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Visiting Juno Beach in the spring

We will be visiting Juno Beach in May 2023. We will have a car.

We are debating about where to stay when we visit. The Beach is closest to Courseulles-sur-mer. Is it better to stay in Bayeux? We will be staying for 2 nights. TIA.

Posted by
768 posts

Is this in connection with visiting the WWII Normandy beaches? If so, I (and many others on here) strongly recommend having a guide. Without having a guide, all you'll see is beach crowds and a bunker or two and not be able to make sense of it. A good guide will bring it alive and point out who was where, what the strategies were, how 'the longest day' unfolded, and who did what. Absolutely worth what we paid. Many recommendations on here, just do a search.

Posted by
11512 posts

We stayed in Bayeau and visited the British and Canadian beaches on our own. The next day we went on a tour of the American beaches. Bayeau worked well and there was helpful signage to the beaches.

Posted by
96 posts

Hi
I have spent some time cycling in the area and while both locations are relatively close ( assuming that you have your own transport ), they are very different.
Courseuilles-sur-mer is right on the beach and seemed to focused on holiday rentals. I remember it having lots of new build condos. The museum is by the actual beach on the edge of town and beside the hotel which appears in many period photographs. The cemetery at Beny-sur-mer is a few miles inland in the countryside.
Bayeux is much bigger with an old town centre. It also has a decent museum ( lots of period newspapers and paraphernalia from D-day.), the Bayeux Tapestry, Cathedral, and tends to cater to international short-stay travellers.
The American Cemetery has a small museum and a wonderful location and is well worth a visit.
There is a new large museum in Caen which could easily take 3 or 4 hours so may not fit in with 2 night stay.
There are many lovely quiet roads if you go inland several miles with lots of small Commonwealth Cemeteries and historical sites but expect heavy traffic on the coast and around Bayeux in the summer, especially on weekends.
Enjoy

Posted by
1218 posts

Bayeux is very convenient to Juno Beach, and is a great town in which to stay. Many have raved about guides (usually people who have visited no other way), but this area is easily explored on your own, sans guide. I will say that your visit will be better informed if you study a little bit of history beforehand—whether or not you hire a guide.

Posted by
23 posts

My wife and I just got back from France and we stayed in Bayeux then did an all day tour of the Canadian D-Day sites with Normandy Sightseeing Tours who do 1/2 and full day tours of the Canadian sites from Bayeux. I can highly recommend them if you are intent on seeing the Canadian sights.

Posted by
51 posts

We stayed in Bayeux. Tour guide for U.S. beaches I would recommend and drive over to Juno to visit on your own. Since my father was on Juno Day 1 this was a very special visit. Can get a quick walking tour booked in the Canadian museum if you like. Don't miss the museum - very well done and staffed by Canadians that are the average age of the soldiers that were on that beach.
Juno was a highlight.

Posted by
4087 posts

A Juno tour should include the tank battles fought by Canadian infantry and paratroops behind the beaches, especially the Falaise action near Caen. These tactics were critical in moving the invasion into western France. But there is not a lot of visual evidence remaining so the information from a guide will open up the context for your information.
I am not a fan of the Canadian museum, finding it unfocused, but others have appreciated it so only you can decide for yourself.
https://www.google.com/search?q=falaise+pocket&rlz=1C1SQJL_enCA890CA890&oq=falaise&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j46i433i512j0i512l4j46i175i199i512j0i512l3.5362j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Posted by
5 posts

We visited the area and beaches in May 2022. We did stay in Bayeux and thought it was a great location with two super restaurants (Le Rapiere and Le Pommier Bayeux). The hotel was the Hotel d' Argouges in Bayeux and is very nice. The Normandy area was the highlight of our two weeks on France. We did a 2 day tour with Dale Booth who was outstanding. Dale did some extra research on my father-in-law's unit who landed at Omaha Beach. The location and tour were simply great. Good luck with your trip and enjoy.

Posted by
6294 posts

For Juno Beach, I would stay in Arromanches. We thought it was a charming town with a wonderful little museum overlooking the artificial harbor constructed by the allied forces. You can still see parts of the harbor. The beach is beautiful. We stayed at Hotel le Mulberry which has a fantastic restaurant

We visited Utah and Omaha beaches and the other WWII sites from Arromanches and felt it was very convenient.