Where to Base Yourself in Normandy for Your Visit to the D-Day Beaches

Some of the most common questions I get as a WWII travel expert center around where to base yourself in Normandy when visiting the D-Day beaches. There are five D-Day landing sectors that encompass around 500 square miles of northwestern France. Needless to say, you have many options; so let me help you narrow them down.

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Where to stay in Normandy

When you’re looking to spend a few days in Normandy exploring the many awesome D-Day museums and historic sites, I recommend basing yourself in either Arromanches, Bayeux, or Caen. (Choosing your Normandy base is as easy as A-B-C!) All three of these are centrally located and pretty easy to get into and out of. However, if you’re planning to only visit the American sectors, I have recommendations for those as well.

All of these have plentiful accommodation, restaurant, parking, and shopping options. They each have many historic sites of their own as well. Take a look below where I give more details about each of them as an answer to where to base yourself in Normandy.

And for everything you need to know about driving in Normandy, check out my post in that link.

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Map of the best Normandy bases

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Where to base yourself in Normandy: Arromanches

For my May 2024 trip I based myself in the small town of Arromanches-les-Bains (in the Gold Beach sector). This is my absolute favorite town in Normandy. It’s so quaint and you really feel like you’re part of the neighborhood even if you only stay here for a few nights. It’s quiet and cozy yet vibrant at the same time. (I’m pretty obsessed with it.)

It’s also right on the beach so you can have your morning coffee with your feet in the sand if you so choose. It has a couple of big sights of its own and is pretty close to many others. (You won’t have to drive more than an hour to get to any of the historical sites.) It’s off the beaten path for sure, but still very easy to get into and out of.

And even though Arromanches can get pretty crowded with tourists during the day, it’s so peaceful and relaxed at night you’ll feel like you’ve found yourself a real hidden gem. I almost don’t even want to share this info, shhh.

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Where to stay in Arromanches

Here are some of the most popular places to stay in Arromanches including my personal favorite:

D-Day Aviators

Actually, this might be my favorite hotel ever. Staying at this WWII aviation-themed B&B is like sleeping in a museum. It’s full of original and rare artifacts, beautiful artwork, and interesting pieces everywhere you look. The owners (who are pilots themselves) are absolute gems and they clearly love D-Day history as much as we do.

They have two properties in Arromanches that are both just a few steps away from the town center. The rooms are huge and comfortable; the breakfast is amazing; and the experience as a whole is unforgettable. Honestly, I can’t recommend this place enough. In fact, I’d say staying here at D-Day Aviators is reason alone to base yourself in Arromanches while visiting Normandy.

Book your stay at D-Day Aviators here (where I stayed) or D-Day Aviators Le Manoir here (the main building).

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Hôtel de la Marine

Hôtel de la Marine is just across from D-Day Aviators in a quiet alleyway that dead-ends at the beach. It’s just a few steps away from the main center, offers ocean view rooms, and there’s even a restaurant on site. It has great reviews that emphasize its comfort, ideal location, and friendly staff.

Book your stay at Hôtel de la Marine here

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La Maison Du 6

Also located in the center of Arromanches is La Maison Du 6 (as in June 6th). They offer comfy rooms with ocean views, free parking, and an on-site bar and restaurant. They, too, have excellent reviews that praise this hotel’s cleanliness, friendly and helpful staff, and, of course, it’s priceless location.

Book your stay at La Maison Du 6 here

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Where to eat in Arromanches

⭑ Fish & Co. – Besides the amazing breakfast at D-Day Aviators, my favorite place to eat in Arromanches is Fish & Co. This place serves excellent fish and chips… but also tons more fresh seafood dishes. They also have a great beer selection and (literally) the friendliest staff in Normandy. I ate here multiple times.

⭑ La Petite Plage – This restaurant comes highly recommended from the locals who say it’s the “best restaurant in Arromanches.” Definitely make a reservation as soon as you can.

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Where to park in Arromanches

Arromanches is a small town and the best hotels are in the center, but there are still plenty of places to park here.

⭑ Espace Dongo – I parked each night in the small lot across from D-Day Aviators Le Manoir called “Escape Dongo” on the map. Given its super central location, it’ll be full during the day but at night you shouldn’t have a problem. Parking here is free after 7:00 pm.

⭑ Parking du 6 Juin – A couple blocks away is a much larger parking lot called “Parking du 6 Juin” that is indeed associated with the hotel of the same name.

⭑ Other town center parking lots – There are several more larger parking lots to the west and south of the town center (but still within the town center). I’ve marked them all on the map at the top of this page.

⭑ Parking at Arromanches 360° – At the top of the hill, there’s a large parking area next to the Arromanches 360° museum. You can easily walk from here to the town center and vice-versa in about 10 minutes. (Just note that this hill is pretty steep and the walk may feel like more of a climb for some.)

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What to see in Arromanches

Since you’re interested in more than just where to base yourself in Normandy, here are some of the things you can actually see and do while in Arromanches:

⭑ The artificial harbors – I list these as one of my top 7 D-Day sites to visit and they definitely make Arromanches the most unique place to base yourself in Normandy. It’s not every day you can get up close and personal with actual remnants from WWII (in situ).

These ‘Mulberry’ harbors were built shortly after D-Day to help transport troops, vehicles, equipment, and more into France and the greater European continent. Basically, the Allies largely have these harbors to thank for winning the war.  

⭑ Musée du Débarquement – Learn all about the D-Day invasion and the construction and use of the Mulberry harbors at this brand-new museum. (It’s also on my list of top Normandy museums to visit.)

⭑ Arromanches 360° – A circular theater showing an immersive documentary on WWII and the Battle of Normandy.

⭑ Liberators Museum – Located in the town center is this unique collection of artifacts from the Battle of Normandy. Touted as “one of the most personal museums in Normandy.”

⭑ D-Day 75 Garden of Remembrance – Between Arromanches 360° and the parking area is this large green space filled with memorials, interesting art installations, war remnants, some Mulberry harbors, and incredible views over Arromanches and the ocean below.

⭑ Souvenir shopping – Arromanches is hands-down the best place to pick up some Normandy/D-Day souvenirs. There are several small shops along the main road across from the Musée du Débarquement.

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Distance from Arromanches to other top sites

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Where to base yourself in Normandy: Bayeux

Bayeux is a picturesque and ancient town also in the Gold Beach sector. It’s in the same general vicinity as Arromanches, just a little bit further inland. (No ocean views here, sorry.) But, despite its short distance from the landing beaches, Bayeux survived the Battle of Normandy virtually unscathed and remains really well-preserved.

There are plenty of parking areas here and from the town center you can walk to several of the best D-Day sites and museums. Bayeux is also the jumping-off point for many of the most popular local D-Day tours. So if you have any of these planned, you’ll end up starting your day in Bayeux anyway.

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Where to stay in Bayeux

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Where to park in Bayeux

Bayeux is one of the “larger” cities you can base yourself in Normandy, so you’ll have plenty of parking options here—some free, some paid. There are smaller free parking areas scattered through the city—with as few as 10 parking spots or so—but larger ones near the train station and around the outskirts. For what it’s worth, at 1:00 pm on a Monday in May I found a spot in one of the tiny free lots without even trying.

I’ve marked some on the map at the top of this page, but you can see all of the parking areas in Bayeux on this city parking map. For more Bayeux parking information, check out this page.

⭑ Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy – If you’re planning to visit the Battle of Normandy Museum, they have a large free parking lot on site. From here, you can also walk to Bayeux War Cemetery, the War Correspondents’ Memorial, and even the town center in just 15 minutes.

⭑ Parking D’Ornano – Large parking lot right in the center of Bayeux (140 parking spaces). Paid from March 1 to November 15; free from November 16 to February 28.

⭑ Parking BD Maréchal Leclerc – Large free parking lot that’s just a short walk more from Parking D’Ornano.

This Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full-Day Tour is the most popular tour that starts in Bayeux.

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What to see in Bayeux

There are plenty of great sights to see in Bayeux itself. Don’t miss these popular attractions if you decide to base yourself here:

⭑ Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy – Great museum that focuses on the entire Battle of Normandy beyond the D-Day invasions. Lots of exhibits inside; tons of stuff to see on the outside if you just want to walk over and see some cool tanks.

⭑ Bayeux War Cemetery – The largest cemetery in France dedicated to Commonwealth soldiers who died fighting in World War II. (Comparable to Normandy American Cemetery.)

⭑ War Correspondents’ Memorial – Memory pathway honoring the more than 2,000 journalists who’ve been killed since 1944.

⭑ Bayeux Tapestry – Arguably the most famous artifact in town. This 230-foot-long embroidered cloth from the 11th century was one of the Nazis’ most coveted works of (stolen) art. It has a very cool display and audio guide, especially if you’re into the work of the Monuments Men.

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Distance from Bayeux to other top sites

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Where to base yourself in Normandy: Caen

Caen is by far the largest city in the D-Day landing section of Normandy and part of the Sword Beach sector. (It’s only slightly smaller than Rouen, the capital, and Le Havre, the second-biggest port in France.) Because of its size, it makes a great place to base yourself in Normandy since you’ll have tons of options in terms of accommodation, dining, activities, and more.

Though not as centrally-located as Bayeux and Arromanches, you will have easy access to roads and train travel between Paris and the other major cities. However, If you’re mostly interested in visiting the British and Canadian sectors, Caen is going to be a great base for you as it’s already located in this general area.

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Where to stay in Caen

Or check out all Caen hotel options here

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Where to park in Caen           

Given that Caen is one of the largest cities in Normandy, you shouldn’t have a lot of trouble finding a place to park your rental car here. You just won’t find a lot of free parking here.

I don’t have a lot of personal experience with parking in Caen, but the Caen website has tons of information. You can find maps of all the parking lots and underground garages, current parking rates, and all the bonus times when you can park for free. Check out the Caen Stationnement page here for all things parking.

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What to see in Caen

Caen is home to one of the top D-Day sites of them all—the Caen Memorial Museum (also known as Mémorial de Caen). This museum covers not just what happened in Caen, but also D-Day, the Battle of Normandy, and World War II as a whole.

Touring this museum could take you an entire day (if you let it). There are numerous exhibition areas, an underground bunker, a film theater, and so much more. It also has a huge, free parking lot.

Beyond that, Caen is very close to the other great attractions and historical sites in both the Sword and Juno Beach sectors.

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Distance from Caen to other top sites

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Where to base yourself in Normandy: The American sectors

If you’re looking to concentrate your time in the American landing zones of Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, you may want to consider basing yourself in or around the smaller towns like Sainte-Mère-Église, Carentan, Saint-Lô, Saint-Marie-du-Mont, et al. I’ve marked all the hotel options below on the map at the top of this page so you can get idea of where everything is located.

Where to stay in the American sectors

Really, there are so many dreamy French countryside options here. Save yourself the trouble and just book one of those above (or you can view all Normandy hotel options here).

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