Skip to main content
Mr Trip Buddy

D-Day beaches

Photo: DVIDSHUB, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The D-Day Beaches are in the Calvados and Manche departments of Normandy, France. They were the landing places for the Allied invasion of western Europe during World War II. In 2026 the beaches were listed as a .

An excellent time to visit is on the June 6th anniversary when there are numerous memorial ceremonies to mark the occasion. A large number of reenactment groups attend, adding pageantry and atmosphere. The church bells ring in the towns to celebrate the anniversary of their liberation. The French people will be happy to see you - these people remember, and the welcome will be warm.

It has been a long time since 1944 and not many of the old soldiers survive, but those that do often return to these beaches on June 6th. For the 70th anniversary in 2014, 90-year-old Royal Navy veteran Bernard Jordan was denied permission to leave his nursing home because of his health; he snuck out and got on a ferry to France anyway. Two elderly paratroopers, a 93-year-old American and an 89-year-old Briton, jumped into France that day as they had 70 years earlier.

UnderstandOn 6 June 1944 (D-Day), the long-awaited invasion of Northwest Europe (Operation Overlord) began with Allied landings on the coast of Normandy (Operation Neptune).
Get inNormandy is easily reachable from Paris, either by car (2 to 3 hours drive) or by train (2 hours from Paris St Lazare station to Caen central station).
RespectThere are fewer and fewer people alive who actually participated in the Normandy Landings, but the place still has incredible significance to many. Conduct yourself appropriately when there.
Get aroundTour the beaches and battlefields, see the various museums and cemeteries throughout the area, and visit the seaside villages and towns. Independent travel either by car or using public transport is possible.
BeachesNow more than 80 years after D-Day, the Normandy coastline is peaceful with lovely seaside towns and picturesque beaches. Many of the towns have names of the form something-sur-mer; sur-mer is French for "on the sea".
The technical sideThe war effort, including this invasion, got fine support from a range of scientists, engineers, technicians and workers in all the Allied countries. Some of the most important developments were:
Normandy campaignThe successful landing was a turning point in World War II, a major step toward the defeat of Nazi Germany; after D-Day, the Allies went on to liberate all of Europe.
After NormandyAfter Normandy, Allied forces drove toward Paris from Normandy and the Pays de la Loire which the Americans had taken after breaking out of the peninsula.
CemeteriesBeautiful cemeteries overlook the sea and countryside and are essential stops along the way to understand and reflect on the human cost of the war.
Go nextFrom this area, one might go anywhere in France or across the channel to the UK. Normandy is a major tourist area with a range of attractions, as are nearby Brittany, the Pays de la Loire, and the Channel Islands.

Sources and licences

Improve this guide on Wikivoyage