D-Day and WW2 in Normandy
The 6th of June 1944 saw one of the most audacious and heroic wartime operations of the 20th century.
Around 156,000 Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in the biggest seaborne invasion in military history. Known as Operation Overlord, the Allied mission was clear: to take back France from the invading Germans by moving inwards from the coast. Five landing beaches were given the codenames Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, by which they are still known today.
From Saint-Marie-du-Mont to Ouistreham, soldiers stormed the coast, taking thousands of casualties. The ensuing Battle of Normandy lasted for 80 days as the Allies repelled the German forces.
France still retains many remarkable sites of WW2 significance and a large number of these extraordinary places can be found in the Normandy region. The D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy saw some of the fiercest fightings of the war and Hitler's defences on the Atlantic Wall are among the best-preserved remnants of the German occupation.
The best D-Day sites and museums
Below are our recommendations for some of the best sites, museums, monuments and other places to visit in Normandy to learn more about this incredible period in world history.
A selection of stays close to the D-Day Landing Beaches and attractions - chosen by our Travel Experts
Places to remember D-Day 80 years on
The Standing with Giants installation returns to the British Normandy Memorial from 12 April to 12 September 2025 © British Normandy Memorial
The British Normandy Memorial © British Normandy Memorial, Kiran Ridley
The D-Day landing beach at Arromanches, Normandy
Aerial view of Pointe du Hoc still covered in fortifications and bomb craters
Les Braves memorial at Omaha Beach
The flags of Allied nations at Juno beach memorial
Aerial view of the British Normandy Memorial © British Normandy Memorial
Graves marked by white crosses at the Normandy American Cemetery above Omaha Beach
Musée du Débarquement de Utah Beach © Coraline et Léo
German fortifications at Pointe du Hoc, next to Omaha Beach
The Ranger monument at Pointe du Hoc
FAQs
You can easily visit the D-Day beaches by taking the ferry from Portsmouth or Poole to Cherbourg or Caen to arrive as close as possible to the beaches. To visit Utah Beach we'd recommend taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg or Poole to Cherbourg. To visit the other four beaches, the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen will take you closest to these beaches. In fact, the ferry to Caen arrives right beside Sword Beach! You don't need to join a tour to visit any of the beaches, they are open to all.
The D-Day beaches are spread along a large stretch of Normandy's coastline. The closest towns for each of the D-Day beaches are: Ouistreham for Sword Beach, Arromanches-les-Bains for Gold Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer for Juno Beach, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer for Omaha Beach, and Saint-Marie-du-Mont for Utah Beach. Some of the best places to base yourself for exploring the D-Day beaches are Caen, Bayeux, Carentan and Sainte-Mère-Église.
You can spend a day or two on a whistle-stop tour of the five D-Day beaches but there's so much to see and do in the area with so many museums, gun batteries, and other D-Day sites and attractions that you can easily spend much longer. If you're on a week's holiday in Normandy, you can definitely visit a couple of the beaches and their museums and D-Day sites, or spend a couple of weeks to really immerse yourself in the D-Day story and explore them all.
D-Day was 6 June 1944, the day the Allied troops landed on five beaches along the Normandy coast. The fierce fighting in the region for the twelve weeks following the landings is known as the Battle of Normandy. During this time, the Allied forces pushed the German troops out of Normandy as they advanced towards Paris to liberate the capital. The Battle of Normandy had ended by the end of August after Germany surrendered Paris to the Allies.
D-Day & The Battle of Normandy Map
Download a map of the D-Day sites and museums.
Plan your D-Day trip
Let us take you straight into the heart of Normandy with our popular sailings from Portsmouth and Poole. And, book a ferry-inclusive holiday or break with us to get your travel and accommodation sorted in one go!
