Normandy / D Day Sites Visit

The Peace Museum (covering WW II and the Cold War) in Caen is huge. I thought it was very well done, but some find it overwhelming. One can spend the entire day there. It is costly and gets a lot of visitors, though I imagine it will be quieter in September than it was in July. There is a smaller museum, also good, in Bayeux. I also liked the new museum in Falaise that focuses on civilian life during the war, including the Resistance. Not much in Falaise survived the war.

I found I also enjoyed the picturesque towns near the coast heading east from Caen: Deauville, Cabourg and Honfleur. I didn't get as far as Etretat.

In addition to a large, heavily reconstructed (though it doesn't look it) historic district and its cathedral, Rouen has a museum of fine art and a good wrought iron museum, plus others.

The Bayeaux Tapestry, depicting the Norman invasion of Britain, is one of the great artifacts of Western history. The museum in central Bayeaux is easily accessible.

A report on NPR today said that the French are going to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to England this year but no date was given in the report.

The fortress castle of William the Conqueror is worth a visit in the centre of Caen, which itself suffered greatly during the Normandy invasion. The Caen museum, mentioned previously, gets good reviews and the city itself has more choice in hotels and restaurants than Bayeux.

About the Bayeux Tapestry - the article I read said that it would not be in England before 2020.

How wonderful that you are staying at a B&B in St. Mere Eglise! In addition to the superb sites there, 3.7 KM away on the D15 is La Fiere bridge across the Meredet River, now only a wide stream. However, in 1944 the Germans had flooded the marshes so that this bridge was the beginning of a long causeway. On D-Day + 3, there was an horrific battle to take the bridge/causeway. Below is a hot link to a YouTube video of La Fiere today, photos from June 1944, and a brief description of the action there. In addition to the Iron Mike monument shown in the video, just across the Merderet in Amfreville is a monument to the 82nd Airborne's 507th regiment. La Fiere is a place of great significance to me because I was a friend of (now deceased) Capt. Robert Rae, who led the 507 regiment's charge to take the causeway. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross for this action. The 507 monument was erected a few months after I visited La Fiere some 15 years ago...I will return to see La Fiere again someday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezqu9MbM14g

Re museums in Normandy, I much preferred the Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux to the Peace Museum in Caen. It depends upon your interests: I was primarily interested in military matters (the Bayeux museum's focus), whereas I was disappointed by the Peace Museum's broad brushed approach that covered far more than the military campaigns. Also, directly across the street from the Bayeux museum is a British military cemetery with this poignant inscription: "We, once conquered by William, have now set free the Conqueror’s native land." The link below show photos of this cemetery - a beautiful place. Also, in general, I much preferred visiting the town of Bayeux to Caen, as Bayeux was spared heavy bombing/artillery attack whereas large parts of Caen were obliterated/many buildings are more modern.
http://www.operationmeatball.com/new-girlblog/bayeux-war-cemetery

Hi,

You have a rental car...very helpful since Giverny is one of your stops too. Parallel to Giverny is La Roche Guyon which if you're into the history of D-Day and Normandy was the German Army Group B General HQ in 1944, ie Rommel's HQ. The castle show that, if you want another D-Day historical site.

On the the Caen and Bayeux museums, true, I would agree.

If you are pressed for time, then see the Bayeux Museum, but if you have the time and, especially, want history over-kill, then see the Caen Museum. I went to Caen first before seeing the Bayeux museum, which is better organised and presented differently. I like both museums but Bayeux's museum I went back a second time , only once for Caen.

Please re-read Elizabeth's comment three times, and then follow her advice. Ste.-Mère-Église is a wonderful, but small town. However, it is in the center of American paratroopers' activities, and the town and her citizens totally celebrate and respect the soldiers who liberated them. There is a wonderful airborne museum right in the center of town. And you're close to Utah Beach (10 minutes), and its first-rate museum! I think that museum at Utah Beach is even better than the one in Bayeux, and both are far better than the Caen "peace memorial." Honestly, I don't know why the Caen facility gets so much attention when there are many better museums and places to spend your time in Normandy (other than the fact that RS emphasizes it way too much). And as Elizabeth pointed out, Caen was practically obliterated in WWII, whereas Bayeux was spared the destruction of heavy bombing and is a wonderfully preserved medieval town. Another good museum is the relatively new Overlord Museum across the rotary/roundabout by the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach.
For what it's worth, I have been to Normandy six times., and have stayed in Ste.-Mère five of those times. I will say there are more hotel and dining options in Bayeux, and it is a wonderful town to stay in as well. I can't recommend against it, but I would tell anyone who is visiting the area to make the drive to Ste.-Mère-Église, the La Fiére Causeway, Utah Beach, and its museum.
Enjoy your trip whatever you decide!

Glad to find this thread. Planning a WW2 focused trip and this info is very helpful. I should check out Rick's France book as well for more info.

Only had a day there which wasn’t enough. Love the town you’re staying in and the photos around town showing what it was like during the invasion. The paratrooper hanging from the church is touching and provides a visual of how horrific it must have been to be dropped in the wrong place. The American cemetery and Point du Hoc were touching. Never made it to some of the landing areas since it is slow driving in that area because the roads are small.
Nothing to do with your question, but my father flew a C47 during D-day dropping paratroopers off behind German lines. For me, it was a special visit. A couple years ago we visited the airfield his unit was based out of in Spanhoe, England. So much, owed to so many. Truly, the greatest generation.

Be sure and check out www.tripadvisor.com, Normandy forum or specific town forums like Bayeux, Caen, Rouen, Saint Mere Eglise, etc. Local residents post advice as do those who have traveled to those towns and you might get a great tip on where to stay, when their market days are, or an out of the way great restaurant.

I assume your tour will be focused on the American D Day sights. If that's the case you can drive to visit some of the British sights.
Pegasus Bridge and museum between Caen and Ouistreham is a good option especially if you've seen The Longest Day. On the way you can stop in Arromanches and see the remains of the Mullberry Harbor and museum. I agree with a previous poster that the Bayeux Tapestry is worth seeing. The cathedral in Bayeux is also impressive.

To my earlier post, I add this addendum:

I very much second the post above about Pegasus Bridge and the outstanding museum there, if you have time to get to the northern edge of the battle. Driving there from Bayeux gave me a good sense of how wide the initial landing was. But far moreso, it was absolutely incredible to see the plaques in the ground documenting how close to the bridge the British gliders landed. It was imperative that that bridge be taken to cut off Germans tanks crushing the invasion on the beach. The reading I've done has stated that the British gliders were of higher manufacturing quality than the American gliders...and the British glider pilots had had longer, more extensive training flying gliders.