Normandy · Caen · Bayeux · the landing beaches
Caen Memorial and the D-Day beaches
A museum about the twentieth century and the beaches where the Allied landing took place on 6 June 1944. Here is how to choose your ticket or tour.
Today
Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.
Checked against the official website on 31 October 2026 · Official source
In short
- The Caen Memorial is open every day from 9:00 to 19:00 from April to September. Tickets on site are sold until 1 hour 15 minutes before closing. The winter hours will be added here as soon as they are announced.
- Plan about 4 hours for a complete visit of the Memorial. In 2026 it is closed on 4, 18 and 25 November and on 2, 9 and 16 December.
- The landing beaches are spread along the coast, so most people visit them on a guided tour or by car. The Normandy American Cemetery is open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, with free entry.
- Short on time? Take the Memorial ticket. Want to see the beaches with a guide? Choose a tour from Bayeux, Caen or Paris.
The Caen Memorial: a museum about war and peace
The Memorial tells the story of the twentieth century, from the Second World War and the Battle of Normandy to the Cold War. You see the underground bunker of General Richter, an immersive show called "Europe our history" and the photographs of Patrick Chauvel.
Outside there are gardens of remembrance. Inside you find a bookshop, a bistro and a cloakroom. Animals are not allowed, except assistance dogs.
Pointe du Hoc: the cliff the Rangers climbed
Pointe du Hoc is a headland with a cliff about 35 metres high. On 6 June 1944 the American 2nd Ranger Battalion climbed it to take a battery of guns.
It lies about 6.5 km west of Omaha Beach.
The Normandy American Cemetery
The cemetery is at Colleville-sur-Mer, above Omaha Beach. It is open every day from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and closed on 25 December and 1 January. Entry is free.
It is a place of burial, so keep your voice low and behave with respect.
Arromanches: the remains of an artificial harbour
Arromanches, on Gold Beach, was the site of an artificial harbour built after the landing. The first concrete caisson was sunk on the morning of 8 June 1944, and within a week more than a hundred followed. Some of them are still visible in the water.
In the village there is also a circular cinema, Arromanches 360, that shows a film about the Battle of Normandy.
Longues-sur-Mer: guns still in their bunkers
On a cliff between Gold and Omaha, the battery of Longues-sur-Mer has four concrete casemates with naval guns of 15 cm. It is the only battery in Normandy that still has several of its original guns.
It surrendered on 7 June 1944.