Must-see attractions in Caen

  • CAEN, FRANCE - OCTOBER 22, 2016: The Memorial de Caen is a museum and war memorial in Caen, Normandy, France commemorating the Second World War and the Battle for Caen.; Shutterstock ID 511924579; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Normandy POIs

    Le Mémorial – Un Musée pour la Paix

    Caen

    For a very insightful and vivid account of the entire war, with special focus on the Battle of Normandy, Le Mémorial is unparalleled – it's one of Europe…

  • Caen Chateau, ramparts and bastions

    Château de Caen

    Caen

    Looming above the centre of the city, Caen’s magnificent castle walls – massive battlements overlooking a now dry moat – were established by William the…

  • Abbaye-aux-Hommes

    Caen

    Caen’s most important medieval site is the Men’s Abbey – now city hall – and, right next door, the magnificent, multi-turreted Église St-Étienne (St…

  • Abbaye-aux-Dames

    Caen

    Highlights at the Women’s Abbey complex in the east of the town centre, once run by the Benedictines, include Église de la Trinité – look for Matilda’s…

  • Musée des Beaux-Arts

    Caen

    This excellent and well-curated museum takes you on a tour through the history of Western art from the 15th to 21st centuries, including works depicting…

  • Église St-Georges

    Caen

    Doubling as a very useful tourist information centre, this medieval church within the Château de Caen has gorgeous stained-glass works as well as several…

  • Musée de Normandie

    Caen

    A handy primer for fathoming the character of the region, this two-part museum situated within the former Logis des Gouverneurs in the Château de Caen…

  • Donjon

    Caen

    The castle's vast 12th-century donjon (keep) was pretty much destroyed after the French Revolution in the late 18th century, so little remains today…

  • Église St-Jean

    Caen

    An earlier 12th-century church stood at this site where this 15th-century church stands today, with its beautiful stained-glass windows. The church was…

  • Maison des Quatrans

    Caen

    The 15th-century Maison des Quatrans is one of only two prewar buildings left in the city centre near Château de Guillaume le Conquérant, though it lost a…

  • Échiquier

    Caen

    Inside the Château de Caen, the Échiquier (more fully the Salle de l’Échiquier) – or the Exchequer – is a venerable building dating from the 12th century.

  • Église St-Pierre

    Caen

    Across from the Château de Caen, the soaring Église St-Pierre was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and was being renovated at the time of writing.

  • Jardin des Simples

    Caen

    The Jardin des Simples is a garden of medicinal and aromatic herbs cultivated during the Middle Ages, some of them poisonous.

More destinations you need to see