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.
25.76 MILES
The world’s most celebrated embroidery depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 from an unashamedly Norman perspective…
27.45 MILES
Cherbourg’s art-deco Gare Maritime Transatlantique (Transatlantic Ferry Terminal), built from 1928 to 1933, was designed so travellers could walk from…
25.9 MILES
These mammoth German artillery pieces remain in their colossal concrete emplacements – the only in-situ large-calibre weapons in Normandy. The first…
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Baron Gérard
25.59 MILES
Make sure you drop by this museum – one of France’s most gorgeously presented provincial museums – where exhibitions cover everything from Gallo-Roman…
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…
25.61 MILES
Most of Bayeux’ spectacular Norman Gothic cathedral dates from the 13th century, though the crypt (take the stairs on the north side of the choir), the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…