D-Day and the Battle of Normandy

A D-Day Normandy trip centers on the stretch of coast in the Manche and Calvados where Allied troops came ashore on June 6, 1944. This guide first gives you the history in brief. It then walks the D-Day sites beach by beach from west to east, covers the museums and cemeteries, and explains how long to allow, how to get there with or without a car, and when to go. Keep the D-Day beaches map open alongside it to see how the sites line up.

The Battle of Normandy in brief

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on five beaches code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. American troops took the two western beaches and British troops took Gold and Sword. Canadians landed on Juno, between the two British beaches. Airborne troops had dropped inland during the night before.

The landings opened the Battle of Normandy. Americans, British, Canadians, French and soldiers of several other Allied nations fought for almost 100 days. The battle ended in August 1944, when German forces were encircled in the Falaise Pocket.

Normandy now counts 29 cemeteries, 21 memorials and 44 museums dedicated to D-Day. You can’t see them all, so the sections below help you choose.

D-Day sites beach by beach

Utah Beach

Utah, in the Manche, is the westernmost beach. It was added to the plan in December 1943 to speed the capture of the port of Cherbourg. At 6:30 in the morning the US 4th Infantry Division came ashore about 2 km south of the planned point, where the defenses turned out to be weaker. Losses that day did not exceed 200, and more than 23,000 men had landed by evening.

The Utah Beach D-Day Museum stands on the landing site at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. It tells the story in 10 sequences and has an original B-26 bomber in its own hall. Inland, the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église covers the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Its displays include a C-47 aircraft and a parachute-jump simulator.

Two German batteries lie nearby. Azeville has four casemates with underground galleries. Crisbecq, at Saint-Marcouf, has about 21 bunkers and blockhouses. Normandy Tourism says Crisbecq was the first battery to fire on the Allied fleet and that it sank the USS Corry.

Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc

Omaha Beach runs from Vierville-sur-Mer to Colleville-sur-Mer. It is a 6-7 km curve between cliffs, and the Germans defended its narrow valleys with 14 strongpoints. The US 1st and 29th Divisions landed from 6:30 under heavy fire. The bombardment before the landing had little effect, and almost all the amphibious tanks sank before reaching shore. By evening the beachhead was no more than 2 km deep. Normandy Tourism’s Omaha page puts casualties at more than 3,000, while its FAQ gives 4,100 killed, wounded or missing.

Two museums sit near the beach. The Omaha Beach Memorial Museum is in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. The Overlord Museum, in Colleville-sur-Mer, displays 35 vehicles, tanks and guns.

West of the beach, the US 2nd Ranger Battalion climbed the 100-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to silence German guns. When the Rangers reached the top, they found the guns had been moved inland, then tracked them down and destroyed them. After two days of fighting, about 90 Rangers were still able to fight when relief arrived on June 8. The ground is still cratered from the bombardment, so stay on the marked paths.

The Normandy American Cemetery stands on the bluff above the beach. It holds the graves of almost 9,400 US service members, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The Walls of the Missing carry almost 1,600 names. Entry is free, but ABMC expects every visitor to pre-register from summer 2027. The path from the cemetery down to the beach has been closed since 2016, though you can reach the beach nearby.

Gold Beach and Arromanches

The British 50th Division landed 25,000 men on Gold by the evening of June 6 and took Bayeux the next morning. Off Arromanches, the Allies built a prefabricated harbor known as Port Winston. It was planned to last about three months but stayed in use for about five, and its concrete remains are still visible offshore.

The Arromanches D-Day Museum on the seafront explains how the harbor worked. On the cliff above town, the Arromanches 360 circular cinema shows a 20-minute archive film on nine screens. Along the same coast, the Longues-sur-Mer battery still has its four casemates, each holding its 150 mm gun. The British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer overlooks Gold Beach.

Juno Beach

Juno was the Canadian beach, from Bernières-sur-Mer to Courseulles-sur-Mer. Rough seas and reefs delayed the first wave. Even so, more than 21,000 men were ashore by nightfall and the beachhead reached 12 km inland.

Canadian veterans opened the Juno Beach Centre in 2003. It honors the Canadians who died in the war, including 381 on D-Day and 5,500 in the Battle of Normandy. From April to October it runs 45-minute guided tours of the German bunkers next to the museum. The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery holds 2,049 graves.

Sword Beach and Pegasus Bridge

The British 3rd Division landed on Sword with commando brigades, among them 177 French commandos of No. 4 Commando. Late on the night of June 5, British glider troops had already taken the Bénouville bridge, now known as Pegasus Bridge. That same night British paratroopers stormed the Merville Battery, which now has a museum.

The Pegasus Memorial at Ranville keeps the original bridge in its grounds. It closed for renovation on September 1, 2026, and its own site says it stays closed from January to May 2027, with no confirmed reopening date. Nearby, Radar Station 44 at Douvres-la-Délivrande, a German radar station taken eleven days after D-Day, also has a museum.

D-Day museums and cemeteries beyond the beaches

The Caen Memorial opened on June 6, 1988, above a former German command post. It covers the whole Second World War and the Cold War, and a Shoah room opened in 2025. It works well as a first stop that gives you context before you see the beaches. It also sells guided minivan tours of the American sector, which take 7 passengers, children over 6, and cannot take wheelchair users.

Cemeteries for every army lie across the region:

• Bayeux War Cemetery, the Commonwealth cemetery next to the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy.
• The German cemetery at La Cambe, near Omaha, with more than 21,200 soldiers.
• The German cemetery at Champigny-la-Futelaye, between Évreux and Dreux, with 19,794 soldiers.
• The Polish military cemetery at Urville, the only one in France for the Second World War.

If you travel with children, several D-Day museums have children’s trails and family tickets. The Airborne Museum keeps graphic content out of children’s sight.

How long to spend

Normandy Tourism suggests a 4-day itinerary from Sainte-Mère-Église to Caen. That pace lets you see all five beaches without rushing. With less time, pick one sector.

For individual sites, these are the times the museums or Normandy Tourism give:

• Utah Beach D-Day Museum: 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Airborne Museum: about 2 hours.
• Normandy American Cemetery: 1h30.
• Arromanches D-Day Museum: 1h30 according to the museum, 1h15 according to Normandy Tourism.
• Juno Beach Centre: at least 1h30, plus the 45-minute bunker tour.
• Caen Memorial: about 4 hours according to the museum, 3-4 hours according to Normandy Tourism.

The American sites cluster tightly. OpenStreetMap routing, which is an estimate without traffic, puts Pointe du Hoc about 16 minutes from Omaha Beach and about 17 minutes from the cemetery. Arromanches is about 17 minutes from the Juno Beach Centre.

For ready-made plans, see one day on the D-Day beaches, two days in Bayeux and on the beaches, three days in Normandy or five days in Normandy. Cruise passengers can check the Le Havre cruise port day.

Getting there and getting around

A car gives you the most freedom. Driving from Paris means taking the A13. The A13 Saint-Cloud tunnel near Paris is closed in the Paris-to-Normandy direction from November 16, 2026, to the end of August 2027, with signed diversions.

Without a car, take the train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux, which ABMC puts at about three hours, or to Caen. There is no railway station on the coast. From Bayeux you can use taxis, minibus excursions, private guides or a D-Day beaches tour listed by the tourist office. In July and August the NOMAD Car D-Day Line bus offers unlimited travel between the main sites from Bayeux. Bus line 101 from Caen and line 121 from Bayeux stop a short walk from the Juno Beach Centre. For Utah, Carentan station is 17 km away, with bike rental near the station and the Vélomaritime cycle route running to the museum.

Bayeux and Caen make practical bases. If you plan to see the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, note that it is closed until autumn 2027. The Tapestry is on show at the British Museum in London from September 10, 2026, to July 11, 2027. For more options, see Normandy without a car, getting to Normandy from Paris and the D-Day beaches day trip from Paris.

When to go

You can visit the landing beaches all year. Early June is the busiest time because of the anniversary events, so book early if you want to be there for them. See June 6 in Normandy for details. Spring, autumn and winter are quieter.

Some seasonal limits shape your plans. Juno’s bunker tours run from April to October, and the NOMAD bus runs only in July and August. The Pegasus Memorial is closed through at least May 2027. Plan beach walks around the tides. For month-by-month planning, read the best time to visit Normandy and Normandy weather by month. For entry prices and opening hours, check each attraction page or the official site.