If you’re looking for the best of what to see at Gold Beach, Normandy, you’ve come to the right place. There are so many great things to see here in the Gold Beach sector (which just happens to be one of my favorite).
Gold Beach is one of the lesser-known D-Day landing sectors, but it’s also the best situated. It sits smack in the middle of the five Normandy landing beaches and makes a great base for exploring them all. Until then, let’s check out all the best of what to see at Gold Beach.
Don’t miss my posts on everything to see in the other four D-Day landing zones: Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach.
D-Day at Gold Beach: What happened?
Of all the forces that stormed the Normandy beaches on D-Day, the Gold Beach divisions made it farther inland than any others. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened in the Gold Beach sector on June 6, 1944:
Gold Beach objective: The objective of the British troops landing at Gold Beach was multifold:
- Secure a beachhead
- Capture the village of Arromanches in the west
- Make contact with American forces at Omaha Beach
- Capture the town of Bayeux
- Meet up with Canadian forces next door at Juno Beach
Easy peasy, right?
Gold Beach casualties: Of the 25,000 British troops who landed on Gold Beach, casualty estimates fall between 1,000 and 1,100.
Gold Beach units: The landing at Gold Beach was led by the British 50th Infantry Division which had already seen significant action in World War II. Assisting them was:
- 8th Armoured Brigade
- 56th Infantry Brigade
- No. 47 (Royal Marine) Commando
Gold Beach outcome: Another Allied victory! And one of the swiftest ones too. By the end of June 6, troops had nearly reached Bayeux and they captured it the next day.
Planning a trip to Normandy? Be sure to know these 10 important tips first!
What to see at Gold Beach, Normandy
Along with Sword Beach to the east, the assault on Gold Beach was led by British troops. As a result, most of the things you see in the Gold Beach sector focus on the heroism of the British forces.
One interesting aspect about Gold Beach is that we know it more for what happened after D-Day. That is, how it contributed to the whole of the Battle of Normandy and the further liberation of Europe. More on that throughout this post.
Map of what to see at Gold Beach
This map contains all the Gold Beach sites I talk about 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 to Normandy, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
1. Artificial Harbors at Arromanches
The artificial harbors on the beaches of Arromanches-les-Bains are probably the thing most people associate with what to see at Gold Beach in Normandy. Allied forces built these massive structures to unload valuable equipment, tanks, troops, and other reinforcements into France and thus the European continent.
Due to a lack of safe deep-water ports in the area, the Allies instead built artificial ones. They manufactured them in Britain, shipped them in pieces across the English Channel, and reassembled them here in Arromanches after the Allies had secured the beaches.
Fun fact: These artificial harbors are often referred to by their code name: Mulberry.
These artificial ports played a hugely significant role in World War II. They alone are responsible for the shuttling of 529,000 TONS of supplies and equipment through France between June and November 1944. In other words, the equipment, troops, and material that helped the Allies win the war.
Today, you can still see the remnants of some in the waters off Arromanches-les-Bains. At low tide you can walk right up to them and see them up close. (But please avoid going inside—it’s super dangerous in there!)
The village of Arromanches-les-Bains also has my vote for one of the best D-Day sites to visit overall. Read more about it in that link.
Almost all of the best Normandy day tours from Paris visit Arromanches if you’d rather go that route. Some of the local D-Day tours (leaving from Bayeux) do too.
2. Arromanches 360°
High up on the adjacent hill overlooking the town of Arromanches-les-Bains is Arromanches 360°, a fully immersive museum/theater experience. It’s a huge 360° film screen that puts you in the center of all the D-Day and Battle of Normandy action. It utilizes archival footage and documentary storytelling, and shows different scenes all around you.
This isn’t your typical D-Day documentary film—I found the way they executed it to be super interesting. Let’s just say, the 360° experience translates to more than just the physical screen. (It really shows you the war from all different perspectives.)
You can easily walk here from the center of town–it’s literally just a 7-min walk–but it is pretty much straight uphill the whole time. (Take your time!) You can also drive here just as easily and they have their own dedicated parking lot (that you have to pay for).
Pro tip: Arromanches 360° is a standing theater but there are some benches around the perimeter. (Honestly, I wish I’d planted myself on one of those; you can still see all the screens from here.)
3. D-Day 75 Garden of Remembrance
At the top of the hill, just outside Arromanches 360°, you’ll find the D-Day 75 Garden of Remembrance. This beautiful cliffside park is filled with commemorative sculptures, informational plaques, and more to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
Also check out: What you need to know about driving in Normandy + helpful tips
4. Soldier sculptures
Artist John Everiss used 3D scans to create the outlines of British soldiers using only welded-together metal washers. It sounds weird but it looks really cool in person. You can read more about this neat project here: d-dayrevisited.co.uk
5. Memorial to the Royal Engineers
You can also see the memorial to the Royal Engineers up here–the arm of the British army responsible for the construction of the artificial harbors. It sits in front of a set of original Mulberry harbors.
6. Musée du Débarquement (The Landing Museum)
Also located in Arromanches is the Museé du Débarquement, or, the Landing Museum. This is the best possible place to learn about the artificial ‘Mulberry’ harbors installed in Arromanches that helped win the war.
You can check out working models to see what they’re all about, watch archival films, and an audio guide is included in your admission. Then you can walk outside and see the very harbors you’ve just learned about. This museum is brand new (opened March 2023) and completely replaces its previous version.
7. Liberators Museum – Normandy 1944
Touted as “one of the most personal museums in Normandy,” the Liberators Museum is located right here in Arromanches town center. Inside you’ll find a unique collection of uniforms and other objects from the Battle of Normandy.
There’s an original WWII memorabilia shop, informative dioramas, and inspiring stories from the liberators themselves.
8. German battery at Longues-sur-Mer
Germany’s plan for Gold Beach on D-Day was an all-out bombardment of the incoming ships from four massive gun installations. However, after suffering light bombing from French and US troops the night before, 3 of these fortifications were destroyed beyond all use by the British on the morning of D-Day. (Or, shall I say, FUBAR.)
As the day’s events played out, the one remaining gun installation had little impact and the battery’s crew eventually surrendered to British troops.
Today, you can visit that one remaining German battery at Longues-sur-Mer. It’s still in pretty good condition and is now listed as a historical monument. Plus, the location is quite beautiful and really helps to give you a sense of how powerful these guns were. (This is another must on any Normandy itinerary.)
9. Bayeux War Cemetery
Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest cemetery in France dedicated to Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives in World War II. (Comparable to Normandy American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.) It contains the graves of 4,144 identified soldiers, 388 unidentified, and more than 500 more of various nationalities.
You’ll also find the Bayeux Memorial here featuring the names of 1,800 Commonwealth troops who died during the various stages of the Battle of Normandy yet have no known grave.
This cemetery lacks a designated parking area but it’s just a 5-min walk from the Museum of the Battle of Normandy. Park here (for free) and visit both. (I personally parked further down the road, closer to the center of Bayeux, because I was visiting some spots in the center right after this. It’s a bit more walking, but you only have to park once.)
Don’t miss my post on the WWII sites in Paris – all the best museums, memorials, and more.
10. Jerusalem War Cemetery
Shortly after British troops took the town of Bayeux, the Germans fought desperately to take it back. This happened in a small settlement near Bayeux called Jerusalem. In contrast to the Bayeux cemetery, the Jerusalem War Cemetery is one of the smallest Commonwealth cemeteries in Normandy and contains the graves of just 47 men.
11. Bayeux Tapestry
Though not entirely WWII-related, you should definitely consider adding the Bayeux Tapestry to your list of what to see at Gold Beach. It’s by far the most famous artifact in this area and does have some interesting ties to the war.
The Bayeux Tapestry is a 230-foot-long embroidered cloth from the 11th century that depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England. So… why exactly am I telling you about it? Well, while that might not sound totally up your alley, the Bayeux Tapestry was actually one of the artworks most coveted by the Nazis. (Specifically, Heinrich Himmler, to adorn the walls of Wewelsburg Castle, which he’d also hijacked.)
According to Shirley Ann Brown, professor of art history at York University, what France considered to be a “national treasure,” the Nazis valued for what they believed to be medieval evidence of Germanic supremacy. (See her article on the Nazi’s love of the Bayeux Tapestry here.)
Nazi looted art
As such, the Bayeux Tapestry is one of the major stars of The Monuments Men—the preeminent book about the Allied recovery mission of Nazi looted art. (Yes, there’s a movie too, but the book is immensely better and more informative.) Nazi stolen art is one of the topics I find most interesting, so it was such a pleasure to be able to see this piece in person.
Though the tapestry spent part of the war on display at the Louvre in Paris, it’s now back home in the Bayeux Museum. I find the way it’s displayed, with the accompanying audio guide, to be one of the most interesting museum experiences. Definitely check it out if you have some extra time. *The Tapestry Museum will be closed for renovations from September 2025-2027.
Pro tip: You can get a combination ticket for both the Battle of Normandy Museum and the Bayeux Tapestry Museum that costs €4 less than if you paid for the admissions separately. You can buy this at whichever one you visit first.
12. War Correspondents’ Memorial
The War Correspondents’ Memorial honors those who gave their lives in the name of freedom of the press. (Also called the War Reporters’ Memorial) Located in Bayeux, the memorial features tall white stones carved with the names of over 2,000 journalists that have been killed since 1944.
There’s also a special memorial stone in honor of Robert Capa, the journalist who landed with the first wave at Omaha Beach and whose photos of that event are now world famous. This memorial is located next to the Battle of Normandy Museum. Exit the museum, turn right, and follow the footpath that leads into the trees (not the main sidewalk along the road).
13. Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy
Also in the town of Bayeux is the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy. This museum focuses on the Battle of Normandy as a whole–the almost three months of fighting that followed the D-Day invasions.
This museum takes you inside the action between 7 June and 29 August, 1944 through the use of archival film, diorama, tons of informative displays, and a large collections of artifacts. And it does so in a chronological fashion. There are tons of tanks and other artifacts outside the museum and a theater inside that shows films throughout the day.
I especially love its super niche sections on different aspects of the war not covered by other museums. For example, topics like how the Allied forces supplied fuel to their armies in Normandy.
Parking is free in their dedicated on-site lot. From here, you can walk to the War Correspondents’ Memorial and the Bayeux War Cemetery.
14. 69th British Brigade trail
The 69th British Brigade Trail is a hiking/biking/jogging trail that follows the route taken by this division of British troops on D-Day and the days following. It starts at Gold Beach and forms a 14-mile loop.
Along the route you’ll find informational signs explaining some of the trail’s history and of Britain’s advance through Normandy. You’ll pass beautiful scenery and interesting towns, all while learning some D-Day history.
There’s an informative 69th British Brigade trail brochure and map here (but you might need a translator–French only).
15. British Normandy Memorial
Without a doubt the largest and most prominent of all the memorials in the Gold Beach sector is the British Normandy Memorial. (It’s also the newest having just opened on June 6, 2021.)
This massive memorial sits on a hill overlooking Gold Beach and is surrounded by a column-lined promenade. The columns feature the names of all the British troops (and those who fought under British leadership) who died on D-Day and its related campaigns. (More than 22,000 men and women)
At the center is a bronze sculpture by artist (and son of a Royal Navy D-Day veteran) David Williams-Ellis that depicts three British soldiers storming Gold Beach on D-Day. Currently, you can also check out the art installation called “Standing with Giants.” This collection of 1,475 life-size silhouettes covers the meadow behind the memorial and represents each of the British troops who died here on D-Day.
This installation is meant to be temporary for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasions, but it will be back from April – September 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. (I still think it’s the neatest part about the memorial so I hope they decide to keep it after that.) More information on Standing with Giants here.
16. British Normandy Memorial Waymarker Signs
Also at the British Normandy Memorial, artists from the Charles Bergin Studios created a set of bronze waymarkers to direct visitors to each of the five Normandy landing beaches.
Each sign is a work of art in itself, taking into considering multiple aspects of visual storytelling to portray the events of each beach. They contain images of troops, tanks, ships, and more, and feature the names of each landing beach. These are positioned “behind” the grand memorial, on the hill overlooking the beaches. Get more information on these Normandy waymarkers here.
17. America & Gold Beach Museum
Surprisingly, the America & Gold Beach Museum doesn’t have anything to do with the US on D-Day. Come for the World War II history; stay for some little known aviation history. But don’t come to learn about American contributions to Operation Overlord. The name may be misleading, but the museum is fantastic.
There are actually two museums here:
- The America Museum – All about the plane named “America” that crashed here in 1927 while American aviators attempted to link France and the United States by airmail.
- Gold Beach Museum – All about D-Day and the landing of British troops on Gold Beach.
Definitely check out both if you can, but I’m going to focus on the Gold Beach Museum. Look, this museum is super small and noticeably dated, but I actually found it to be one of the best one I’ve ever visited in Normandy. (The Notes app in my phone is full of praise for this little museum I didn’t want to forget!)
This museum offers the perfect combination of artifacts, information, photographs, diorama, description, and video footage. In fact, its size is something I love about it. It’s concise. No fancy bells and whistles like so many other D-Day museums have. It’s not overwhelming or disjointed. I guess you could say, it’s juuuuust right.
All other museums aside, when deciding what to see at Gold Beach, definitely carve out some time to visit the America & Gold Beach Museum. (Really, you only need about 30-40 minutes.)
18. Stanley Hollis Hut D-Day Memorial
At the end of a quiet country road, just before it drops off into the ocean at Gold Beach, you can find the Stanley Hollis Hut D-Day Memorial. This small memorial—little more than an informational plaque on the side of a small building—honors Stanley Hollis, famed British war hero.
Hollis was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism and was the only one to earn this prestigious award for actions on D-Day. The Victoria Cross is the highest and most respected military award that can be earned by British and Commonwealth troops. Hollis also saw action at Dunkirk, in El Alamein, and Sicily where he was wounded.
The hut where the memorial now stands is a former train stop that Hollis unloaded an entire magazine of ammunition into on D-Day thinking it was a German fortification.
Visit Gold Beach Normandy
To visit Gold Beach, Normandy is to begin a learning experience focused on the British and Commonwealth contributions to D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, and the overall Second World War.
Gold Beach is full of interesting museums, meaningful memorials, and some great learning experiences. It boasts a perfect, central location for exploring all the landing beaches and surrounding towns.
Where to stay at Gold Beach, Normandy
Gold Beach is my personal preferred base when visiting the Normandy beaches because it’s right in the middle and I can visit all the landing sectors pretty easily. And because I’m so in love with Arromanches, that’s where I choose to stay.
D-Day Aviators
Let me tell you about the absolute best place to stay when visiting Gold Beach—D-Day Aviators. This super charming B&B is run by two local pilots who have a passion for WWII aviation. There are two properties and each of them is its own D-Day museum! I kid you not—original artifacts, beautiful artwork, the works.
It’s right here in the very center of Arromanches and everything about this place is perfect. Really, I can’t rave about them enough. If you’re looking to stay in the Gold Beach sector, definitely check out:
- D-Day Aviators
- D-Day Aviators Le Manoir (the main house)
Anything else you want to know about staying here, just ask! I’m happy to brag about them.
Hôtel de la Marine
Hôtel de la Marine is a well-loved hotel that sits at the end of a quiet street in Arromanches right on the beach. It’s just off the town’s center so you’ll still be close to everything.
Everyone absolutely loves the ocean view rooms here and the hotel’s location. This hotel has all the comforts you need for your visit to Gold Beach Normandy. There’s even a restaurant on site.
Book your stay here: Hôtel de la Marine
Le Petit Matin
For something a little more luxurious, check out Le Petit Matin down in Bayeux. This gorgeous property is the most highly rated in the area and you’ll see why when you see these pictures.
At just a few minutes’ walk into the center of historic Bayeux so you’ll have plenty to see and do. It offers free WiFi and free parking and guests absolutely love the breakfast here. It’s clean, comfortable, and the staff is friendly. Très magnifique!
Book your stay here: Le Petit Matin
Cosy Apartment in Arromanches center
If you want something more in the middle of things, this Arromanches apartment is located just a few steps from the D-Day Museum in the center of town.
You’ll have easy access to shops, restaurants, museums, and the beaches from this centrally-located apartment. It has two bedrooms, free WiFi, free parking, and a washing machine. It sleeps four, is large and spacious, and has excellent reviews!
Book your stay here: Arromanches center apartment
More info for your visit to Gold Beach, Normandy
- Want more hotel options? Check out Gold Beach hotels on Booking.com. (Expedia and Hotels.com are worth checking out too.) VRBO is best for rental properties.
- Need a rental car? Check out the best local deals here.
- Travel planning: Pick up a Normandy guidebook and this super helpful France customs and culture guide.
- For Normandy tours: Check out the best local options and the best day tours from Paris here.
- 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 visiting Gold Beach? Ask away in the comments. Have fun in Normandy!
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