Things to do in D Day Beaches
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Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial
The huge Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial, 17km northwest of Bayeux, is the largest American cemetery in Europe. Featured in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, it contains the graves of 9387 American soldiers, including 41 pairs of brothers, and a memorial to 1557 others whose remains were never found. White marble crosses and Stars of David stretch off in seemingly endless rows, surrounded by an immaculately tended expanse of lawn. The cemetery is overlooked by a large colonnaded memorial, centred on a statue dedicated to the spirit of American youth.
Opened in 2007, the visitor center, mostly underground so as not to detract from the…
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Musée du Débarquement
Down in Arromanches and right on the beach, the Musée du Débarquement, redesigned in 2004 for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, makes an informative stop. Dioramas, models and two films explain the logistics and importance of Port Winston. Written material is available in 18 languages.
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Pointe du Hoc Ranger Memorial
At 7.10am on 6 June 1944, 225 US Army Rangers commanded by Lt Col James Earl Rudder scaled the 30m cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, where the Germans had a battery of huge artillery guns perfectly placed to rain shells onto the beaches of Utah and Omaha. Unbeknown to Rudder and his team, the guns had already been transferred inland, and they spent the next two days repelling fierce German counterattacks. By the time they were finally relieved on 8 June, 81 of the rangers had been killed and 58 more had been wounded.
Today the site , which France turned over to the US government in 1979, looks much as it did more than half a century ago. The ground is pockmarked with bomb craters,…
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Normandy Sightseeing Tours
From May to October (and on request the rest of the year), this experienced outfit offers morning (adult/child under 10 years €40/20) and afternoon (€55/35) tours of various beaches and cemeteries. These can be combined into an all-day excursion (€85/45).
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Centre Juno Beach
Juno Beach's only Canadian museum, Centre Juno Beach has multimedia exhibits on Canada’s role in the war effort and the landings. Guided tours of Juno Beach (€5) are available from April to October.
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Normandy Tours
This local operator offers five-hour tours of the main sites from 1pm to 6pm most days, as well as personally tailored trips. Based at Bayeux' Hotel de la Gare.
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Mémorial
Conducts excellent four- to five-hour minibus tours around the landing beaches. The price includes entry to the Mémorial. You can book online or by telephone.
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Port Winston
The remains of the Port Winston (named after Churchill) can still be seen near Arromanches, 10km northeast of Bayeux. At low tide you can walk out to one of the caissons from the beach. The best view of Port Winston and nearby Gold Beach is from the hill east of town, marked with a statue of the Virgin Mary.
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Musée du Débarquement
This museum is on Utah Beach.
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Circuit de la Plage d’Omaha
Circuit de la Plage d’Omaha, trail-marked with a yellow stripe, is a self-guided tour all along Omaha Beach.
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