Omaha Beach: D-Day Visitor Guide – History, Sites & Tips (2026)

Omaha Beach was the largest of the five Allied landing areas on 6th June 1944, stretching for approximately 8 kilometres. Its capture was vital to link the American landings at Utah Beach with the British at Gold Beach, creating a continuous front along the Normandy coastline.

The assault was carried out by the American 1st Infantry Division, known as "The Big Red One", and the 29th Infantry Division, supported by the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions. They faced the German 352nd Infantry Division, whose troops were positioned in fortified strongpoints along the bluffs and villages overlooking the sand. The defences formed part of the Atlantic Wall and included concrete bunkers, artillery, machine-gun nests, and obstacles on the beach itself.

When the first waves of landing craft hit the beach around 06:30, they were met with devastating fire. Many units suffered heavy casualties before even reaching the sand, and some sectors of the beach became scenes of chaos, with men pinned down and equipment destroyed. Despite this, small groups of soldiers managed to find gaps in the defences, scaling the bluffs and knocking out German positions.

By the end of the day, after intense fighting, American forces had established a precarious foothold. Although the cost in lives was high, the success at Omaha was critical to the overall success of Operation Overlord.

For the landings on 6th June 1944, Omaha Beach was divided into four sectors running from west to east: Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox. Dog, Easy and Fox were split again into colour-coded sub-sectors, which helped coordinate where each wave of landing craft came ashore.

Charlie Sector: located at the far western end near Vierville-sur-Mer. Strong currents and heavy defences made this one of the most difficult landing zones.

Dog Sector: split into Green, White and Red sub-sectors, Dog covered the area directly in front of Vierville-sur-Mer. The 29th Infantry Division and 2nd Ranger Battalion faced some of the heaviest resistance here, especially at Dog Green.

Easy Sector: divided into Green and Red, this sector lay opposite Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. Elements of the 1st Infantry Division landed here, encountering strongpoints on the bluffs overlooking the beach.

Fox Sector: at the eastern end near Colleville-sur-Mer, Fox Green and Fox Red were the landing zones for other units of the 1st Infantry Division. Progress was slow and costly, but by the end of the day a foothold was secured.

Today Omaha Beach is a quiet stretch of coastline bordered by three villages: Vierville-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer. Much of the wartime landscape has changed, but bunkers, trenches and beach defences remain alongside the memorials and museums. The sites below run from west to east, so you can follow them in order along the coast road.

Vierville-sur-Mer and the Vierville Draw

At the western end of the beach, in front of Vierville-sur-Mer, the 29th Division's 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team landed on the morning of D-Day to open the Vierville Draw, Exit D-1, a route off the beach and inland. Several memorials stand within a few metres of each other here.

Omaha Beach National Guard Monument
A monument to the National Guard units that took part in the assault on 6 and 7 June 1944, built on top of the original German bunker WN72, which still houses an 88 mm gun.

Omaha Beach 116th Regimental Combat Team Memorial
A memorial to the soldiers of the 29th Division's 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, who landed here on D-Day to open the Vierville Draw.

Royal Air Force Memorial Omaha Beach
A reminder that not everyone on Omaha was American: 180 men of the RAF's 21 Base Defence Sector, radio and radar technicians, landed here on D-Day. Eight were killed and 37 wounded.

Further east, where the Dog Red and Easy Green sectors meet, the modern Les Braves sculpture by Anilore Banon stands on the sand, with the Monument to the Allies a few metres away.

Les Braves – Omaha Beach Memorial in Normandy
Les Braves at Omaha Beach in Normandy, Anilore Banon’s striking D-Day memorial honouring the Allied landings.

Omaha Monument to the Allies
A monument to the Allied forces who landed on Omaha Beach on 6th June 1944, at the junction of the Dog Red and Easy Green sectors.

Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and WN65

In the centre of the beach, in the Easy Red sector, WN65 is a German concrete casemate whose 50 mm anti-tank gun is still in place. After it was captured on D-Day it became the first American headquarters on Omaha Beach. The Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach (see Omaha Beach Museums) is also in Saint-Laurent, a short walk from the sand.

WN65 First American Headquarters Omaha Beach
A German casemate with its 50 mm anti-tank gun still inside, used as the first American headquarters on Omaha Beach after its capture on D-Day.

Second Infantry Division Memorial, Omaha Beach
A memorial to the US 2nd Infantry Division, next to the WN65 strongpoint at Les Moulins.

Omaha Beach 6th Engineer Special Brigade Memorial
A few hundred metres up the road from the beach, a memorial to the engineers of "the fight for the first thousand yards".

Normandy American Cemetery

On the bluffs above the eastern end of the beach at Colleville-sur-Mer, the Normandy American Cemetery covers 172.5 acres and holds the graves of 9,387 Americans, most of them killed during the landings and the fighting that followed. The Walls of the Missing, a semicircular colonnade, carry the names of 1,557 men who were never found or identified. At its centre stands The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves, a 22-foot bronze statue, with the reflecting pool in front.

The cemetery is open to the public most of the year, and staff in the visitor centre can answer questions and escort relatives to graves. Check the American Battle Monuments Commission website for current opening times before you go.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
The 172.5-acre cemetery on the bluffs above Omaha Beach, where 9,387 Americans are buried.

WN60, Colleville-sur-Mer

WN60 was the most easterly German strongpoint on Omaha Beach, with a view along the whole length of the beach. It was armed with a 75 mm gun in an open emplacement, four mortars, an anti-aircraft gun and several machine-gun nests, and was protected to the rear by a minefield and barbed wire. It fell on the morning of D-Day, when American soldiers sheltering beneath it climbed the cliffs to the east and attacked it from behind, taking many prisoners.

Many of the trenches and fortifications can still be walked today, and the view west along the beach from here is one of the best on Omaha.

Tip: WN60 is reached down narrow country lanes, and car sat-navs often struggle with it, so look up its location on a map before you set off.

WN60 (Widerstandsneste 60)
The most easterly strongpoint on Omaha Beach, with trenches and gun positions you can still explore.

Nearby: Pointe du Hoc

West of Omaha, on the cliffs between Omaha and Utah, Pointe du Hoc was a German gun battery that threatened ships and troops on both beaches. On D-Day the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder, assaulted the battery to silence its guns. The ground is still cratered from the bombardment, and many of the original bunkers are open to visitors, along with a memorial on top of the fire-control casemate and a museum.

Pointe du Hoc
The clifftop battery stormed by the 2nd Rangers on D-Day, still cratered from the bombardment.

There are four museums in and around Omaha Beach, and each tells the story differently. If you only have time for one, choose by what interests you most. For more museums across the region, see Museums in Normandy.

Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach
A short walk from the sand at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, near one of the beach exits used on D-Day. The museum tells the story of the landings in order, through personal stories and original American and German items, and has a full-scale casemate with an anti-tank gun. I'd allow at least an hour.

Musée D-Day Omaha
Created in 1999 by Michel Brissard to show his collection of thousands of original items, in what was a US military hospital a few hundred metres from the beach. Highlights include an Enigma machine and a Goliath remote-controlled mine.

The Big Red One Assault Museum
Dedicated mainly to the US 1st Infantry Division, which landed on the eastern half of Omaha. It is in Colleville-sur-Mer near the entrance to the Normandy American Cemetery, so it fits easily into the same visit.

Overlord Museum
Just outside Colleville-sur-Mer on the road to the American Cemetery, with tanks lining the entrance drive. Inside, more than 10,000 original objects and over 40 restored vehicles follow the campaign from the landings to the liberation of Paris.

Visiting Omaha Beach is straightforward, but a little planning helps. The sites are spread along the coast between Vierville-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer, and a car is the easiest way to see them, as public transport in this part of Normandy is limited. If you are planning a wider trip, see Planning Your Trip to Normandy and our guide to visiting all five D-Day beaches.

Suggested route

When visiting Omaha Beach I would typically start from one end and work my way along the coast road, which runs the length of the beach a short distance inland, stopping off at the key sites. This route provides easy access to the beach at several points including at Le Cavey, Les Moulins and Vierville-sur-Mer, which all have parking.

How long to allow

To explore Omaha Beach you'll need at least a day, depending on the number of sites and museums you'd like to visit, but as with much of Normandy, with its historic sites and excellent museums, it can consume as much time as you give it.

Parking

Parking is generally free and available close to most of the major sites, including at Le Cavey, Les Moulins and Vierville-sur-Mer. During the peak season and the D-Day anniversary, the car parks near the beach can often fill early, so parking a little further out may be required.

Getting there

As with most of the sites in Normandy, Omaha Beach is most easily accessed by car. It is approximately 20 minutes from Bayeux, 40 minutes from Caen and 30 minutes from Sainte-Mère-Église.

A trip to Omaha Beach is easy to combine with the other beaches and airborne landing grounds. See our 3-day D-Day itinerary for more ideas.

Tides and facilities

Visiting at low tide allows you to see the full extent and length of the beach, but it isn't necessary: even at high tide most of the sites can be explored, with only a few blocked by the tide.

Facilities such as toilets can be found at many points along the coast and at most major museums and attractions.

FAQs

What are the sectors of Omaha Beach?

Omaha Beach was divided into four sectors, running west to east: Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox. Dog, Easy and Fox were split into colour-coded sub-sectors such as Dog Green, Easy Red and Fox Green.

What was WN60?

WN60 was the most easterly German strongpoint on Omaha Beach, near Colleville-sur-Mer. It was armed with a 75 mm gun, mortars, an anti-aircraft gun and machine guns, and was captured on the morning of D-Day. Its trenches can still be explored today.

Can you visit Omaha Beach today?

Yes. The beach is open to the public, and the memorials, strongpoints such as WN60 and WN65, the Normandy American Cemetery and four museums can all be visited. A car is the easiest way to get between them.

Which museums are at Omaha Beach?

The Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, the Musée D-Day Omaha, and the Big Red One Assault Museum and the Overlord Museum, both at Colleville-sur-Mer.

Who landed on Omaha Beach?

The American 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One, and the 29th Infantry Division, supported by the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions. They faced the German 352nd Infantry Division.

Phil – creator of Normandy War Guide
I started the site more than a decade ago after my first trip to Normandy and have been hooked ever since. I visit a few times each year to explore new sites and update the guide. Over the years I've also transcribed thousands of WWII war diaries and scanned original maps to keep this history accessible for everyone.