Given the possibility for overwhelm while planning a trip to the D-Day beaches, I (finally) decided to put together this 3-day Normandy itinerary. There’s so much to see here in terms of World War II and D-Day history that most people don’t even know where to start. Just know, I got you.
In this post I’ll show you how to spend 3 days in Normandy—which museums and monuments to visit, some great places to eat, where to base yourself, how to get around, and much more. Let’s roll!
Two kinds of Normandy trips
Before we begin, a little reminder that there are two very different kinds of Normandy trips. There’s the kind that centers around WWII history, for the person who exclusively thinks of the D-Day invasion when they hear the word “Normandy.” (I’m with you!)
And then there’s the other kind—the beautiful, romantic, Instagram-y destination kind. This version takes you to places like medieval Rouen, Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny, and the fairytale village on Mont-Saint-Michel.
I highly recommend visiting all these beautiful places if you have the time, but this 3-day Normandy itinerary focuses on just the D-Day portion.
3 days in Normandy: Map
This map contains all the Normandy sites I mention in this post. To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
How to get to Normandy
If you’re starting your trip in Paris, getting to the beaches of Normandy is going to be super easy. You have a few different options: car, train, or bus.
And don’t miss all the amazing WWII sites in Paris before you leave!
Paris to Normandy by car
To visit all the D-Day sites I’m going to cover in this 3-day Normandy itinerary, you’re going to need a car, end of story. If you feel pretty comfortable behind the wheel, why not go ahead and rent your car in Paris and drive to Normandy from there?
You can rent a car from both the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports as well as several of the train stations. Depending on your destination, the drive from Paris to Normandy will take you between 3 and 3.5 hours. Take a look at the best rental car deals in Paris here.
For all the stuff you need to know once you get here, don’t miss my guide to driving in Normandy. It has tons of helpful tips, parking locations, and one cautionary tale.
Paris to Normandy by train
Even though you need a car to explore Normandy, driving in and around Paris can be crazy. Another option is to take the train from Paris to Normandy and then rent a car once you get here. The easiest destinations in this case are:
- Rouen – 1.5 hours from Paris by train
- Caen – 2 hours from Paris by train
- Bayeux – 2 hours 15 minutes from Paris by train
Each of these trips is direct and requires no train changes (unless you accidentally book a route that has one—don’t do that). Take a look at all your possible train options here on Trainline. You can also rent cars at each of these train stations. Check out your rental car options here.
Paris to Normandy by bus
If bus travel is more your speed, you have options for that too. I prefer to use the Flixbus when traveling around Europe because it’s cheap, super easy to use, and they have tons of routes between popular destinations. The only downside is that they tend to leave from more obscure starting points, but that actually may work in a city like Paris where getting to the major hubs can be a huge ordeal. Take a look at the Flixbus schedules here:
- Paris to Rouen – Between 1.5 and 2 hours depending on time of day
- Paris to Caen – Average 3 hours, depends on time of day
- The Flixbus does not travel to Bayeux unfortunately.
Again, you can rent cars at the main train stations in both Rouen and Caen. Check out your rental car options here.
Is 3 days in Normandy enough?
A question I get asked all the time is how much time is enough to spend in Normandy? And well, that depends on several factors, obviously. Just speaking to the D-Day sites, I feel like 3 days is perfect. You’ll be able to see all the top stuff on your list; you won’t have to rush around too much; and you shouldn’t feel too burnt out by the end.
It should go without saying you won’t be able to see everything there is to see here, but chances are that’s not your goal anyway. Besides, admit it, you’re traveling with other people who just aren’t as enthusiastic about the D-Day invasion as you are, right? It’s OK; this is a safe space. We need to make time for them too.
So many visitors opt for a single day in Normandy and that’s totally fine. If that’s all you can swing, that’s a fantastic plan. (Maybe even consider a day tour from Paris!) But for others who are able to dedicate more time here, I think you’re going to find a 3-day Normandy itinerary to be juuuust right.
Where to base yourself in Normandy
For this particular 3-day Normandy itinerary, I recommend basing yourself in either Arromanches, Bayeux, or Caen. All three are centrally located and pretty easy to get into and out of. All have plentiful accommodation, restaurant, and sightseeing options.
Arromanches is my absolute favorite town in Normandy. Bayeux is where most of the local D-Day tours depart from. Caen is the area’s largest city and perfect for those most interested in the British and Canadian sectors.
For details on all three, including hotel recommendations, great restaurants, parking locations, sites to see, and much more, check out my full post on where to base yourself in Normandy.
The best time to visit Normandy
No question, the best time to visit Normandy is in the summer. During the summer months you’ll have the best chance for great weather and the opportunity to visit all the D-Day sites you’re most interested in. The atmosphere is also extra exciting around the local “holidays” of V-E Day (May 8) and D-Day (June 6).
The downside of course is that summer is when prices are going to be the highest (hotels and rental cars) and when the area is going to be the most crowded with tourists. Still, I feel the benefits of visiting during the summer outweigh these drawbacks.
What about spring, fall, and winter?
I almost always preach about traveling in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, but visiting Normandy is a special case. The vast majority of historical sites here are outdoors and off-road. Though springtime in Normandy isn’t as wet as most places, it can stay pretty cold (and windy) here well into May.
And though temperatures in the fall can be pleasant, fall and winter are the wettest seasons here in Normandy. And that’s just no fun for anyone.
Furthermore, there’s one major tip you need to know: Most of the awesome Normandy museums are closed in the fall and winter. Each museum operates on its own schedule, so definitely check each one individually, but much of Normandy shuts down in the off-season.
Almost all of the museums and historical sites are closed for at least the month of January. Many are closed December and January, and some are even closed all the way from October to April.
Normandy Itinerary – 3 days
This itinerary covers how to spend three full days in Normandy. Maybe you’ll arrive early the first morning or sometime the night before; maybe you’ll leave Normandy at the end of the third day or the next morning; I don’t know. You can easily adjust this itinerary to your schedule.
Also, where you base yourself could also determine the order in which you visit these places. Likewise, this itinerary is based on a summer visit (between April and September) when all the museums are open and with extended summer hours. If you visit during the off-season, you may need to adjust the order.
I believe in a healthy mix of museums, memorials, and original historic sites and this itinerary reflects that. Prepare to spend time both indoors and outdoors.
For details and more information on each of the museums listed, see my post all about the Normandy museums here. For more on what to see at each of the beach sectors in case you’d like to substitute another site or museum, see the links at the top of my D-Day page.
Day 1: Utah Beach & Sainte-Mère-Église
The first of your 3 days in Normandy is going to focus on sites within the Utah Beach sector and on some of the stories and themes behind Band of Brothers.
10:00 am – Utah Beach area
The main Utah Beach landing area is a great place to start your 3-day Normandy itinerary. It’s a good-sized area that, even on the busiest days, still feels quiet and uncrowded. It’s easy to get to, has plenty of free parking, and lots to see.
Spend some time checking out all the monuments, memorials, and remains of the German bunkers, and walking along the beach itself. There are monuments to a ton of important figures and military branches here, and the beach remains undeveloped, peaceful, and ripe for historical contemplation.
*The Utah Beach Landing Museum is a wonderful museum, but I’m omitting it from this itinerary to fit in some other great spots instead. Even without the museum, I feel a visit to the Utah Beach area is still worthwhile.
11:00 am – Lunch at Le Roosevelt
In the center of everything at Utah Beach is Le Roosevelt—a former fisherman’s house that was originally taken over by Nazi Germany and then by US troops on D-Day. Today, this historical building operates as a small restaurant/café.
But what makes it worth adding to your 3-day Normandy itinerary is its vast collection of WWII memorabilia, historical artifacts, and thousands of signatures and photos from veterans that cover the walls.
12:00 pm – Head to Sainte-Mère-Église / Check out the countryside memorials
On your way from Utah Beach to Sainte-Mère-Église, you’ll drive through the beautiful Normandy countryside. Along the way you’ll pass several monuments and memorials. Each has its own small pull-off area for you to stop at. Don’t miss:
- Easy Company Memorial
- Easy Company Command Post – Their temporary company post during the Battle of Normandy, from which they launched the assault on Brécourt Manor
- Richard Winters Memorial
This lovely little drive gives you a great idea of what the entire Normandy area looks and feels like, and reveals how it’s dotted with monuments, memorials, and German bunkers all over the place.
12:30 pm – Airborne Museum
The Airborne Museum is dedicated to the paratroopers of the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions (but covers so much more than that). You can see a WACO glider, a C-47, and tons of exhibits on the paratroopers, their movements, and what it was like to drop into a war zone on D-Day.
2:30 pm – Check out Sainte-Mère-Église
Leave the Airborne Museum and walk across the street to the Church of Sainte-Mère-Église. On the outside of the church, high up on the bell tower, is a statue of paratrooper John Steele. This monument honors the paratrooper who became suspended from the tower after dropping in on D-Day.
Inside the church you can see the unique stained-glass windows that contain scenes of the D-Day paratroopers.
Then take a stroll around the town center. There are tons of cafés and restaurants, souvenir shops, and miscellaneous other monuments and memorials here and there. Sainte-Mère-Église is a great example of what many of the small towns in Normandy look like.
3:30 pm – D-Day Experience Museum
The D-Day Experience is one of the newer Normandy museums and is widely known for its D-Day flight simulator. I feel it makes a great addition to your 3 days in Normandy because it offers a more personal perspective of the D-Day events. It showcases more personal stories and artifacts and just tugs at your heartstrings a little more than many of the other museums do. This is one of my absolute favorite museums here.
You can also ride the D-Day flight simulator, relive D-Day preparations with (a holographic) Lieutenant Wolverton, and visit the nearby Dead Man’s Corner museum (included with your admission).
I’ve left the rest of the evening open for you to add your own activities (plus I don’t know where you’ve based yourself). You can also add in a visit to the Utah Beach Landing Museum in the morning or take it slow and stretch the day’s activities out a little more. Just be aware that although the D-Day Experience closes at 7:00 pm, the ticket office closes at 5:30.
Day 2: Omaha Beach
Day 2 of your 3 days in Normandy will focus around the Omaha Beach area. You’ll find some of D-Day’s most well-known and familiar sites in this sector.
10:00 am – Normandy American Cemetery
Start the second of your 3 days in Normandy at the Normandy American Cemetery. This beautiful cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach serves as the final resting place for 9,387 American soldiers, most of whom were killed on D-Day and in the subsequent battles.
You can walk through the pristine white grave markers; check out the chapel, battle maps, Walls of the Missing, and memorial garden; and visit the Visitor Center which has its own (very well done) museum.
11:30 am – Omaha Beach and memorials
Next, head just up the road to the shores of Omaha Beach and the main memorial area. Here, you’ll get to walk on the beach, see the Les Braves memorial and Signal Monument, and read all about them.
This area is quite popular with tourists so if you’d like a quieter spot where you can enjoy some solitude, head up the beach just a little further to the Charles Shay memorial. There’s free parking here and you’ll likely be one of the only people around. Enjoy some quiet time here to imagine the beach as it was on June 6, 1944 and remember those who gave their lives.
1:00 pm – Lunch at Aux Délices d’Alice
Just a few minutes’ drive from Omaha Beach is a small food truck called Aux Délices d’Alice. Run by two lovely ladies, this little trailer puts out some of the best food. Really, the sausage and onion crepe here is my favorite meal in all of Normandy! You won’t be disappointed.
2:00 pm – Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is the 100-foot cliff between Utah and Omaha Beach that Nazi Germany believed would be impossible to breach. Spoiler alert: We breached it! On the morning of D-Day, US Army Rangers captured Pointe du Hoc using grappling hooks and rope ladders shot from rocket launchers.
Today, you can visit the well-preserved German batteries, see the countless bomb craters (really, it’s mind-blowing!), visit the memorials, see the amazing cliffside views, and more. In my opinion, this is the most impressive site you’ll see during your entire 3 days in Normandy.
4:00 pm – Maisy Battery
Next up is the Maisy Battery—one of the largest German fortifications along the Normandy beaches. What’s especially interesting is that this site was completely buried after the war and was only discovered in 2006.
At the Maisy Battery you’ll be given a map to self-tour the more than 2 miles of German trenches dotted with original bunkers, gun emplacements, operations buildings, and more. It truly lives up to its slogan: “Normandy’s best kept secret.”
5:30 pm – La Cambe German War Cemetery
Visiting a German cemetery in Normandy may seem odd or even controversial to some visitors, but I highly recommend doing so. La Cambe German Military Cemetery is wildly different from the American cemetery and it’s worth visiting if only to see this contrast.
Filled with heavy black crosses and mass graves in place of white marble crosses and red roses, La Cambe is actually the largest cemetery in all of France! It contains the graves of 21,222 German soldiers all killed in the Battle of Normandy (many of whom remain unidentified).
Like Day One, the rest of the day is yours. Add or sub in a museum if you’d like. For example, if the weather is bad, consider substituting the Maisy Battery for the Overlord Museum.
Day 3: Gold, Juno, & Sword Beach
The last of your 3 days in Normandy is going to take you to the Gold, Juno, and Sword Beach sectors where you’ll learn about the British and Canadian contributions to the D-Day invasion.
10:00 am – Longues-sur-Mer Battery
The German battery at Longues-sur-Mer is the only remaining original German gun installation. It’s still in really good shape and has been listed as a historical monument since 2001. I find this to be such a neat stop because, not only is the location beautiful, but it really helps give you a sense of how powerful these guns were.
Near the German battery are several other bunkers and casemates you can also explore while you’re here.
10:30 am – Head to Arromanches
Besides being my favorite little town in Normandy, the commune of Arromanches-les-Bains actually played a huge role in the success of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe. It was here at Arromanches where the Allies constructed the artificial harbors that allowed them to unload equipment, troops, tanks and other vehicles, and countless other reinforcements into France.
The remnants of these harbors still sit here on the shores off Arromanches. Take some time to check them out up close if the tide is low enough—they’re pretty close to the shore. (Just don’t go inside them; as they’re pretty dangerous.)
If you’re making good time and have the ability to do so, you should also walk up the hill to the memorial garden outside Arromanches 360°. From up here you can get amazing views of Arromanches and all the artificial harbors in the water.
Arromanches is also the best place to do some souvenir shopping. The main street in the center of town is lined with several souvenir shops.
11:30 am – Musée du Débarquement
The brand new Musée du Débarquement (Museum of the Landing) is the best place to learn more about these artificial harbors. You’ll be able to see working models and projections as well as several exhibits on these critically important innovations.
1:00 pm – Lunch at Fish & Co
After your museum visit, head across the street to Fish & Co—my favorite lunch spot in Arromanches. They sell excellent fish & chips (obviously) and lots of other great seafood dishes. They also have the friendliest staff in all of Normandy. I love it here.
2:30 pm – Head to Juno Beach
Park near the Juno Beach Center and you’ll be able to explore all the area’s monuments, memorials, and art installations. Juno Beach is the Canadian sector and you can learn a lot about the events here from the collection of information panels outside the museum.
This is also a great way to break up the long drive between Arromanches and the Pegasus Memorial where we’re headed next.
*The Juno Beach Center is a great museum if you have the time and a special interest in Canadian D-Day history. With more time, I’d absolutely recommend it, but for this short itinerary I’m going to omit it. Still, the area around it is worth visiting.
4:00 pm – Memorial Pegasus
You’ve just entered the Sword Beach sector and can now say you’ve been to all five Normandy landing beaches! Like Gold Beach, Sword Beach was also a British landing zone so the majority of sites here focus on British D-Day history.
Start your time here at Memorial Pegasus. This museum is dedicated to the British troops of the 6th Airborne Division known as the “Red Berets.” It focuses mainly on this division and their main D-Day objective of capturing the Bénouville Bridge (later renamed to Pegasus). This museum also talks a great deal about Horsa gliders—the most widely used glider by British troops.
You can see (and go inside) a full-scale replica of a Horsa glider, see the original Pegasus Bridge as well as an original Bailey Bridge, and much, much more. I was really impressed with this museum and have dubbed it one of my favorites for its unique artifacts and the fact that I learned so much about so many topics I’d never heard about before.
The new Pegasus Bridge
The original Pegasus Bridge was replaced in 1994 but with a bridge of the same style—a “Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge.” I’ve never seen a drawbridge like this before and was lucky to see it action when I was here. If you hear alarm bells outside the museum, head over to the bridge to see how it works.
5:30 pm – Have a drink at the Pegasus Bridge Café
Originally known as Café Gondrée, this small café was one of the first houses to be liberated after the D-Day invasions. Like Le Roosevelt, it’s now full of historical photographs and memorabilia and a great place to grab a beer at the end of your full 3-day Normandy itinerary. Cheers!
*Even though I list the Caen Memorial Museum as one of the best D-Day sites to visit in Normandy, I’ve excluded it from this itinerary. The Caen museum is great for an overall look at D-Day and World War II, which makes it great for a 1-day itinerary when you only have time for one museum. With additional days, you’re able to visit more sites dedicated to more specific topics.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your 3 days in Normandy! You got to see the most well-known and significant sites and visit all five D-Day landing beaches. I’m sure this has been a trip you’ll never forget. Thank you for helping to keep these memories alive!
More info for your 3 days in Normandy
- Hotels: Find more great places to stay here on Booking.com on Booking.com. Expedia and Hotels.com usually have good deals too.
- Rental cars: Check out the best local rental car deals here.
- For Normandy tours: Check out the best local options and the best day tours from Paris here.
- Travel planning: Pick up a Normandy guidebook and this super helpful France customs and culture guide.
- Be sure to watch Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, and Band of Brothers before your visit!
- What else have I covered in France? Check out my France archives.
Like this post? Have questions about your Normandy trip? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in France!
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Where to Base Yourself in Normandy for Your Visit to the D-Day Beaches
With nearly perfect timing, your blog found itself in my search. Thank-you for compiling this information.
My wife and I will be spending five days in the Normandy area this August, staying in Port en Bessin. After reviewing travel guides for some sort of ‘quick reference’ map, I went back to building my own map in google. While picking the spots I knew we wanted to visit, your site with your already build map popped up. Your timing of creating this map couldn’t have been much better.
I am looking forward to checking out the other sites you have visited!
Hi Byron, that’s fantastic to hear! So happy I could help with your trip; you’re going to have a great time.
Hey Ashley,
Well done in pulling together a three-day itinerary for the Normandy WWII sites! It is definitely a little overwhelming when you arrive in the area and realise how much there is to see and do!!
Cheers, Jim
Thanks so much, Jim! I’m glad I could help. 🙂