Mémorial de Caen Museum Admission and Guided Tour of D-Day Sites
Description
This tour includes a self-guided visit of the Mémorial de Caen and a guided tour of key D-Day sites. Visitors can spend as much time as they wish discovering the Mémorial de Caen (entrance tickets to the museum are valid for 24 hours from first entry). The Mémorial de Caen offers visitors the opportunity to take a historical journey through the 20th century, discovering major events from the end of the First World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It has a whole section covering D-Day and is the only museum in Normandy to relate the intensity of the Invasion that followed and explain its preparation in both enemy camps. The Landing Beaches guided tour gives visitors the chance to learn the story of a day that changed the course of history. It's is a complete 5 hours round trip with a guide from Mémorial de Caen in an air-conditioned mini-van, and it includes the visit of the following sites: Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The visit of the Memorial is self-guided and you can do it before the guided tour of the D-Day sites departs at 13h00, or the day after as the ticket is valid for 24 hours. The Mémorial de Caen offers its visitors the opportunity to take an unforgettable historical journey through the 20th century, discovering major events from the end of the First World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It has a whole section covering D-Day and is the only museum in Normandy to relate the intensity of the Invasion that followed and explain its preparation in both enemy camps.
In World War II, Pointe du Hoc was the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts. Prior to the invasion of Normandy, the German army fortified the area with concrete casemates and gun pits. On D-Day, the United States Army Provisional Ranger Group attacked and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs. United States generals including Dwight D. Eisenhower had determined that the place housed artillery that could slow down nearby beach attacks. (Wikipedia)
Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors designated for the amphibious assault component of Operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings. "Omaha" refers to an 8-kilometer (5 mi) section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary. Landings here were necessary to link the British landings to the east at Gold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of the Bay of the Seine. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided predominantly by the United States Navy and Coast Guard, with contributions from the British, Canadian and Free French navies. (Wikipedia)
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II. A memorial in the cemetery includes maps and details of the Normandy landings and military operations that followed. At the memorial's center is Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves, a bronze statue. The cemetery also includes two flag poles where, at different times, people gather to watch the American flags being lowered and folded. The cemetery, which was dedicated in 1956, is the most visited cemetery of those maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), with one million visitors a year. In 2007, the ABMC opened a visitor center at the cemetery, relating the global significance and meaning of Operation Overlord. (Wikipedia)
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The tour is not suitable for children under 3 years old
- You may use your museum ticket on the same day as your guided tour or on another occasion. Your museum ticket is valid for 24 hours from the first time of entry
- Prior to making your booking, please check Memorial de Caen opening times
Reviews(285)
Staff was brilliant, Melanie was our guide and was invaluable with historic information
We really appreciated it. Welcoming and available staff. Good chronology of the events reported. All aspects of the war are covered. Many audio and visual documents... The visit deserves to take several hours.
It is an extraordinary place, out of the ordinary. Three pieces of advice: 1/ Plan for almost the whole day if you want to do a complete visit (you can eat on-site for a small cost or go out and come back, it's your choice) - 2/ Wear proper shoes because the Memorial is very large (both inside and outside), plus, like in any establishment of a somewhat "museum" type, you will do a lot of walking - 3/ Take the audioguide, which is very well done in terms of both commentary and the tour route. Neither my husband nor I are particularly history enthusiasts, yet we absolutely loved this visit and learned a great deal, in a very simple way, about this period of our history. If you are in the area, do not hesitate; it is a must-visit that each of us should experience to realize that a war is not a video game, nor a role-playing game, nor a movie where actors get up and go home. It is about humans (men, women, children, civilians or military) who have lived through horrors that currently exist in countries not so far from us.
My husband and I spent the morning at the WWII Memorial Museum and the afternoon visiting the DDay landing sites - Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetary. You need a good three or four hours at the Museum as there is a lot to see and read. There is also a great short film to see in the cinema area which goes for about ten to fifteen minutes. We had lunch in the Museum's cafe and the food was of good quality. The afternoon tour of the DDay landing sites was great and our guide, Maureen, was so knowledgeable and so friendly. She even allowed us some time to get our feet wet in the ocean at Omaha Beach to cool off during a heat wave. For anyone interested in WWII history and the DDay landing sites, the Museum and the 5 hour afternoon tour was well worth the money. Thanks Maureen. Greg & Cheryl - Australia.
Cooler temps and possible rain! We had 6 in our group and those in the back of the van could not hear. Our guide was nice, but hard to understand and she had difficulty with understanding us!
Excellent visit, it must be seen. The visit will last for over three and a half hours, at least. But you cannot go to Normandy and not see it.
Our guide was very informative and answered all of our questions. She kept us on track.
Very nice museum with lots of info and educational expedition Lots of gripping footage and information The bunker was also interesting
Immersed in the horrible truth, a duty of obligatory remembrance so that our children never experience this.
Excellent and in depth tour of key sites point du hoc and Omaha beach. Plus we got to the cemetery on time for taps and the flag lowering which was awesome to witness.
