Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie
Bayeux
Using well-chosen photos, personal accounts, dioramas and wartime objects, this first-rate museum offers an excellent introduction to the Battle of…
Must-see attractions in Brittany & Normandy
Arromanches 360° Circular Cinema
D-Day Beaches
The best view of Port Winston and nearby Gold Beach is from the hill east of town, site of the popular Arromanches 360° Circular Cinema, which screens…
Brittany
The soaring chancel of the Basilique St-Sauveur is Flamboyant Gothic, but the south side of the church is Romanesque, while other periods and styles get…
St-Malo
The city's centrepiece was constructed between the 12th and 18th centuries. During the ferocious fighting of August 1944, the cathedral was badly mauled,…
D-Day Beaches
The harbour established at Omaha was completely destroyed by a ferocious gale (the worst storm to lash the Normandy coast in four decades) just two weeks…
Brittany
The Tomb of Merlin is worth hunting out, secluded and lying quietly amid a grove of trees. According to legend, the Lady of the Lake circled Merlin nine…
Normandy
The highest point on the Côte d’Albâtre, Cap Fagnet (110m) towers over Fécamp from the north, offering fantastic views up and down the coast. The site of…
Finistère
Sail out to this amazing petite prison-fortress constructed in the 16th century by Vauban, on a small islet in the Bay of Morlaix. Most departures are…
Normandy
Located 5km north of Caen within two restored German bunkers (bunker H 622 and bunker L 479), this museum is interesting for anyone of a technical bent or…
Brittany
Steam-engine buffs and lovers of fine scenery will be in seventh heaven aboard the chuffing carriages of this 1922 steam train that plies the old railway…
Giverny
Dedicated to St Radegund, this church was originally built in the 11th and 12th centuries, expanded in the 15th century and then greatly restored between…
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…
Basilique Notre-Dame du Roncier
Golfe du Morbihan
Ringed by some highly impressive gargoyles, parts of the Basilique Notre-Dame du Roncier date from the 12th century, including its Romanesque pillars. The…
Maison des Johnnies et de l’Oignon de Roscoff
Finistère
Photographs at this popular museum trace Roscoff's roaming pink-onion farmers, known as 'Johnnies', from the early 19th century. The onion farmers gave…
Rouen
Home to one of the world’s premier collections of wrought iron, this riveting (excuse the pun) museum is an astonishing sight, showcasing the…
Golfe du Morbihan
The Musée de Préhistoire is chock full of the finds from the megalithic sites throughout the region, so it serves as a fantastic primer to the area and…
La Cohue – Musée des Beaux-Arts
Golfe du Morbihan
Opposite the cathedral, the building called La Cohue has variously been a produce market, a law court and the seat of the Breton parliament. Today it's a…
Normandy
Built between the 14th and 18th centuries, this imposing clifftop castle affords spectacular views of the coast. Inside, the museum explores the city’s…
Bayeux
The largest of the 18 Commonwealth military cemeteries in Normandy, this peaceful cemetery contains 4848 graves of soldiers from the UK and 10 other…
St-Malo
Constructed in the mid-18th century, Fort de la Cité d'Alet was used as a German base during WWII. One of the bunkers now houses this memorial, which…
Honfleur
Built between 1600 and 1613, this chapel sits on the Plateau de Grâce, a wooded, 100m-high hill about 2km west of the Vieux Bassin. The area offers great…
Golfe du Morbihan
You can find this huge, dwarfing menhir among pine trees about 300m east of the Kercado turnoff along the D196; there's a parking area just off the road…
Finistère
Two traditional local houses make up this small but rewarding ecomuseum. One re-creates a traditional homestead, furnished like a ship's cabin, with…
Rennes
The amazing building housing these baths makes for an astonishing sight as you walk up Rue Gambetta. Constructed between 1923 and 1926, it was designed by…
Finistère
The village is home to the ruined Benedictine Abbaye St-Guenolé (only the foundations remain). The abbey museum records the history of the settlement,…
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…
Normandy
Fécamp’s new flagship museum is a terrific addition to town, situated in the middle of the harbour, 300m northwest of the tourist office and showcasing…
Mont St-Michel
Built on the rocky tip of the mountain cone, the transept rests on solid rock, while the nave, choir and transept arms are supported by the rooms below…
Finistère
This farm and working cider factory produces cider, apple juice and vinegar. A visit takes you from the orchard to production and, of course, you get a…
Musée d'Histoire et d'Archéologie
Golfe du Morbihan
Housed inside the 16th-century Château Gaillard, this small but intriguing museum contains precious neolithic artefacts unearthed throughout the region,…
Finistère
For informative insights into the town's place in art history, stop by this well-organised and well-presented museum. Gallery size has doubled in recent…
Finistère
This excellent museum, just inside the main western gate of the Ville Close, delves into Concarneau's seafaring traditions using everything from archive…
Brittany
Be sure to head downhill along rue du Jerzual and rue du Petit Fort to the Vieux Pont (Old Bridge). From here, the bridge, a pretty little port, hemmed by…
Rennes
Rennes' futuristic cultural centre is home to the Musée de Bretagne, with displays on Breton history and culture. Under the same roof is Espace des…
Citadelle Vauban & Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Golfe du Morbihan
The dramatic citadel, strengthened by the architect Vauban in 1682, dominates little Le Palais port. Inside, the informative museum's displays concentrate…
Rouen
Dedicated in 1979, the thrillingly bizarre Église Jeanne d'Arc, with its fish-scale exterior, marks the spot where 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at…
Rouen
Spanning rue du Gros Horloge, the Great Clock’s Renaissance archway has a gilded, one-handed medieval clock face on each side. High above, a Gothic belfry…
Le Havre
When Le Havre's concrete expanses and straight lines overpower you, stop by this lovely Baroque church, which somehow eluded the intense bombing efforts…
Brittany
Scenically overlooking the waters of the Étang de Paimpont (Paimpont Pond), this splendid and tranquil abbey is a highlight of the region. The abbey…
Normandy
The ‘City of the Sea’ brings Dieppe’s long maritime and fishing history to life, with kid-friendly exhibits that include model ships and a fish-petting…
