normandy museum

If you only have time for one and are in Caen then the very best is the one there. Named the "Memorial For Peace" (le memorial). If you are in Arromanches, then check the Musee du Debarquement. TC

mp,

where in Normandy will you be?

happy trails.

We really enjoyed the museum in Bayeux. There are some posters here who have been to both of them and I think the one in Bayeux is considered to be the better of the two. I haven't been to the one in Caen, so can't speak from experience. Bayeux is the town where many of the tours begin, so if you are already there, it makes sense to see the museum there too.

Thanks to all of you I will be staying I bayeux but will have a rental car so anything within 50 or so milesu

If you have time for only one museum, the Memorial in Caen is the one. I think it's the best World War II museum in Europe. If you expect rooms and rooms on the D-Day invasion and the Battle of Normandy, you might be disappointed. They do a good job on that, but this is a WWII museum, so they cover many major events, such as the Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, and of course the Holocaust. Their exhibits on Vichy France are some of the best in the world. Be sure to give yourself several hours there.

Rick's star-rating system gives 3 stars (highest rating) to the Caen Memorial Museum, versus 1 star for the also-interesting Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum in Bayeux. It's been many years since I visited the Caen museum, but it did leave a good impression. The approach to the Caen museum is easy, just a half-mile from the expressway ring road, so there's no complication on that front.

mp,

since you will have wheels, i would say its a toss up.

i know what RS says about Caen vs Bayeux , but i thought each had +/-. Even with Bayeux being smaller, i liked it a little more. Caen is layed out more so it has more space, but i think you will figure out what and were to go.

happy trials.

Since you will be in Bayeux, visit their WW II museum. Perhaps you will then have time to visit the Tapestry exhibit and peek into the cathedral. In addition to the tapestry itself, there are two more floors with great exhibits about 11th C life.

I saw the museum in Bayeux and was satisfied. But if I did not know the history of WWII and didn't see museums in other countries I would have left with impression that France was the leading country and the most important member of anti-Hitler coalition. Unfortunately I did not make it to Caen which everybody was saying had a bigger and better museum of WWII.

I think I've been to all the museums in Normandy and the absolute best one, imo, is the one in Bayeux. I know the history of WWII pretty well and thought the museum in Bayeux did the best job of presenting the overall "story". It's a wonderful museum.
The "museum" at the American cemetery is very good, but limited.
There are many good museums in Normandy but the one in Caen is, by far, the worst one of all imo. It is confusing, chaotic, badly laid out, very expensive, very, very crowded, and the staff very unfriendly and not helpful at all. I think Rick is dead wrong on this and I was really ticked off at him after spending an expensive and frustrating day at the Caen museum.
If I could only go to one museum, I would choose Bayeux hands down.

While I liked and appreciated the Invasion museum in Bayeux very much, and the Caen one not at all, my favourite museums -- in order -- in Normandy are Monet's Garden at Giverny, the Mulberry Harbour museum in Arromanches, and several of the small museums at and near Pegasus Bridge where you are transported to the scene.

That's what I like.

Others may be different....

Hi,

You say you have time for only one museum on the war in Normandie. I'll assume you mean ample time. If that's the case, I recommend the Caen Museum, especially if you are well acquainted with the history of the inter-war years, the road to WW 2, and the history of the war itself. On the war the Caen Museum's focus is on operational history. I was at the Caen Museum pre-Euro days before visiting the Bayeux museum.

Between the two are some obvious distinctions, (price, languages, scope, etc ). Bayeux's presentation is more succinct, concise, uses primary and secondary sources (quotations) from the literature on the battle on D-Day and for Normandy. It's a lot more meaningful seeing the literature quoted if you know it. Caen's presentation can be interpreted as overkill since a mass of historical material is thrown at the viewer. If you don't mind that, (I liked it), then that one museum you have time for is Caen.