Tourist attractions Bayeux

The famous Bayeux tapestry (it is in fact a piece of embroidery) is housed in a museum with two sections. In the first, this extraordinary 70m-long jewel of Romanesque art is displayed behind a glass panel, highlighting the rivalry between Harold a..

A harmonious chevet, a door showing the story of Thomas Becket, a façade with two Romanesque towers. Inside, interesting paintings in the right transept, a choir stall that, with its ambulatory and crown of chapels, is a fine example of Norman Gothic..

Lined by beaches of fine white sand, the Côte de Nacre (Mother-of-Pearl Coast) is nowadays full of life, hugely welcoming and of huge historical significance, attracting visitors from around the world. Through its landscapes, museums, memorials and m..

The Château de Fontaine-Henry offers a valuable account of civil architecture of the Renaissance period. Note in particular the 16C Grand Pavilion with its vast slate roof and pepper-pot turret. The living quarters, built on the site of a medieval ed..

A graphic record of the Middle Ages, especially revealing of customs, costumes, boats and architecture, this textile gem of Romanesque art is housed in the Bayeux Tapestry Museum . It is made from coloured wools embroidered on a linen strip 68.30m b..

At the outskirts of the US and British areas of 1944, the museum recounts the events of the Battle of Normandy and displays equipment and uniforms.

During your visit you will see the positions of the formidable German battery, which was built on a picturesque cliff. It included four fearsome 150mm canons, capable of firing on targets 20km away. It took a bombardment of 600t carried out by the Ro..

The grounds of the Château de Brécy are highly ornamental. Cross the château to access the terraced gardens, which stand on the hill (and admire on the way the sumptuous 17C portal). Box trees forming intricate patterns and sculptural flowers, two-he..

A former nursery has been turned into two gardens, created in 1985 and 1999 respectively. The first, located on a gentle slope, is laid out in eight walled "rooms". Each room showcases rare species, statues, sculpture, water features and pe..

Until 6 June 1944, the name Omaha Beach only existed in the Allies' secret code, referring to the beaches of Calvados de St-Laurent-sur-Mer, Colleville-sur-Mer and Vierville-sur-Mer. Today it is as infamous as the other D-Day beaches. The austerity..

This château, built by François Mansart between 1626 and 1636, is set in majestic grounds of 135ha/333 acres. These grounds boast lovely parterres designed by Le Nôtre. Works of art by Albert de Balleroy, a 19C painter of hunting scenes, are exhibi..

The 9 386 Carrara marble crosses are aligned in this cemetery with an atmosphere of overwhelming stillness. In the axis of the central alley is the Wall of the Missing , a commemorative monument upon which are inscribed 1 557 names. Head to the belv..

The 11C abbey church of Cerisy boasts three aisles (seven originally), large arcades crowned by a gallery, columns framing the high windows, and choir stalls dating from 1400. As you exit the church, admire the chevet and bell tower. The monastic b..

Five beaches were taken during the Allied invasion of June 1944, and Juno Beach was the Canadians' domain. The Juno Beach Centre shows visitors the importance of Canadian involvement in the Second World War: its troops, navy and industrial effort, wh..

This street has a series of private abodes - Rubercy, a manor with turrets from the 15th-16th C at number 5, Hôtel de la Crespellière, at the end of the courtyard at number 7 and Hôtel Saint-Manvieu at number 13.

Here too are a number of private abodes - Hôtel de Castilly, in the Louis XV style at number 10, Hôtel de la Tour du Pin, with a majestic Louis XVI style façade at number 14.

On this huge esplanade, a stone pillar commemorates General de Gaulle’s speech on 14 June 1944: “In our glorious, mutilated Normandy, Bayeux and its environs were witnesses to one of the greatest events in History”. He received another triumphal welc..

At n° 6, at the beginning of the street on the right-hand side, admire the 17C townhouse known as the Maison du Cadran because of the sundial ( cadran ) on top of the façade. On the corner of the rue des Cuisiniers, note the attractive half-timbere..

A 17C monumental doorway marks the entrance to this 18C building. It is now home to the collections of the Musée Baron Gérard.

Behind the façade of this residence, known as the “House of Adam and Eve” because of the wood sculptures of religious figures and characters taken from legends who are depicted here, lace-makers continue Bayeux’s tradition of needlepoint work. This b..