WWII Sites in Normandy, France

I lived in Normandy, France for 3 months in 2025. For one of those months I lived 30 minutes from the D-Day landing beaches. I was able to experience so many towns, museums and sites related to WWII so I wanted to recap my thoughts on what's worth visiting, what you could leave out, etc.

Dieppe

I lived in Dieppe from December 2024-February 2025. Dieppe isn't as well known as the D-Day towns but it has a lot of history! In 1940 Canadian Troops and US Rangers came over to try to take the port/town. It was unsuccessful and led to many deaths (including the death of my nieces Great-Great Grandfather who is buried there today). There is also a museum in town.

• I'd recommend starting in the town of Dieppe at the beach. There are multiple memorials as you walk along the beach boardwalk for the Canadian and Us Troops.

• You can visit the Canadian memorial below the Chateau in Dieppe as well as some of the other sites where troops landed to the North and South of the main beach in Dieppe.

• Then end your day at the Canadian Cemetery. It is well taken care of is the home of many Canadian men who gave their lives during that battle.

If you enjoy WWII History and want something different than D-Day, visiting Dieppe is a must do!

Dieppe is rated 10/10 for historical sites in Normandy for me!

Caen Memorial Museum

This museum is amazing. It starts at the beginning of the War when Germany invaded Poland, includes all the countries involved, has a Jewish section and ends with some D-Day information. There's even an old German underground operation/command center below it that you get to see. It had an audio guide and took us 4 hours to complete but we fully saw everything. I'd recommend starting your Normandy site seeing here to get insight on all of WWII before ending with the Normandy/D-Day sites.

We rated this museum 10/10!

Utah Beach

Utah Beach is one of the beaches where the USA troops landed during D-Day. There is a museum there that highlights Utah Beach and is definitely worth the visit if you want to know more about the Americans landing on the beach.

The Utah Museum took about 1.5 hours.

If you don't have many days in Normandy, I would skip Utah Beach and Museum and focus on Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery.

If you have a few days in Normandy, pairing Utah Beach with Saint Mere Eglise and Saint Marie du Mont is a great way to spend a day.

I rate Utah Beach a 8/10 for must see in the area due to it being further away from the other sites but worth it if you have extra time in the area!

Point du Hoc

Point du Hoc is where the US Rangers climbed the cliffs during D-Day. There is a visitor center there, some bunkers and you can view the English Channel and imagine what it would look like that morning as 5000 ships were coming across the English Channel. My exact words were "The Germans must have been shitting themselves".

Make sure to go inside the visitor center as they have some information in there as well as a 20 minute video that's really informative.

Point Du Hoc can take around 1-1.5 hours to see if you go inside the Visitor Center, watch the video, walk around the outside and go into the bunkers.

I rate Point du Hoc 10/10.

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach is next to Point du Hoc and has a couple memorials on the beach, as well as the Omaha Museum. There isn't much to see besides looking at the beach and getting an idea of where the Troops landed. The Museum isn't a popular so I wouldn't pay for it and would spend more time at the American Cemetery that has a wonderful museum.

Omaha Beach is great to pair with Point du Hoc and the American Cemetery.

If you're in the area for the day and can only fit in Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery then I rate Omaha Beach 10/10. But if you have additional time and can do Utah Beach/Museum over Omaha Beach then I rate Omaha Beach 2/10 compared to Utah Beach/Museum.

American Cemetery

The American Cemetery is above Omaha Beach. It's a huge Cemetery that is tragically beautiful. If you arrive within the last hour before they close you can also experience the lowering of the flag which I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you do.

If you're American, visiting the American Cemetery is a must.

Make sure to go into the Visitors Center. It's free and can take 1-1.5 hours if you watch the videos and read all of the information in there. I think it's one of the best museums in the area.

Between the Visitor Center, walking around the Cemetery and seeing the lowering of the flag, expect to spend around 2 hours there, if not more.

The American Cemetery is a 10/10 for must visit sites in Normandy.

Saint Mere Eglise

This is a small town in Normandy near Utah Beach. It's where the 101st Airborne Division landed including a soldier who got stuck on the church. There is a fake soldier hung from the Church today that can be seen. The Airborne Museum is right in the town.

There is so much history in this small town.

Pair it with the Airborne Museum, Utah Beach and Saint Marie du Mont for a full day of sites.

I rate visiting Saint Mere Eglise 10/10 for sites to see in Normandy.

Airborne Museum

The Airborne Museum highlights D-Day for the 101st Airborne Division. If you've watched HBO/Max Band of Brothers, you've heard of the 101st Airborne Division as well as Saint Mere Eglise.

I spent 2.5 hours at the Airborne Museum. It's a great museum if you want to learn about the Airborne division during D-Day. My Husband really wanted to see the gliders.

I'd rate the museum 7/10 as it is a more niche museum focusing on the Airborne Division of D-Day. It was a great museum with lots of information. It's not a must do but definitely worth it if you have time.

Saint Marie du Mont

This is probably my FAVORITE town in Normandy.

This town also had the 101st Airborne Division liberate them. If you visit the Church you'll see a plaque with the number 0 on it that gives some history. There are 12 plaques to find around the town square. Don't forget to stop at the Memorial for the townspeople that died during WWI and WWII. You can find these in every church and town in France but this town has a beautiful memorial. Inside the Church you'll find a memorial as well.

I learned so much on my scavenger hunt around town trying to find all 12 plaques.

Pair it with the Airborne Museum, Utah Beach and Saint Mere Eglise for a full day of sites.

I rate Saint Marie du Mont 10/10 for sites to see in Normandy.

Normandy Victory Museum

This museum is about the Victory of D-Day and the 100 days following June 6, 1944 for soldiers and civilians in Normandy.

I was not impressed with this museum. It didn't really cover the 100 days following D-Day where I thought I'd learn more about soldiers and civilians life.

I wouldn't visit this museum and rate it 1/10.

Bayeux Museum-Battle of Normandy

This museum focuses on all the battles in Normandy, not just at the specific beaches.

There was lots of machinery and vehicles in there. There was a ton of reading. Everything had plaques in smaller font that you had to read. There was a good section on Charles de Gaulle.

This museum wasn't my favorite. The Caen Museum is much better and I'd spend my money there.

I wouldn't visit this museum and rate it 2/10.

D-Day Experience - Take to the Skies

This museum has a flight simulator. A real C-47 has been turned into a flight simulator to let you experience what the 101st Airborne division experiences.

I thought this experience was going to be much cooler but it wasn't that great. It was a very short flight simulator experience where we hot into a real C-47 and the windows was the screen where it looked like you were flying and then crashing.

This museum can also include a pass to the Dead Mans Corner museum which is small but it was featured in Band of Brothers. It was named after an American tank was destroyed by German forces during D-Day and a dead Commander was hanging out of the turret for days. The building site, served as a German command post and aid station.

I would rate the D-Day Experience and Dead Man's corner a 2/10 and wouldn't spend time going there.

Angoville-au-Plain Church

This church is in a small community in Normandy. During WWII it was used by two US Army Medics as an aide station. They were with the 101st Airborne division and treated American and German wounded soldiers.

Blood stains are still visible on the pews and there is beautiful stained glass inside to commemorate the 101st Airborne Division as well as the Medics.

This Church isn't as known of a spot. When I arrived, no one was around and I wasn't sure if I could enter (but don't worry most churches are unlocked during the day and welcome visitors).

I would 100% recommend visiting here if you're in the area and have time and rate it a 10/10.

Arromanches 360 Circular Cinema

The town of Arromanches is cute but after doing the 360 Cinema, we don't recommend visiting it. It's $7 euro per person and the video is about 30 minutes long. It's just a bunch of pictures and videos from D-Day to Victory to not much rhyme or reason. We had saw a few of the clips previously at the Caen museum that had a great video to watch.

We rated this experience 0/10.

Overlord Museum

This museum focuses on the landings by the allies in Normandy with Operation Overlord.

The museum had a ton of trucks, planes, motorcycles and other memorabilia. Some of the tanks and trucks were restored to working order.

If you're really into seeing the trucks, tanks and other equipment used during WWII then this museum might be of interest to you.

I'd rate is an 8/10 for a museum but a 5/10 for importance of what to see with limited time in Normandy.

Juno Beach

Juno Beach is the beach that the Canadians landed on. There is a wonderful museum there called the Juno Beach Center and nearby is the Canadian Cemetery called the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery. Canada chose not to send their men home who died in battle so they have various Canadian cemeteries for the soldiers in Dieppe, Normandy as well as Northern France near Belgium for WWI.

June Beach is must see if you're Canadian as well as the Juno Beach Center and Cemetery.

I rate all 3 Canadian sites 10/10 for sites to see in Normandy.

Sword and Gold Beach

These beaches are for the British Troops and allies that landed during D-Day.

I have walked along Sword Beach but have not visited their museums yet. There are some memorials along Sword Beach as well.