Bayeux, on the Normandy coast, combines ancient history with the tumult and drama of the 20th century. As you discover this medieval city, you’ll uncover significant World War II sites, but also the legacy of much older battles that helped shape Europe. There’s great French food and culture to be found too.
Exploring Norman history
You can get a fascinating insight into the battle of 1066 between William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson with a visit to the Bayeux Museum. Enrich your knowledge of Bayeux’s artistic legacy as you admire the 70 meter-long, UNESCO–listed Bayeux Tapestry. The carefully preserved cloth depicts the battle of Hastings and the lead up to the Norman conquest of England.
The majestic cathedral – Notre Dame – combines 11th and 13th century elements into a Norman Gothic sensation. The crypt is stunning while more recent additions, including stained-glass that honors the sacrifices of World War II, is sensitively done.
Bayeux’s town center is a textbook example of pretty, medieval Norman architecture. Alongside the Aure River, you’ll find water wheels that, long ago, provided the power for mills. The scent of flowers drift through the streets and across humpback bridges, a heady, romantic place to be.
A marvelous monastey
Take a coastal drive to Mont Saint-Michel, one of France’s most recognizable landmarks. A Gothic-style Benedictine abbey crowns a ramshackle village marooned off France’s north coast.
Free shuttle buses run from the parking lot to the causeway or splash out on a horse-drawn carriage for a feel of the past. Explore the abbey and its mighty ramparts and learn Mont Saint-Michel’s ancient history as a monastery, prison and strategic fortification. You’ll hear peaceful Gregorian chants echoing around the cloisters during Mass. Enjoy the stores and restaurants lining the narrow streets of this medieval outcrop and then find a lookout point to watch the tide come in and cut off the island from the mainland.
The world at war
Visiting the beaches where the famous D-Day landings took place in 1944 is a must when you visit Bayeux. Walk the battlefields and beaches where thousands of Allied troops took part in history’s largest seaborne invasion. Utah, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc and Angoville-Au-Plain beaches are all within reach of Bayeux. See the monuments, bunkers and artillery from the most important period of modern history.
You can pay your respects to ancestors and fallen soldiers at the Normandy American Cemetery and Visitor Center in Colleville-sur-Mer near Omaha beach. An exhibition telling the personal stories of American troops in World War II will give you an insight into life on the front lines. Spend some time in quiet contemplation walking amidst 172 acres of cemetery filled with rows and rows of white war graves.
This is the perfect city for history lovers of all eras, while the handsome town is sure to charm you. With car rental in Bayeux, this fine part of France is your oyster.