Normandy is well known for its beaches, its green countryside, its gastronomy but especially for its D-Day beaches.
The D-Day landing on 6 June 1944 and the Battle of Normandy in the months that followed are key moments in the history of France and Europe. So it would be unimaginable not to be able to discover these langing sites with your children.
There are still many vestiges of this period in the Normandy region: bunkers, elements of the Atlantic Wall, caissons of the artificial harbour at Arromanches; all D-Day landing sites that can be discover with children.
In addition to history lessons and films on the Second World War, what could be better than to come to Normandy with your family to visit the sites and museums of the D-DAY.
Which D-Day landing sites and museums can I visit with my children?
If you are asking yourself this question, this article is for you !
If you want to show your family the emblematic sites and museums of the D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, choose the Coeur de Nacre destination.
Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer or Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, choose to stay in the Juno Beach area, in the heart of the D-Day landing beaches.
To the east you have the Sword Beach area.
To the West you will discover the areas of Gold Beach, Omaha Beach and Utah Beach.
The furthest site is 1h20 away.
At what age can children discover the landing sites?
from the age of 8, and depending on the maturity of the child
What are the best DDAY landing sites to discover with children??
Here are some suggestions for visits to World War II sites and museums where children’s senses will be highly stimulated:
Non-exhaustive-list
Juno Beach Center, Courseulles-sur-Mer
Juno Beach
The only Canadian museum of the D-Day landing beaches offers a unique digital family experience for a playful and educational discovery of the museography:
This is by far the best site for discover the D-Day landing sites with children.
Thanks to numerous interactive modules and touch screens, young people, with the help of their parents, can reflect together on historical concepts that are within their reach.
In each room, children have to accumulate “poppy points” with the help of interactive games linked to the exhibitions, allowing them to better understand the issues of immigration, total war and dictatorships.
At the end of the tour, around the giant tablet, you can keep track of your points and learn more about Canada today, its culture, geography, climate and people.
The little extras:
- Juno Caching : a 10-stage treasure hunt on the theme of the D-Day and biodiversity to be done in the Juno Park surrounding the museum,
- the visit of the bunkers by young Canadian guides (from 6 years old)
- the family package including 2 adults and 3 children over 8 years old,
- dogs are allowed in the museum,
- low carbon rate if you travel by bike or on presentation of an SNCF transport ticket on a journey to a Normandy station made in the month preceding the visit,
- 3km away, the Canadian military cemetery located in Reviers-Bény, with its flowers and trees, is freely accessible.
Airborne Museum, Sainte-Mère-Eglise
Utah Beach – 1h driving
Located in the Manche department, this museum offers a spectacular museography to relive the D-Day landings alongside the American paratroopers.
Ask at the reception for the HistoPad, the museum’s touchscreen tablet, included in the price.
Thanks to immersive scenes and 360° reconstructions, children will be transported to the heart of Normandy in 1944.
The museum also offers a fun game booklet for 6-8, 9-11 and 12-15 year olds with crossword puzzles, colouring, rebus, etc.
Before leaving, pass by the church of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. This is where, on the night of 5-6 June 1944, John Steel, the famous American parachutist, was left hanging from the roof of the church building.
The little extras:
- family rate from 2 adults and 2 children, free for children under 6 years old,
- free colouring pages to download on the website.
Normandy Victory Museum, Carentan-les-Marais/Catz
Utah Beach – 1h driving
The museum evokes the two months following the D-Day landings, a period nicknamed “the battle of the hedges”, through 27 sound and realistic scenes and more than 10,000 authentic historical objects, mannequins and military vehicles.
Children will be able to handle objects such as helmets, dummy weapons and other equipment.
The little extras:
- family package 2 adults + 3 or 4 children,
- pets are allowed in the museum,
- commented tours in a 40’s Dodge WC51.
D-Day Expérience, Carentan-les-Marais/Saint Côme du Mont
Utah Beach – 1h driving
This interactive museum space dedicated to airborne troops combines education and innovation.
After attending Colonel Wolverton’s briefing, families take a seat on board a 4D flight simulator to relive the crossing of the English Channel.
The film D-Day Normandy 1944, projected in 3D on a giant screen, offers a unique visual and audio experience.
The little extras:
- Family pass for 2 or more children,
- Primary and secondary school educational booklets can be downloaded from the website,
- free of charge for children under 6 years old who are not on board the simulator,
- pram loan possible
La pointe du Hoc, Cricqueville-en-Bessin
Omaha Beach – 50 minutes driving
Pointe du Hoc was a strategic point in the German fortifications on the Normandy coast.
Under the command of Colonel J. E. Rudder, the soldiers managed the incredible feat of reaching the summit in a few minutes, despite the very slippery wall, the ropes weighed down by sea water and the heavy fire of the defenders.
Today, the freely accessible site shows the remains of the German artillery battery and the deep traces of the fierce fighting that took place there on 6 and 7 June 1944, costing the lives of 135 Rangers.
Credit : Valentin Pacaut – The Explorers
The little extras:
- the Pointe du Hoc mobile application: 11 tour stages and 7 points of interest, history of the rangers, historical photos, etc.
- site accessible by pushchair.
In the Omaha Beach area, be sure to visit the American military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The white headstones of 9,387 fallen soldiers are perfectly aligned.
The visitor centre within the cemetery describes the events and significance of the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy.
Free visit. (Please note the timetable)
The German military cemetery is located in La Cambe. With a total area of 10 hectares, this is one of the six is one of the six German military cemeteries of the Second World War in the Battle of Normandy.
About 21,300 German soldiers are buried here. It is important to show children that most of the young German men also suffered in this war.
Free visit. (Please note the timetable)
Credit : La Cambe Loïc Durand calvados attractivité
Arromanches 360 circular cinema
Gold Beach – 25 minutes driving
The film “The 100 Days of Normandy” plunges viewers into the heart of a terrible battle.
On nine circular screens, 19 minutes of never-before-seen archive footage retrace the 100 days of fighting.
Not recommended for children under 8 years of age.
Credit : Marie-Anaïs Thierry
The little extras:
- free for children under 10 years old,
- Reduced rate up to 18 years old,
- Located on the heights of Arromanches, the circular cinema Arromanches 360 overlooks the remains of one of the two artificial ports installed by the Allies. In 100 days, 220,000 soldiers, 530,000 tons of supplies and 39,000 vehicles disembarked from “Port Winston”.
In the village, the D-Day Museum is also suitable for families.
The German battery, Longues-sur-Mer
Gold Beach – 35 minutes driving
A major work of the Atlantic Wall, the Longues-sur-Mer battery offers an exceptional panorama of the D-Day landing beaches.
The only battery on the coast to be classified as a historical monument, it includes a fire command post and 4 reinforced concrete casemates which still house the original cannons.
Credit : Marie-Anaïs Thierry
The British Memorial, Ver-sur-Mer
Gold Beach – 20 minutes driving
Situated on the heights of Mont Fleury, overlooking the Gold Beach area, the Ver-sur-Mer British Memorial is an invitation to reflect on and remember the thousands of young British men who fell in the Battle of Normandy.
Recently inaugurated, this memorial offers a magnificent view of the artificial harbour to the west and, at low tide, of the oyster beds.
The site is free and accessible by pushchair.
Radar Station 44, Douvres-la-Délivrande
Sword Beach, 10 minutes driving – reopening on april 12
This authentic radar station on the D-Day landing beaches consists of converted bunkers.
Through 9 underground rooms and 1 outdoor trail, you can discover the life of the German soldiers who monitored the airborne troops thanks to several long-distance radars.
Please note that not all bunkers are accessible by pushchair.
The little extras:
- free for children under 10 years old,
- several 1-hour guided tours in summer,
- the free Audiospot application to discover the museum at your own pace.
Other bunkers can be visited at the Hillmann fortified site at Colleville-Montgomery. The 24 ha site with 18 casemates and underground works, built by the Germans between 1942 and 1944, was the command post of the coastal defences of the Côte de Nacre.
Guided tours are organised every Tuesday afternoon in summer.
The big bunker, Ouistreham
Sword Beach, 25 minutes driving
The museum dedicated to the Atlantic Wall is located in the former German headquarters, 17 metres high, which commanded the batteries on the Orne estuary.
On 5 levels, the rooms have been reconstructed in great detail: engine room, armoury, infirmary, observation post… Each room contains numerous objects and weapons from the period as well as mannequins.
Discovering the DDAY sites with children also means visiting museums with collections like this one.
The little extras:
- free for children under 6 years old,
- reduced rate for 6 to 18 year olds,
- pets are allowed in the museum.
On the way to Merville-Franceville, be sure to pass the Pegasus Bridge, an identical copy of the original bridge located in the Pegasus Memorial Park.
The first bridge to be liberated in 1944, it was made famous by D. Zanuck’s film “The Longest Day”, released in 1961.
Every year, during the commemorations, pipers from all over the world pay tribute to Bill Millin, the piper who crossed the Pegasus Bridge with his instrument.
Credit : Thomas le Floch
The Merville-Franceville battery
Sword Beach, 40 minutes driving
The Merville Battery was a formidable German Army fortification on the eastern flank of the Allied landings.
Bombed several times to no avail, it was neutralised by the 9th British Parachute Battalion after an unimaginable assault.
Credit : Thomas le Floch
On a completely preserved historical site, an educational trail invites you to discover the history of the Battery by walking between the different blockhouses.
The educational booklet allows children to be independent during their visit.
Sound and light: in casemate n°1, sounds, lights and smells combine to plunge you into the atmosphere of the minutes preceding the neutralisation of the battery (not recommended for children under 8).
The little extras:
- the museum houses an authentic Douglas C-47 aircraft that took part in the landings on 6 June 1944, repainted in the colours it wore on that day
- the educational booklet for children on request,
- the family pass with free admission for the third child and above.
Of course there are many other landing sites that you can discover with children: the Museum of Civilians in the War at Falaise or the D-Day Wings Museum at Bretteville-sur-Odon…
All the sites and museums in the historic area of the Battle of Normandy
More information on the Normandy Tourism website
