Top 10 Must See D-Day Sites in Normandy (Updated for 2025)

Longues-sur-Mer Battery

Longues-sur-Mer Battery is located between Omaha and Gold Beach and consisted of four 152mm naval guns housed in concrete castmates.

The batteries fire was directed by a fire control post which was featured in the film The Longest Day its location on the cliff edge provided a clear view over the English channel although its communication line to the gun casemates was damaged by Allied bombing on the morning of D-Day.

Today the battery is open to the public all year round, including access to the fire control post bunker and concrete casemates which still house their original guns and damage from their artillery dual with allied ships on D-Day.

Normandy American Cemetery Memorial

The Normandy American Cemetery is located in Colleville-Sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach and contains more than 9,000 burials, most of whom were killed during the Normandy Landings and the following military operations.

The Walls of the Missing, a semi-circular colonnade is a memorial listing the names of 1,557 who lost their lives during the Normandy campaign and could not be found or identified.

From the cemetery there is a path leading down to the beach passing remnants of the German defences, including concrete casemates one of which has a memorial to the soldiers who fought during the landings on top.

Bayeux War Cemetery

Bayeux Commonwealth War Cemetery is the largest commonwealth cemetery in France for Second World War Commonwealth Soldiers with 4,144 Commonwealth burials and 500 burials of other nationalities.

Opposite the cemetery is the Bayeux Memorial to the Missing, which is engraved with the names of 1,808 men who died in the Battle of Normandy and have no known grave.

A short walk from the cemetery is The Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie, a museum which covers the preparations for D-Day through to the Battle of Normandy from 7th June till the 29th August 1944.

Arromanches Artificial Harbour

Arromanches Artificial Harbour was created as the Allies knew that after the invasion they would need a port to facilitate the rapid offloading of supplies to support the push inland. As the ports in occupied Europe were heavily fortified it was decided to create prefabricated ports in Britain and tow them across the English Channel following the invasion to be used until a French port could be captured and brought back into service.

Arromanches was chosen to be the site for one of these ports, Port Wilson, named after the British prime minister Winston Churchill. Another port was also assembled off Omaha beach but was destroyed by a storm.

Despite being designed to only last three months, the harbour was in use for ten months landing over 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tonnes of supplies. Arromanches also has several good museums including Musée Débarquement (currently closed for refurbishment until March 2023) and Arromanches 360.

Today the remains of the harbour can be seen on the beach and coast surrounding Arromanches.

Airborne Museum, Sainte-Mère-Eglise

The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église is dedicated to the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne who landed in the early hours of June 6, 1944 and fought in the battle of Normandy.

Located just off the town square, near the famous church where American paratrooper John Steele was left dangling from the steeple, the museum features a collection of more than 4500 items from the second world war with a particular focus on items used by the paratroopers who fought during the battle of Normandy and the equipment used by the German Occupiers.

There is a powerful and informative film (lasting 25 minutes) about the preparation for and liberation of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Some of the museum's highlights are its Waco Glider and a Douglas C47 plane Argonia and more than 100 uniformed mannequins showcasing American and German uniforms and equipment.

WN60 (Widerstandsneste 60)

WN60 (Widerstandsneste 60) was one of the German coastal defence strong points in Normandy, located on a cliff on the Eastern edge of Omaha Beach giving it a view Westwards along the length of the beach.

Armed with 75mm guns, mortars and machine guns the site inflicted many casualties on the troops landing at Omaha Beach before it was finally silenced.

Today the site contains many of the concrete Tobruks and other fortifications linked by a zigzag trench system which is still visible today.

Pegasus Bridge and Musée Memorial Pegasus

Pegasus Bridge was the site of a dramatic glider-borne coup de main assault when three gliders carrying troops of the British 6th Airborne Division landed in the opening minutes of D-Day on the 6th of June 1944. Capturing the bridge intact after a short battle and holding it until reinforcements from the beach landings arrived.

The original bridge was replaced by a larger similar-looking bridge when the canal was widened but the original is close by at Musée Memorial Pegasus Bridge. The site also has three monuments marking the locations where each of the gliders landed, a bust of Major John Howard and a German gun.

Normandy Victory Museum, Carentan

Located near Carentan, the Normandy Victory Museum tells the story of what happened after June 6, 1944, focusing on the intense battles fought across the Normandy countryside.

The museum goes beyond the experiences of soldiers, highlighting the impact of the war on Normandy’s civilians and the French Resistance, who played a crucial role in the region’s liberation.

Juno Beach Centre and surrounding memorials

Located immediately behind the beach where on D-Day thousands of Canadian soldiers landed, Juno Beach Centre not only covers the D-Day landings but also the contributions made by Canada's military and civilians to the war effort.

Located along the beach in front of the museum, you can see some of the remaining German fortifications as well as memorials to the Canadian Infantry, 1st Polish Armoured Division, North Nova Scotia Highlanders and a Churchill AVRE Tank “Charlie” that landed on D-Day.

Le Cambe War Cemetery

La Cambe War Cemetery was originally the site of an American battlefield cemetery where American and German personnel were buried in two adjacent fields. After the war, most of the American remains were transferred back to the United States and the remainder were reinterred at the Normandy American Cemetery.

The graves at La Cambe War Cemetery are marked by small dark brown stone crosses or plaques on the ground in contrast to the white grave markers at allied cemeteries.

The site is now under the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) and more than 21,000 German soldiers are buried in the cemetery.

More DDay sites in Normandy

I hope the list has been able to give you some ideas and inspiration for your next trip, for hundreds more museums, fortifications and memorials to visit in Normandy check out our explore page.