TWO DAYS IN NORMANDY
A little history, a lot of coastline and one quite extraordinary island
Here’s how we’d do it.
DAY ONE – BAYEUX AND THE D-DAY BEACHES
Start in Bayeux, which is exactly the sort of town you hope to find when you come to Normandy.
It is handsome without being showy, compact enough to explore comfortably and filled with old streets, cafés and lovely buildings clustered around its magnificent cathedral.
It also makes a very sensible base for the D-Day coast.
From Bayeux, head towards Longues-sur-Mer. Of all the surviving wartime sites along this stretch of coastline, this is one of those that perhaps needs the least explanation. The German battery formed part of the Atlantic Wall and its huge concrete gun positions still stand looking out towards the Channel.
Then continue to Arromanches-les-Bains.
Today it is a pleasant little seaside town, which makes looking out across the water all the more extraordinary. Remnants of the Mulberry harbour created by the Allies following the D-Day landings can still be seen offshore.
Stop here for lunch. Groups need feeding, after all, and there are few better excuses for lingering than a Norman lunch by the sea.
The afternoon takes you west towards Omaha Beach and Colleville-sur-Mer.
Nothing quite prepares you for how peaceful Omaha Beach feels today. Perhaps that is what makes visiting it so affecting.
Above the beach is the Normandy American Cemetery. Its immaculate lawns and seemingly endless rows of white headstones need very little commentary. Give people time here. This isn’t somewhere to hurry because the coach is due to leave in twenty minutes.
Then return to Bayeux for dinner, a glass of something Norman and a well-earned night’s sleep.
INSIDER TIP – DON’T TRY TO DO EVERYTHING
There are five D-Day Landing Beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – plus enough museums, memorials and historic sites to fill several days. Resist the temptation to collect them like stamps. Three or four properly experienced stops will give a group far more than eight rushed ones.
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DAY TWO – MONT-SAINT-MICHEL
Breakfast finished, point the coach south-west.
Today you are going somewhere rather special.
There are famous landmarks that somehow seem smaller when you finally see them in real life.
Mont-Saint-Michel is not one of them.
The first glimpse across the landscape is every bit as extraordinary as the photographs suggest: a medieval village rising from the bay, with its abbey perched high above everything else.
As you get closer, it becomes even better.
Cross onto the Mont and allow time simply to wander. The main street twists upwards between ancient buildings, restaurants and little shops, with narrow passages disappearing off in all directions.
Eventually, make your way up to Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey.
Yes, there are steps.
Quite a few of them.
But this is one occasion when the view at the top really does justify the climb. From the abbey, the enormous bay stretches away beneath you, its appearance constantly changing according to the tide, weather and light.
Afterwards, give everyone some free time.
Some will explore. Some will shop. Some will find lunch. And at least one member of the group will inevitably announce that they are definitely not walking up another hill.
That is the beauty of Mont-Saint-Michel. You don’t really need to organise every minute of it.
INSIDER TIP – TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Mont-Saint-Michel attracts plenty of visitors, so a little planning pays dividends. If possible, arrive before 10am or after 5pm, when things tend to be quieter, and avoid the busiest French holiday periods. Check the tides too – watching the landscape around the Mont change with the water is part of the experience.
INSIDER TIP – LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE WORK
The official Mont-Saint-Michel Normandy Tourist Office has a dedicated service for groups and can help arrange accommodation, meals, activities and guided visits. For organisers juggling coach timings, restaurant reservations and admissions, handing some of that work to people on the ground can be a very sensible idea.
STAY ANOTHER DAY?
We would.
Two days gives you a wonderful introduction to Normandy, but a third suddenly opens up all sorts of possibilities.
There is Honfleur, with its lovely old harbour; elegant Deauville; Giverny, where Monet created perhaps the most famous garden in art; the extraordinary white cliffs at Étretat; and Rouen, with its medieval centre, cathedral and connections to Joan of Arc.
Then there is the food.
Camembert, Livarot and Pont-l’Évêque cheeses, cider, calvados, seafood and the sort of lunches that have a habit of making the afternoon itinerary increasingly optional.
Normandy deserves longer.
But if two days are all you have, you can still pack in an astonishing amount – Bayeux, the D-Day coast, Omaha Beach and Mont-Saint-Michel.
Not bad for a weekend.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Normandy Tourism
The official regional tourism website, with ideas for itineraries, places to visit, accommodation and practical information for planning a group stay.
Normandy Travel Trade
Useful resources for tour planners, coach operators and group travel organisers, including maps, brochures and travel trade information.
www.en.normandie-tourisme.fr/plan-your-trip/useful-information/brochures-maps-travel-guides/
D-Day & the Battle of Normandy
Official information covering the Landing Beaches, museums, memorials, cemeteries and historic sites.
www.en.normandie-tourisme.fr/discover/d-day-and-the-battle-of-normandy/
Mont-Saint-Michel Normandy Tourist Office
Group information and assistance with accommodation, meals, activities and guided visits.
www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/group-holidays/
France – Official Tourism Website
Ideas and information covering Normandy’s towns, coastline, heritage, food and major attractions.
