Written by: TravelingProfessor
Friday, April 27, 2012 

To really do justice to a visit to the Normandy beaches, I suggest an overnight stay in the town of Bayeux, about 165 miles from Paris.   It is the best location to tour the Normandy beaches.    Because I value my life, I would not drive from inside the city of Paris, but I would take the 2 hour  train to Caen at about $48 each way.   

At that point, I would rent a car for the 30-minute drive to Bayeux.  Be like General Eisenhower or Queen Elizabeth and stay at the Lion d’Or in Bayeux.  It is a relatively inexpensive hotel that is rich in charm and history. 

Bayeux is the perfect command center for your tour of the invasion beaches.   But before you do so, read a book or pick up some literature on the events leading up to June 6, 1944.  I recommend reading Stephen Ambrose’s “D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II” for an in-depth understanding of the invasion and the areas that you will see.   You may wish to rent the DVD’s “The Longest Day” and “Saving Private Ryan” also.    A tourist map of the invasion beaches is an essential.

Some people like to take the 40 minute drive from Bayeux to Sainte-Mère-Église, the town depicted in the movie “The Longest Day” where a paratrooper’s parachute was caught on the spire of the church.  The soldier feigned death until the town was liberated the next day.   Others like to start at the closer, bomb-cratered, Pointe du Hoc.   This is the place where the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the cliffs and overtook a German bunker placement.   I was stunned when I saw what these brave men had to overcome to be successful at their task.    You may recall Pointe du Hoc as the place where Ronald Regan dedicated a memorial on the 40th anniversary of the invasion.

Further north on you will pass through Omaha and Gold beaches.  There are memorials and remembrances along the way.   I can recall encountering some surviving veterans who were revisiting the beaches as indicated by their VFW caps.   If you wish to speak with them, approach them with care and dignity.  It is surely an emotional moment for them. 
As you drive further along the beaches, take your time.  If you happen to be visiting in or about June, take your shoes off and walk into the shallow surf.   It will be cold.   Imagine how these men waded through the cold red surf in 1944, with bullets flying and explosions all around them.

The American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks the cliffs of Omaha Beach.     Everyone reacts differently to their visit to the cemetery.  However, I can tell you that I personally do not have the capability to describe my emotions upon seeing the crosses and Stars of David on that field.  It was a day that changed my personal outlook on life forever.

It is important to remember that it was not just the Americans who participated in the invasion.   There are memorials in honor of all of the forces who were involved in that fateful day.

There is a good museum at Arromanches, the Musée du Débarquement which has some interesting relics, exhibits and multimedia presentations. 

At day’s end, Bayeux is the place to quietly relax, drink some Calvados, and enjoy a fine meal.   Some people like to see the famous tapestry depicting the 1066 Normandy invasion of England.

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