This property located right in the heart of Bayeux features period-style furniture, a flat-screen TV and a minibar. Each room has an individual color theme using neutral tones and printed fabrics with bathrooms with a marble floor, bathrobes and slippers.

A buffet breakfast of fresh pastries and hot coffee is offered every morning in the dining room. Guests can also relax in the empire-style bar before dining in the nearby restaurants. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

The Bayeux Tapestry which was rediscovered in the late 18th century in Bayeux (where it had been traditionally displayed once a year at the Feast of the Relics), and engravings of it were published in the 1790s by Bernard de Montfaucon. Later, some people from Bayeux who were fighting for the Republic wanted to use it as a cloth to cover an ammunition wagon, but luckily a lawyer who understood its importance saved it and replaced it with another cloth.

In 1803, Napoleon seized it and transported it to Paris. Napoleon wanted to use the tapestry as inspiration for his planned attack on England. When this plan was cancelled, the tapestry was returned to Bayeux. The townspeople wound the tapestry up and stored it like a scroll. After being seized by the Nazi think tank the Ahnenerbe, the tapestry spent much of World War II in the basement of the Louvre. It is now protected on display in a museum in a dark room with special lighting behind sealed glass in order to minimize damage from light and air. In June 2007, the tapestry was listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

Towering over the center of Bayeux is the stunning Cathédrale Notre-dame. Consecrated on 14 July 1077 in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy and King of England the Cathedral underwent numerous extensions and embellishments between the 13th and 15th centuries. Visiting the crypt is recommended, as this is one of the few parts of the Cathedral that have remained un-altered since the 11th Century.

• The German Coastal Artillery Battery at Longues-sur-Mer
• The Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches
• GOLD Beach at:
  • Ver-sur-Mer
  • Crepon
  • Cruelly

Then stop for lunch.

After lunch you will continue your tour, visiting:

• Pointe-du-Hoc
• OMAHA Beach, including:
  • Vierville-sur-Mer
  • St Laurent-sur-Mer
  • Le Ruquet

• At Pointe du Hoc you will see the German six-gun battery that was capable of firing directly onto Utah and Omaha beaches. Hence, the 2nd Ranger Battalion was given the task of capturing the position by scaling the local cliffs using rope ladders. While there, you can observe the gun emplacements, lots of bomb craters and visit a German sleeping quarter.

• Then to Omaha beach where you will have two stops at the location of German gun locations and we will see the guns still there including the deadly 88 mm.

“The U.S.A., proud of the exploits of their sons, humble before their sacrifice, has erected this monument in their memory.” The cemetery, the Chapel with its Memorial Room and the Wall of the Missing, commemorates the soldiers who are resting in this setting of peace.

• Visit La Cambé German Military Cemetery on the way to UTAH Beach
• Brecourt Battery, famous for its capture by E Company 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (the Band of Brothers)
• Tour the UTAH Beach area, visiting:
  • Varreville Beach and Memorials
  • La Madeleine, Chapel, Beach and Memorials

With your guide, you will discover Utah beach where the 4th Division headed by General Barton and Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, assistant divisional commander who accompanied the first wave, were beached. They will walk on the beach and be able to observe the various commemorative monuments there.

Then stop for lunch.

After lunch you will continue your tour:

• Tour the American Airborne Landings area, visiting:
  • Manoir de La Fière
    • Iron Mike
    • The Bridge and causeway

• Sainte-Mère-Eglise
  • Church
  • Monuments
  • Hotel de Ville
  • American Airborne Museum

You will then visit the local Museum totally dedicated to the American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions who were air dropped in the area.

The Caen Museum was built on the site of an old bunker and was inaugurated on June 6, 1988 (the 44th anniversary of D-Day) by President François Mitterrand. It was later expanded by President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder.

Le Mont Saint-Michel was built in a strong rock that measures 84 meters height. It is pure granite and is so hard that has resisted the passage of time. Mont Saint Michel was built as a medieval castle. It has two large towers to defend the entrance to the castle. St. Michael is a surety for freedom and thus this sanctuary also became a symbol of the allied landing in Normandy during the Second World War.

Luncheon suggestion: La Mère Poulard Mont-Saint-Michel (out-of-pocket).

Your visit to Monet’s House & Gardens will be self-guided with entrance tickets included.

Visit Impressionist master Claude Monet’s country home in the lovely village of Giverny. Explore the remarkable flower and Japanese water gardens he created and painted. Monet’s gardens were a constant source of inspiration for him. Art lovers will recognize the water lilies, bridges, willows, the banks of flowers and the light reflected on the pond.

Option: Private guided tour available as well