The D-Day Landing Beaches
At the heart of the Battle of Normandy
Just 10 km from the hotel, Arromanches and Omaha Beach , in the heart of the landing zone, offer numerous sites to visit, including the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. Nearby are Sword Beach and Juno Beach …
Everyone knows the date June 6, 1944. But to truly experience this historic moment, to walk on these beaches that were the site of the largest amphibious and airborne operation of all time… that's something else entirely. You can proceed according to your own inspiration and knowledge of history, or prefer to rely on the guides you'll find there. Each location was the scene of a historical event of truly incredible scale, of adventures and human tragedies whose emotion is still palpable, without one ever truly being able to imagine what those who landed in Normandy that day faced.
Relive D-Day
Ouistreham (Sword Beach) is home to the Atlantic Wall Museum , which, by presenting the entire system as it existed in 1944, can be a good introduction, a starting point for exploring the other beaches. It was also on this beach that Commander Kieffer and his men landed, and where the ceremonies commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day were held in 2014. Courseulles-sur-Mer (Juno Beach), assigned to the Canadians, saw 14,000 troops land, along with 9,000 British, all suffering heavy losses. The Juno Beach Centre recounts every moment of this event.
Arromanches, located in the exact center of the landing zone (10 km from the hotel), saw the construction of an artificial harbor, some remains of which can still be seen. The D-Day Museum will place you at the heart of the action, thanks to its circular cinema: Arromanches 360. Colleville
-sur-Mer ( Omaha Beach ) is home to the American Cemetery. Since 1956, 9,387 headstones aligned across 70 hectares commemorate the sacrifice of American soldiers on this beach, where the landings could have failed, overlooked by German gun batteries. The Visitor Center, the Overlord Museum (a collection of over 10,000 artifacts, some of which are displayed life-size: vehicles, tanks, cannons, etc.), and the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum will satisfy your thirst for further learning.
To see an authentic B-26 bomber, you can travel to Sainte-Marie-du-Mont ( Utah Beach ).