53303NOR
Caen, D Day Beaches
Routes
Opening days/times, entrance fees, etc. listed on Yellow Pages.
Caen visit of the Memorial museum
Arromanches museum visit & lunch stop
Colleville-sur-mer visit of Normandy American Cemetery
- You need cash for entrances in Arromanches, Caen is paid by voucher.
Caen Memorial Museum – visit
The Caen Memorial is located on the Caen ring road (N13). Set down in the bus park beyond the museum and make a rendezvous for departure. Lead the group into the museum (toilets to the left of bookshop) and swap voucher for tickets at the cashier desk after registering at the desk as you enter on the right. You will have a timed visit booked by the Paris office. Double check that the voucher is correct and amend numbers if necessary.
Caen Memorial Bus Parking:
You will be given a time for the cinema presentation across the main entrance hallway (highly impressive) and they will issue stickers for the group participants (everyone must enter the cinema presentation together). The entrance to the cinema is to your right across the reception area on entering the museum. Please note that group exit from a different door so worth telling them this. Try to do film last so that group is ready all to leave together.
Although you need a reservation, the visit is not guided. You should allow AT LEAST 1hr30/2hr in the Museum, which is divided into three sections:
– An exhibition charting the breakdown of peace between 1918 and 1944 (beyond the ticket desk to your left – visit if you have to wait for the cinema presentation)
– There are two cinemas/two films. Paris Office will have probably booked both with the idea you choose one. Most appropriate is the ‘1944: Sauver l’Europe’ film (the old one!), otherwise there is the new ‘L’Europe; Notre Histoire’ production. Check with GL, which they prefer.
– A gallery of Nobel Peace Prize winners (straight on beyond the ticket desk
and café)
If time is short, be sure that the group at least sees the cinema Battle for Normandy presentation or finishes the museum after the timed film. The movie lasts 15 minutes and is silent. It is an excellent split-screen presentation of the Normandy landings from both Allied and German perspectives. On exiting the cinema, the landings and allies´ advance are documented on huge maps. There is also a section of the museum dedicated to the Cold War and the passageway from the timed film leads this way. You will not normally have time for the gallery of Nobel Peace Prizewinners. Students identify well with a lot of the exhibits and explanations. There is a snack bar on the first floor and a lounge.
Arromanches
Remember to call in advance and book visit at 360° cinema, if included. Your Voucher may have a reserved time – this is amendable.
If you have a scheduled visit in Arromanches (rather than just a lunch stop), you take the group to the 360º cinema (film and sound of original footage plus recent filming. 20 mins).
There is also a Musée du Débarquement (guided visit 1hr15) in the village which is a bit long winded for student groups but which they could visit over lunch time if interested (they pay). Their film concentrates specifically on the Arromanches harbour construction.
Since there is also a visitors’ centre at the American Cemetery some groups may like to spend more time there.
Cinema; do the visit before going down to Arromanches. Lead group into the cinema and pay entrances. There are free toilets before the film at the back of the small exhibition. Try to use toilets after as this could cause missing the beginning of the film. The film lasts 20 mins and afterwards you exit through a very good shop (books, videos etc.) and toilets.
You can take the path down to the town on foot from the cinema if the weather is good. Leave from the Gift shop and take the path which you see down to the left.
Arrange to contact your bus driver if there is any doubt about whole group walking down to the village i.e. if it is raining. If this is the case because of
weather or group agility he should wait to bring part or all of the group down to the village and drop them at the Musée du Débarquement.
If some of the group have ridden the bus, meet them at the bus parking lot by the Débarquement Museum. Arrange same place for pick up with driver. In case of big crowds and many buses, you want to call your driver only when your whole group is ready to be picked up so he can be there in 5 minutes.
Arromanches 360 Bus Parking & Pick Up at Debarquement Museum:
There are several good places for lunch and ice cream along the main street, a great boulangerie end just past the end on the left, a few snack places around the main square, and the possibility to go down on to the beach right by the main square/flags. Speciality foods to look out for are Moules and Galette (savoury) Crepes.
Free public toilets are in the row of shops opposite the bus stop. Also an ATM by the toilets at the post office.
Arromanches is a good place to pick up balls/boules for petanque on the beach in Dinard, and Bayeaux Tapestry souvenirs if not going there.
Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach
Set down in the bus park. Take the path which leads towards the visitor’s centre – large grey building. Needs an extra 30 minutes – security lines can also be lengthy. Ask group to leave bags on bus. Point out the free toilets (smaller building to the left).
American Cemetery Bus Parking & Beach Access:
If you have time for the Visitor Centre, the entrance to the cemetery can only be accessed from exiting the exhibition. You enter upstairs through a security check into a room where leaflets are available in English with a map of the cemetery. If not visiting the VC, it is still worth distributing these to those going directly to the cemetery.
Downstairs is an exhibition room with several different displays (some interactive) focusing on the American soldiers who fought in the D-Day landings. There is also a 150-seat cinema which shows a 15-minute film every 30 minutes (no need to reserve). The title and theme of the film is “Letters”.
After visiting the visitor centre (keep an eye on the time), the group leaves through the small hall of remembrance on the bottom level and there is a path that leads to the left directly into the cemetery. They will see an orientation plaque which looks out to sea.
The path down to the beach has been closed. The bus driver can stop along Omaha beach between Cemetery and Point du Hoc for sand if the group wants to collect samples. In nice weather, this is a good picnic spot – remember, no food or drink permitted at Cemetery.
Tell them to look out for the memorial and chapel which are located within the cemetery. If some need to find a relative buried here, they can use computers in the visitors’ center to find the exact location.
There are chimes every hour, and a short ceremony for the lowering of the American flag at sundown. There are several paths which lead back to the bus park.
If time is limited, the group can access the cemetery directly without passing through the visitor centre by taking a path to the left of the toilets. It leads over to a small building and two gates which are the old entrance to the cemetery.
Time allowing, some drivers will take the group along the sea front from Omaha memorial past German Atlantic Wall remains, and the sight where the first mass grave existed for American casualties.
The Pointe du Hoc
Although time is often very tight when visiting the D-Day beaches, a visit to the Pointe du Hoc is always a highlight. THIS IS the point the American troops initially claimed. There is a stone monument commemorating this moment. It is a site overlooking Omaha cliffs which has been left untouched as a memorial to the soldiers who fought here and suffered some of the worst D-Day losses.
Be strict about timings – it is easy to get behind schedule on this day. It is free to visit and there are free toilets. No shop.
Set down in the bus park and lead to free toilets down a path to the right of set down – New information office with plans to hand out to the group. Map/plan shows circular route which starts by the info office and takes you counter clockwise around 40 minutes back to bus.
Point du Hoc Bus Parking:
Groups make their own way around a one way system on the fields on paths. There are viewing platforms, bunkers, remains of tank emplacements etc. all of which they may explore.
The views to sea and Utah beach beyond are spectacular and give a good idea of the 100-foot high cliffs that the American soldiers had to scale before their battle began.
(St Malo – Pte du Hoc is 2hrs45. Pte du Hoc – American /Omaha Cemetery is 20mins).