Small, Small Normandy villages to home base for vacation in May

It’s small, although not as minuscule as you might be desiring, but Bayeux is THE place to base. It was outstanding for our stay. There’s also a castle and the famous Tapestry in town, too.

If you want something smaller than Bayeux, I highly recommend Sainte-Mère-Église. it is the epicenter of American paratrooper operations, very close to Utah Beach, and short drives to Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. The downtown has a few small places to eat, a boulangerie or two, and there is a large grocery store minutes out of town. There is the wonderful Airborne Museum in the center, a great and historic church in the square, and a wonderful little museum of Normandy farming history on the outskirts of town. Close by are Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and Chef Du Pont, which both have a couple of other eating options and WWII history, and the former has another great church-centered town square. There are many inspiring battle sights and monuments nearby like the La Fiére Bridge, Angoville-au-plain and Carentan (which has a few more shops and restaurants). Book anywhere near the Normandy Beaches very early if you will plan to be there close to the D-day anniversary.

The trouble with small, small villages is that they may not have a bistro. They may not even have a cafe or a boulangerie. They may however, have a baguette vending machine.

To assure yourself of having a choice of places to eat you have to look at a larger village or small town.

Thank you one and all for the wonderful recommendations.