and museums in the area IMHO. Bayeux, as pointed out, is one of them—and it has non-WWII things to do there.

We were happy with our choices of staying on Honfleur and Bayeux.

I regret skipping Caen when I went through. I had thought the only major thing to see was the WWII museum in Caen and I'm not really interested in 20th century history. The Norman history in Caen, however, would have been very interesting. I'll visit next time I'm in the area. I skipped Honfleur too, mostly because I planned to visit port towns in Brittany that I thought would be less touristed. I don't regret that decision even though I think Honfleur would be a nice visit.

If you want a relatively unvisited WWII sight. I'd suggest the cliffs above Etretat and Fecamp. I started in Fecamp, parked at the church on the hill north of town (you can see it when you're in town), then walked the cliff top trail. I was surprised to find a line of German pillboxes and fortifications dotting the area. When D-day happened elsewhere, these weren't attacked or destroyed, they were simply abandoned. Today they look like new. Most are filled with dirt to keep people out but you can climb on and around them sans crowds.