Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin

Normandy


Inland from Utah Beach, to the south and southwest, is the 1480-sq-km Parc Naturel Régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin, a vast expanse of waterways, marshes, moors and hedgerows. The Maison du Parc (visitor centre) is in St-Côme-du-Mont, 50km west of Bayeux just off the N13.

For details on hiking and cycling in the park and elsewhere in the Manche département, visit www.manche-tourism.com and click on ‘Walks, Rambles & Rides’ under the 'Explore' tab.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Normandy attractions

1. Musée du Débarquement de Utah Beach

7.68 MILES

This impressive museum is a few kilometres inland from the US landings at Utah Beach. Guided tours of the museum and of the landing site can be arranged…

2. Pointe du Hoc Ranger Memorial

13.53 MILES

At 7.10am on 6 June 1944, 225 US Army Rangers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder scaled the impossibly steep, 30m-high cliffs of…

3. Overlord Museum

18.58 MILES

This excellent museum has an astonishing collection of restored WWII military equipment from both sides; the human dimension of the war is brought…

4. Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial

18.71 MILES

White marble crosses and Stars of David stretch off in seemingly endless rows at the Normandy American Cemetery, situated on a now-serene bluff…

5. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances

20.58 MILES

The interior of the splendid twin-towered Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances includes several 13th-century windows, a 14th-century fresco of St…

6. Jardin des plantes de Coutances

20.67 MILES

These delightful landscaped botanical gardens date to the mid-19th century and include a Cedar of Lebanon, magnolias and a large variety of flowers as…

7. Mémorial des Reporters

25.13 MILES

This landscaped promenade, a joint project of the City of Bayeux and Reporters Without Borders (www.en.rsf.org), lists the names of over 2000 journalists…

8. Bayeux War Cemetery

25.13 MILES

The largest of the 18 Commonwealth military cemeteries in Normandy, this peaceful cemetery contains 4848 graves of soldiers from the UK and 10 other…