Why go
For many Americans, Normandy is the most meaningful place in France. On June 6, 1944, American troops came ashore at Omaha and Utah beaches, Rangers climbed the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, and paratroopers dropped into the hedgerows around Sainte-Mère-Église. Standing above Omaha Beach among the white crosses at Colleville-sur-Mer is something people talk about for years afterward.
It is also simply beautiful: Mont-Saint-Michel in its tidal bay, the chalk arches of Étretat, Honfleur's harbor, half-timbered Rouen, and a food culture built on butter, cream, cheese and apples. You can day-trip to one place from Paris, but the region rewards three to five nights.
The east (Rouen, Giverny, Étretat, Honfleur, Deauville) is closest to Paris; the west (Caen, Bayeux, the beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel) is where most Americans spend their time.
The D-Day sites
The landing beaches stretch about 50 miles (80 km). From west to east they are Utah and Omaha (American), then Gold, Juno and Sword (British and Canadian). Bayeux sits inland from the middle, and Utah to Omaha is about a 45-minute drive.
Pointe du Hoc is under restoration until mid-2027
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) began a roughly $10 million restoration here in February 2026. The visitor center and main parking lot are closed, and some bunkers and paths are fenced off. The site stays open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but you may be limited to the west path and a provisional parking lot.
Normandy American Cemetery
9,389 Americans are buried on this bluff above Omaha Beach, and 1,557 names of the missing are carved in the Garden of the Missing. Give the visitor center's exhibit and film at least 45 minutes. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.), closed December 25 and January 1. Entry is free and needs no booking for now, but ABMC plans to require free pre-registration for all visitors, with reservations expected to apply from summer 2027; check abmc.gov before you go. The flags are lowered and folded, with Taps, one hour before closing, at about 4 p.m. The local tourist office lists free English-language tours at 2 p.m. year-round, plus 11 a.m. from April to September. The path down to the beach has been closed since 2016; drive to the beach access at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer or Colleville instead.
Omaha Beach
Five miles (8 km) of sand. Walk out at low tide and look back at the bluffs to see what the first waves faced. Stop at the Les Braves sculpture at Saint-Laurent and the National Guard memorial on a bunker at Vierville.
Pointe du Hoc
The 100-foot (30 m) cliffs the 2nd Ranger Battalion climbed with ropes and ladders, and a moonscape of bomb craters and shattered bunkers. See the restoration warning above; access is limited through mid-2027.
Utah Beach Landing Museum
Built on the beach itself, with a real B-26 Marauder bomber in its own hall. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October to April and 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from May to September; the museum closes for a few weeks each year from mid-November to mid-December. Children 6 to 15 pay €6.50 (about $7). Optional guided tours add €2.50 to €5.
Sainte-Mère-Église and the Airborne Museum
The town the 82nd Airborne took in the early hours of June 6. A paratrooper dummy hangs from the church steeple in memory of John Steele. The Airborne Museum has a C-47 and a Waco glider; children 6 to 16 pay €7.50 (about $8). Nearby, the Iron Mike statue at La Fière marks one of the hardest airborne fights.
Brécourt Manor and Dead Man's Corner
Band of Brothers fans come for the field where Easy Company took out German guns at Brécourt (a roadside monument; the manor is private). Dead Man's Corner, at Saint-Côme-du-Mont, is now part of the D-Day Experience, a museum with a C-47 flight simulator; a family pass covering two or three children costs €45 (about $50).
Overlord Museum
A large private collection of tanks, vehicles and artillery set up in realistic scenes, a few minutes from the American Cemetery. Ages 7 to 15 pay €7.50, and the adult price rises to €10.90 in 2027. Open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. from June to August and 10 a.m. to 5:30 or 6:30 p.m. otherwise; it closes December 24–25, January 1, and for a winter break from early January to mid-February.
Longues-sur-Mer battery
The only German battery on the coast that still has its big guns in their casemates. Walk into them, then out to the cliff-edge observation post.
Arromanches
The concrete caissons of the British artificial Mulberry harbor still sit in the bay. Arromanches 360, a circular cinema on the cliff, shows a short archival film; a combined ticket with the Caen Memorial costs €24 (about $27). The seafront museum covers how the harbor was built.
Caen Memorial
The best big-picture museum on the war and its causes, with a strong D-Day section. Ages 10 to 18 and over 65 pay €18.50 (about $21); under 10 free; family ticket €53 (about $59). Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April to September; it closes on several Wednesdays in November and December 2026 (November 4, 18, 25 and December 2, 9, 16), so check the calendar before a winter visit.
Other cemeteries and memorials
The German cemetery at La Cambe, with more than 21,000 burials, is a sobering contrast to Colleville. The Juno Beach Centre tells the Canadian story, and the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer lists more than 22,000 names. Near Mont-Saint-Michel, the Brittany American Cemetery at Saint-James holds more than 4,400 Americans from the breakout and sees few visitors.
Tour or self-drive?
A good guide turns a beach into a story: who landed where, what went wrong, why that bunker mattered. Without one, many first-timers drive between parking lots unsure of what they saw. If you know the history, driving yourself works fine.
| Option | Typical cost | Good for | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minivan tour from Bayeux | €85–140 (about $95–157) per person | Most visitors; 8 people or fewer, hotel pickup in Bayeux | Fixed route; book weeks ahead for May–September |
| Private licensed guide | Quoted per day for your group | Families, tracing a relative, veterans' units | Most expensive; the best guides book up months ahead |
| Day tour from Paris | Varies widely | Travelers with no other time | About 6 hours on the road; little time at each site |
| Self-drive | Rental car plus fuel | History buffs, flexible pace | You do the research; parking at Pointe du Hoc is tight |
For example, Overlord Tour charges €90 (about $100) for a half-day Omaha tour and €140 (about $157) for full days, including a Band of Brothers route. Normandy Tours runs half-day Omaha tours from €85 (about $95), April through October. The Bayeux tourist office sells these and lists licensed private guides.
Insider tip
When you book, ask whether the tour includes the American Cemetery's visitor center and how long you will have at the cemetery. Some half-day tours allow only 45 minutes, which is not enough. If you want the flag ceremony, choose an afternoon tour or drive back yourself.
Finding a family member's grave
Search the ABMC burial database first: it tells you which cemetery, plot, row and grave. Many families brought their dead home after the war, so a soldier killed in Normandy may be buried in the US, at Colleville, at the Brittany American Cemetery, or listed on a Wall of the Missing.
- Look up the name on the ABMC burial search and note the plot, row and grave numbers.
- Email the cemetery (NormandyVisits@abmc.gov for Colleville) a few weeks ahead with the name and your date. Staff will escort relatives to the grave when the cemetery is open.
- Ask about having Omaha Beach sand rubbed into the engraving so the name shows clearly in photos, and about laying flowers or a wreath.
- Bring the unit, date of death and any letters or photos; staff and guides can then tell your relative's story.
Our American heritage trail page covers the other American cemeteries in France and how to research a service record before you go.
June 6 commemorations in 2027
The 83rd anniversary falls on Sunday, June 6, 2027, and the D-Day Festival runs from May 29 to June 13, 2027, across the five beaches, Sainte-Mère-Église, Bayeux and Arromanches. Expect jeep parades, re-enactor camps such as Camp Géronimo by the Airborne Museum, fireworks and village ceremonies. Organizers expect 2027 to be among the last years a group of veterans attends.
The main American ceremony is held at the Normandy American Cemetery on the morning of June 6. In recent years seats have required advance registration and nearby roads have closed for security; watch the ABMC events page from early 2027.
Watch out
Hotels and rental cars around Bayeux, Carentan and Sainte-Mère-Église sell out many months ahead for the first week of June, and roads near the beaches close for ceremonies. If you want quiet, contemplative visits, come in May or September instead.
Mont-Saint-Michel
The abbey on its rock island, about 85 miles (135 km) from Bayeux on the Brittany border, is one of the most visited sites in France. The village below is one steep street of souvenir shops; the abbey is the reason to come.
Getting onto the Mont
You cannot drive onto the Mont. Everyone parks in the official lots on the mainland, about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) away, then walks (40 to 50 minutes) or rides the free Passeur shuttle (about 12 minutes). The shuttle drops you about 380 yards (350 m) from the gate. A horse-drawn carriage also runs across the causeway for a fee.
| Parking season (2026) | Dates | 24-hour car rate (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Nov 3 to end of Feb | €14 (about $16) |
| Mid | Mar 1–Jun 30, Sep 1–Nov 2 | €22 (about $25) |
| High | Jul 1–Aug 31 | €28 (about $31) |
Booking an arrival slot online knocks €1 to €2 off, and shorter stays cost less. Outside July and August, parking is free from 6:30 p.m., which makes a sunset visit cheap. Keep your ticket: replacing a lost one costs €20 to €55. Pay at the machine before you walk back to the car. The shuttle runs from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. in spring and fall, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. in July and August, and 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. in winter, with an on-demand service at night.
The abbey
Adult tickets cost €16 (about $18) from April through September and €13 (about $15) from October through March; under-18s visiting with family are free, as are EU residents aged 18 to 25. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from January 2 to April 30 and September 1 to December 31, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from May 2 to August 31. It closes January 1, May 1 and December 25. Book a timed ticket online in summer.
Best time to visit
Arrive before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Day-trip coaches flood the single street from late morning to mid-afternoon. Better still, stay overnight on the Mont or at La Caserne on the mainland and walk up after dark, when the village empties and the abbey is lit.
Tides
The bay has the biggest tides in Europe, and on the highest spring tides the sea briefly surrounds the Mont. Never walk out onto the sand alone, because of quicksand and the fast incoming tide. To cross the bay on foot, go with a certified guide from Genêts.
Mont-Saint-Michel without a car
The fastest route is a TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes (about 1 hr 25 min to 2 hr), then a Keolis bus to the Mont (about 1 hr 15 min, around €15, about $17, one way; two or three a day timed to meet Paris trains). There is also an integrated ticket from Montparnasse via Pontorson or Villedieu-les-Poêles, with a Nomad train and connecting bus taking 4 to 4.5 hours, from about €29 (about $32) each way; buy a ticket to "Le Mont-Saint-Michel" so the bus is included. From Saint-Malo, Keolis Armor runs a direct coach for €25 (about $28) round trip. A day trip from Paris is possible but long; one night nearby is far better.
Other towns and sights
Bayeux
Liberated on June 7, 1944, and almost undamaged. A Norman Gothic cathedral, the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum, the largest British war cemetery in France, and most of the region's tour companies.
Rouen
Half-timbered streets, the cathedral Monet painted more than 30 times, the square where Joan of Arc was burned in 1431, and a strong Impressionist collection at the Fine Arts Museum.
Honfleur
A small harbor of tall slate-fronted houses around the Vieux Bassin, with a wooden church built by shipwrights. It gets busy on summer weekends, so come early or stay the night. No train station; buses connect with Le Havre and Deauville.
Étretat
Chalk cliffs, arches and a needle of rock that drew Monet and Courbet. Walk the cliff paths on both sides of town. Since April 2025 a town order bans going within 16 feet (5 m) of the cliff edge and through the tunnels and caves at the cliff foot, with a €135 (about $151) fine.
Deauville and Trouville
Twin seaside towns across a river. Deauville has the boardwalk, casino and the American Film Festival each September; Trouville is a fishing port with a fish market.
Giverny
Monet's house and water-lily garden, open from April 1 to November 1 in 2026; it reopens each spring. 2026 is the centenary of Monet's death, which brought exhibitions across Normandy and bigger crowds. Trains to Vernon take under 50 minutes from Saint-Lazare. See our day trips from Paris page for the shuttle and tickets.
The Bayeux Tapestry is in London until July 2027
The Bayeux Tapestry Museum closed for rebuilding on September 1, 2025, and the tapestry itself is on loan to the British Museum from September 10, 2026 to July 11, 2027. It is not on view anywhere in France until the new Bayeux museum opens, planned for late 2027. In London, all 2026 dates sold out, January to March 2027 tickets went on sale on October 21, 2026, and April to July 2027 tickets are due in early 2027, from £25 to £33 depending on the time slot (under-16s free with an adult). If your trip routes through London, book the moment sales open.
Suggested itineraries
Two days: the American sector
- Day 1
Utah Beach and the airborne drop zones
Take a morning train from Paris to Bayeux, or drive (about 3 hours). Head west to Sainte-Mère-Église for the church and Airborne Museum, then La Fière, the Brécourt monument and the Utah Beach Landing Museum. Finish at Dead Man's Corner near Carentan. Sleep in Bayeux.
- Day 2
Omaha Beach and the cemetery
Start at Pointe du Hoc when it opens at 9 a.m. Walk Omaha Beach at Vierville and Saint-Laurent, see the Overlord Museum, and spend the afternoon at the Normandy American Cemetery, staying for the flag ceremony. If time allows, stop at Longues-sur-Mer on the way back to Bayeux, then take the evening train to Paris.
Four days: Seine to the Mont
- Day 1
Rouen and Honfleur
Pick up a car at Rouen station (about 1 hr 15 min from Paris). See the cathedral and old town, then drive about an hour to Honfleur for an evening by the harbor. Add Étretat if you start early.
- Day 2
Caen and the British beaches
Spend the morning at the Caen Memorial, then see Arromanches and Longues-sur-Mer. Sleep in Bayeux.
- Day 3
The American sector
A full-day guided tour from Bayeux, or drive Utah, Sainte-Mère-Église, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha and the cemetery yourself.
- Day 4
Mont-Saint-Michel
Drive about 1 hr 30 min to the Mont, stopping at the Brittany American Cemetery in Saint-James. Climb to the abbey, and either stay the night or drop the car in Rennes and take the TGV to Paris.
Getting there and around
Normandy trains leave from Paris Saint-Lazare. The fastest reach Caen in 1 hr 54 min (about 20 a day) and Bayeux in about 2 hr 15 min; Rouen takes about 1 hr 15 min and Trouville-Deauville about 2 hours. Mont-Saint-Michel is reached via Montparnasse. Book on SNCF Connect, as summer Fridays sell out; see our trains guide.
A car makes the biggest difference here: the D-Day sites, Étretat, Honfleur and the cider villages have little public transportation. Take the train to Caen or Bayeux and rent a car there to skip Paris traffic. That matters more than usual from November 16, 2026 to the end of August 2027, when the A13's Saint-Cloud tunnel is closed in the Paris-to-Normandy direction and drivers leaving Paris face signed detours. See driving in France.
Different from home
There is no Uber in rural Normandy, and taxis must be booked ahead. Many restaurants serve lunch only from noon to 2 p.m. and dinner from 7 p.m., and village shops close on Sundays and often Mondays. Plan lunch near a town when you are touring the beaches.
Where to base yourself
Bayeux is the best base for the beaches: walkable, with tour pickups and a station. Caen has more hotels but is 30 minutes farther from Omaha. At Mont-Saint-Michel, stay on the Mont for atmosphere or at La Caserne for value. Honfleur and Rouen make good one-night stops. See where to stay.
Hôtel d'Argouges
An 18th-century mansion with a garden in the center of town, walking distance to the cathedral and tour pickups.
Villa Lara
A small, modern boutique hotel with cathedral views, one of the more polished stays in Bayeux.
Château de Sully
A château hotel with a restaurant and spa just outside town, convenient for driving to Omaha.
La Mère Poulard
The famous omelet restaurant also has rooms on the Mont. Rooms are small and you carry your bags up the street, but you have the island after dark.
La Ferme Saint-Siméon
A luxury inn where the Impressionists once gathered, with a spa and gardens above the estuary.
Food and drink
Normandy cooks with what its cows and apple trees produce: cream sauces, butter, and apples in everything. See our French food guide.
- Cheese: four AOP cheeses, Camembert, Pont-l'Évêque, Livarot and the heart-shaped Neufchâtel. The village of Camembert has a small cheese museum and nearby farms you can visit.
- Cider and Calvados: follow the signposted Route du Cidre through the Pays d'Auge, about 25 miles (40 km) through Cambremer and Beuvron-en-Auge, where farms with a "Cru de Cambremer" sign sell cider, pommeau (apple juice and Calvados) and Calvados at the barn door.
- Seafood: oysters from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Isigny, mussels in cream, and scallops (coquilles Saint-Jacques) in season from October to May.
- Butter and cream: Isigny-sur-Mer, near Omaha Beach, gives its name to some of France's best.
- Salt-meadow lamb from the Mont-Saint-Michel bay, and le trou normand, a shot of Calvados between courses to make room for more.
Save money
The omelets on Mont-Saint-Michel are priced for tourists. Eat a crêpe on the Mont, then have dinner in Pontorson or Avranches. For cider and Calvados, buy direct from farms on the Route du Cidre, where a bottle of farm cider costs a few euros. Our bringing food home page covers US customs rules for Calvados and cheese.
Seasons and events
- Spring (April–May): apple blossom, fewer crowds, Giverny reopens around April 1.
- Late May to mid-June: the D-Day Festival, May 29 to June 13 in 2027. Busy, moving and expensive.
- July–August: warm, around 70°F (21°C), with French and British families on the coast and peak crowds at the Mont.
- September: often the best month: settled weather, open sites and the Deauville American Film Festival in early September.
- October to March: cool, wet and windy, around 40–50°F (4–10°C), but the cemetery and most museums stay open, prices drop and scallops are in season. Check private museums for winter closures.
Rain is possible any month; see when to go.
Tips for Americans
- The American Cemetery is an active military cemetery run by ABMC, an agency of the US government. Dress respectfully, keep voices low, and skip the picnic.
- Locals remember the liberation and many villages fly American flags in June. A simple "merci" goes a long way; you will often be thanked back.
- Bring a windproof layer even in summer; the beaches and the Pointe du Hoc headland are exposed.
- Consider adding Brittany after Mont-Saint-Michel; Saint-Malo is 45 minutes away.
Related pages
- American heritage trail: every American cemetery and memorial in France
- Day trips from Paris: Giverny, Rouen and the Mont
- Trains and driving in France
- Brittany, Northern France and the Loire Valley
- Food and wine guides
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