3 hiking trails in Normandy and places not to be missed

You can walk inNormandy Two-three days (for those in a hurry among you), but preferably two-three weeks (for those who enjoy themselves among you).

The list below is not really an itinerary, although I do and prepare that too, but only a selection of selected places with a brief description of the most notable sites to see and visit – without any pretension. If the topic doesn't speak to you, skip ahead. The list is not binding and, of course, is far from complete.

To travel to Normandy, you need to get to France, so your trip will likely start at Charles-de-Gaulle Airport. After a quick look at the map, you’ll see that most of Normandy’s attractions are southwest of the Seine River, but I’ll send you north of the river – you won’t regret it!

Wait, what about Mont Saint Michel?

As you will see, Mont Saint Michel does not appear on my itineraries even though it is officially part of Normandy (don't reveal this to the people of the province). Brittany (Because they claim it belongs to them.) The reason I didn't include it in my itineraries is because it's such a well-known attraction that most tourists come to it anyway. That's why I prefer to dedicate the following itineraries to places that are a little less well-known.

Furthermore, if you are interested in visiting there, then there are quite a few organized tours from Paris that will allow you to do so very easily, and you can find them in the article. A day outside Paris.

And one more little thing before we start

If you haven't had time to do so yet, I highly recommend reading the article. Normandy's history and cuisine in a nutshellThe article, as its name suggests, will give you historical, artistic, and culinary background on Normandy and help you better get to know the places that will appear on the next itinerary.

A Normandy itinerary following history and art

Giverny

For art lovers, but not only. The village of Giverny lies on the banks of the Seine River, about 90 km west of the airport. In 1883, the painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) rented a house here for his large family and began cultivating an extensive garden around it. In 1890, he managed to purchase the house where he spent his life until the day he died.

His heirs preserved the house and its painting studio, and in 1980 the house opened to visitors as a museum dedicated to the life and work of Claude Monet. The team of gardeners who tend the garden around the estate has undergone special training to maintain and cultivate the flowers and trees exactly as Monet painted them on canvas.

Accommodation in Giverny

The biggest advantage of staying in a village Giverny The advantage is that you can get to Mona's house early in the morning and enjoy it before the place starts to get flooded with tourists. Also, if you live here you can also discover the village itself, which has magical places that many tourists miss.

If you decide to live in Giverny, you can find good places to stay inLink this.

Lyons-la-Foret

Head to the provincial capital, Rouen. Before you arrive, stop for a stopover in the village of Lyons-la-Foret (the S is not pronounced. =”Lyon The forest. Not to be confused with the big city Lyon). This is the place to mention the association “The Beautiful Villages of France” – this village is one of them. There is no special site in it. It is simply beautiful!

Accommodation in Lyons-la-Foret

Since this is a magical village from which you can set out to explore the northern part of Normandy, it is definitely worth considering staying here for a few nights.

If you decide to do this you can find good hotels and apartments inLink this.

What are the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” “Les Plus Beau Villages de France”?

It all started with a man and a book. In 1981, Charles Ceyrac, mayor of Collanges-la-Rouges, received a booklet called “Beautiful Villages of France,” published by “Reader's Digest,” which featured photographs of several beautiful villages in France, without any sorting or classification. Ceyrac asked other mayors and villages in France, “Why this village, and not another?” 66 other mayors responded to his call, and on March 6, 1982, the association was officially founded under the name “Beautiful Villages of France.” The association developed a scale of questions and points to score, divided into 3 groups:

• Quality, which measures 30 criteria, mainly regarding preserving the quality of the environment, preserving the history and texture of the village, preventing over-commercialization, and more.
• Advertising and promotion of the place name, where advertising is measured, establishing commercial businesses solely for the purpose of promotion (such as restaurants and hotels), the contribution of commercial businesses to the promotion of the village, and so on.
• Development. Promoting tourism and the economy in the village and the region, while adhering to the previous principles, maintaining the quality of life, the fabric of the residents, and the quality of life in the village.

A village that applies to the organization must pass extensive tests and examinations by the organization's committees, including anonymous committees and examiners who are not identified. If accepted, the village head signs a certificate of commitment that enshrines the organization's principles as expressed above. A village accepted into the organization may place the organization's symbol at the entrance to the village, and it is advertised on all French tourist sites. Membership in the organization does not provide actual grants or financial support, but indirectly contributes to the development and promotion of the village.

Over the years, this organization has earned itself a reputation for respect, and its member villages receive great priority on travel and tourism routes, both domestic and international.

Today, 159 villages, out of over 32,000 villages across the country, are members of this association. France.

Rouen

The provincial capital, the main city in the area. As with any large city, there are probably plenty of sites, museums, and other destinations to visit.

I will mention the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Rouen, which is particularly large and beautiful, but gained worldwide fame after the painter Claude Monet painted 30 paintings – from exactly the same perspective – at different times and in different weather. This is how the master painter illustrated the concept of impressionism (=impression): the cathedral is the same cathedral, and yet it looks different.

Here it was uploaded Joan of Arc On the heart of the city square after the English conquered it, here you will see a colorful market in the old city square, here – at the Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des Beaux-Arts) – you will find the world's largest collection of Impressionist works outside of Paris (Musee d'Orsay), and much more….

Accommodation in Rouen

Accommodation in the city of Rouen has several advantages:

• If you live there, you will have time to get to know the old quarter well and not be satisfied with just a quick visit to the cathedral.
• Rouen is a large city with quite a few restaurants and shops, so if you live there you won't have a problem with food or shopping.
• A good place for stargazing in northern Normandy or on the way to Paris.

So if you decide to live in the city of Rouen you can find recommended places to stay inLink this.

Fecamp

A port and fishing town on the northern coast of Normandy – if you’re short on time, skip it. The town was for a time the seat of the Dukes of Normandy, and a base for deep-sea fishermen to hunt cod (Cod, Morue in French, known to us as cod).

Today, the Sainte-Trinite Abbey (“Holy Trinity Abbey”) is the main site in the city – and not because of its holiness, but because it is there that the sweet and wonderful Benedictine liqueur is produced by Benedictine monks, according to a secret recipe known to only 3 people at a time. It is only known that the recipe is based on 27 herbs and spices.

In 1863, a wine merchant in the city who called himself the pretentious Kama “Alexander the Great,” a herbal liqueur, with the help of a local pharmacist and based on various medicinal recipes, concocted it into a bottle in a special way, adding the letters DOM to the label:

(Deo, Optimo, Maximo) (To God, the Best, the Greatest) – and hoped for the best.

Success was not long in coming, and the liqueur went around the world. To ensure its success, a legend was invented around the drink about the monks of the Benedictine monastery and a secret recipe that was lost in the smoky vapors of the Fecamp monastery during the French Revolution.

Etretat

Not far from there, less than 20 km (it is recommended to take the smaller coastal road D11, and not, as Waze will send you, the wider inland road, D940), is one of the pearls of Normandy – Etretat. The direct geological continuation of the white cliffs of Dover on the English coast, the French coast here is also built of white, crisp, high and beautiful limestone cliffs.

In a small bay between these cliffs, a small fishing town was established – its residents now fish for tourists rather than fish – with small houses typical of the entire region – stone walls combined with wooden beams, what the locals call Maison a Colombages (Half-Timbered House).

The town is beautiful, but without any special sites (except for a few restaurants and shops, tourist traps). On the other hand, is there anything to do there?

• Small hikes on foot along the marked hiking trails on the cliffs overlook the seagull colonies and the upright stone pillar into the sea known as the “Elephant’s Foot.” Be careful, the path at the top of the cliff is not fenced!
• If you liked the series Lupin Netflix's You'll definitely want to see where the final episode of season one took place. You can also visit the home of Louis Leblanc, where he wrote the series of books starring gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, which inspired the TV series.

Le Havre

A large, grey port city situated at the wide mouth of the Seine River into the English Channel. As the largest port in the area, the city was bombed during World War II, initially by the Germans, who then made its port one of the main exits for the German fleet to the Atlantic, prompting the Allies to bomb it in turn. The result? 82% of the city was destroyed, and it was completely rebuilt after the war.

The city, which has a population of about 180,000, currently has no outstanding tourist sites. As in any large city – museums, sports centers, theaters, etc. The only interesting site in Havre is the cathedral. The previous one was completely destroyed in the bombings and with the reconstruction of the city, architect August Perret was asked to design a new cathedral, which he did in collaboration with architect Raymond Audigier.

The first, a staunch atheist, wanted the cathedral to be a monument to all the victims of the war, while the second, a devout Catholic, wanted to build a kind of candle of thanksgiving for the coming of peace. Together, the two built a church with a tall spire (107 meters) visible from afar. What is special about the cathedral is that it is built entirely of reinforced concrete, an unusual material for a religious institution that was very fashionable in the years of construction and reconstruction after the war.

Pont de Normandie

As early as 1931, the Le Havre Council of Commerce and Industry requested the construction of a bridge over the wide mouth of the Seine River to shorten the access from the port city into the country, to the south. After delays due to World War II, an international competition was held and a plan for the construction of the Pont de Tancarville was selected.

Construction of the bridge began in November 1955 and it opened to traffic in July 1959. For decades it was the main transport artery between north and south Normandy, the longest suspension bridge in France. When traffic congestion increased, it was decided in the mid-80s to build a new, larger and higher bridge that would allow large ships to pass on the Seine River. Construction of the bridge began in 1989 and opened in January 1995. It is 2,143 meters long and rises 214 meters above the water. For several years it held the record for the longest suspension bridge in the world, until the construction of the Tatara Bridge in Japan was completed (1999).

There is a fee to travel on the bridge (€5.50 for a regular car). To see this magnificent piece of engineering in all its glory, it is recommended that after crossing it, you proceed to the shoreline of the town of Honfleur (the next stop on the trip) – at the entrance to the town, turn right on Avenue du President Duchesne, continue straight, north to the waterfront and turn right – the road will bring you right under the bridge.

Honfleur

Honfleur is a small town with a little over 8,000 inhabitants, but like all the towns on the north coast, its population doubles and triples in the summer season – thousands of tourists, French and foreign – come to all the coastal towns. One of the most interesting sites in the town is the Church of Sainte Catherine (Saint Catherine).

It is built entirely of wood and dates from the second half of the 15th century. As befits the period, the church’s bell tower is built separately – in the event that a fire takes hold of one of the wooden buildings, only one of them will burn. The church is built according to the model of the urban market common for the period, which you can still see in many settlements in the area – a sloping tiled roof resting on several strong and stable columns like a covered square in the center of the city. The weekly market was held under the roof even in times of rain and snow.

There are other churches in the town, but the center of interest revolves around the “Vieux Bassin” (“Old Dock”, from the 17th century), a small, colorful and picturesque port that gives a special touch to the whole charming town. The port, which belonged to the town’s fishermen in the past, has long been occupied by cafes and restaurants that surround it all around and, as in many places of this type, there is nothing more magical than leaning back in a straw chair, facing the calm water, passersby passing by while you have a cup of coffee, wine, aperitif in your hand, depending on the time of the meeting.

In the town you will also find a museum dedicated to the painter Eugene Boudin (1824-1898), one of the first painters in France who "dared" to go out and paint outside, in nature, and is thus considered one of the pioneers of Impressionism, even before they were called that.

Another small museum is dedicated to the French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), a native of the area. Another site, a little outside the town to the north, towards the coastline, is the Naturospace – a large tropical garden enclosed in a huge greenhouse where thousands of colorful, strange and beautiful butterflies from all over the world fly. Be careful, because of the tropical climate, the place is hot and humid.

Accommodation in Honfleur

It is highly recommended to live in Honfleur both because it is a charming town and because it can be an excellent base for star trips along the Normandy coast.

If you decide to live there, you can find good vacation apartments and hotels inLink this.

Trouville and Deauville

The coastal area, west of Honfleur, is a resort area for the wealthy. During the 19th century, when tourism and leisure were luxuries that not everyone could afford, the closest beach that the wealthy of Paris could reach was the Atlantic coast in Normandy. Those who could reach the coast could also afford to build beautiful and eye-catching villas.

Slowly, the northern Atlantic coast of France became a luxury area, as the southern Riviera is today. Magnificent homes, rich clubs, luxurious holidays with servants and luxurious spa treatments…. Today, the wealth has become less eye-catching, but the splendor and prestige still exist.

On the way from Honfleur to Deauville, you can take the main road D579 and then the D74, but I recommend that you meander along the waterfront, along the coast, on the inland road D513 – where you can occasionally see the beach and waves and even enjoy beautiful villas, even if some of them are closed and enclosed behind shutters or stone walls that protect the owners' privacy.

Almost the entire coast is one inhabited stretch and there is really no “border” between settlements. Before Deauville, where several famous scenes in Claude Lelouch’s film “A Man and a Woman” (“Un Homme et Une Femme”) were filmed on the coast, you will pass a town called Trouville, known primarily for its straight, flat sandy beaches and this is the natural place for the development of a special sport that is found almost nowhere else in the world (it also exists on the coasts of northern France in the Calais and Dunkirk areas, as well as on the coasts of Belgium).

Sailing carriages

Char a Voile Sand Yachting literally translates to “sailing carriage.” This is a means of transportation that combines a carriage and a sailboat and has existed for many centuries.

Today it is a very light vehicle, made of aluminum beams on 3 wheels, above which a large sail rises. The strong winds that blow on these beaches are what propel these vehicles, which are capable of reaching high speeds (the world record is 152 km/h). At the Trouville-Hennequeville Nautical Club (CNTH – Club Nautique de Trouville-Hennequeville), you can rent such a vehicle by the hour and, after some instructions and explanations, set off on your own adventure with the sand and the wind.

The city of Deauville

The D513 road passes over a bridge over a stream called La Touques and you are suddenly in the heart of the city of Deauville. A small and wealthy city, a residence for the world's wealthy who have built luxurious and ornate villas here.

As you stroll along the boardwalk or the streets of the town, you will not be able to escape the feeling of competition – homeowners compete with each other to see who can build something more “weird,” more “crazy,” or just plain extroverted and wasteful.

Deauville is considered one of the most prestigious resort towns in France. Once a year, an important and famous horse race is held there that attracts everyone from all over the world, and the annual American film festival (founded in 1975) held there is one of the most important in Europe.

It has a magnificent international conference center (CID, Centre International de Deauville), which opened in 1992 and is buried several stories deep in the ground so as not to damage the view of the city's coastline. You will also find a large and luxurious casino there (entry only from the age of 18) and plenty of the most expensive hotels and restaurants in the world.

Until 1860, the town was devoid of any uniqueness or publicity. Then the wife of the Duc de Morny, the official title of the brother of Emperor Napoleon III, arrived here. She fell in love with the place and begged her husband to open it so that she could return there again and again.

The first hotel was built there, and later a railway was also built, one of the first in France. Wherever the royal dignitaries go, the rest of the entourage also travels, and so the rest of the entourages of relatives and companions from the emperor's circle and his brothers arrived. A vicious circle began - the municipality had to provide for the needs of the distinguished guests, who brought their servants and entourage. The latter needed various services and entertainment - and the rest is history.

Among the luxurious villas in the city, one of the most special is Villa Strassburger (1, Avenue Strassburger. Built in 1907 by Baron Henry Rothschild and sold in 1924 to American millionaire Ralph Strassburger. Today, it belongs to the municipality of Deauville, which organizes exhibitions and special events there (the rest of the year – closed to visitors). You can take a look at this interesting villa using this video (unfortunately, it is in French):

At least you can take a look at the building from the outside – the villa is large and luxurious and was built in the local style while maintaining all the characteristics of typical Norman houses – wooden beams, square chimneys, round turrets, and more.

Accommodation in Deauville

Did you like Deauville? You are welcome to make it your base for star trips. If you decide to take my advice, I recommend looking for good vacation apartments and some not-so-bad hotels inLink this.

Caen

30 km separate Bayeux from Caen (road N13). The city of “William the Conqueror”, for a certain period it even served as the capital of Normandy. Churches (it is called “the city of 100 bell towers”, “Ville aux Cent Clochers”), religious buildings, public buildings, and more…. Like any small city (105,000 inhabitants).

In 1969, the then mayor decided to build a “Memorial pour la Paix” in the city – in contrast to the “war museums” that were established around the world. The special building was inaugurated in September 1986 and is one of the most visited museums in France, outside of Paris.

Although the museum displays many items, documents, and collections related to World War II, they are arranged and displayed from a perspective of peace and agreement, rather than war and destruction. Over the years, additional visitor itineraries have been added to the museum that deal with other wars in the world, including civil wars and genocide that occurred in various places around the globe.

Bayeux

The small town of Bayeux, with a population of about 13,500, has two notable facts about World War II to its credit. It was the only city in northern France to be completely untouched by the war, and it was also the first city on the European continent to surrender to the Allies after the invasion.

Bayeux has existed since the time of the Celts and Romans. During the Viking invasions, it was an important trading center. Like many small towns, it has a theater, several churches, several museums, and so on. But its world fame comes from two things – its lace and its carpet.

Bayeux lace embroidery is a tradition that developed in the region starting in the 17th century, when in 1676 the education of the city's children was entrusted to the nuns-sisters of the city's hospital. One of the occupations that occupied the children was lace embroidery from linen threads in a special technique using spindles (Dentelle aux Fuseaux).

The result is an incredibly delicate embroidery with an extremely complicated structure and shapes, which became more and more sophisticated over the years and spread throughout Normandy. It spread far and wide, and napkins, sheets, and pieces of clothing sold for huge prices.

The Bayeux Tapestry is also known as the “Queen Mathilde Tapestry,” or by its ancient name: “The Tapestry of Victory.” The tapestry is not really a tapestry, but rather 9 strips of embroidered fabric, connected together with an invisible stitch, into a long strip (50 cm wide, and 70 meters long). The “tapestry” depicts the conquest of England by “William the Conqueror” (Battle of Hastings, 1066).

The work was probably commissioned by Odon, the Bishop of Bayeux, who was also the half-brother of William the Conqueror. The tapestry is a rare historical document because the fabric tells the story from the Norman perspective in an attempt to justify the invasion of England, while most of the existing documents are from an English perspective (which, of course, does not justify the invasion of their country).

The tapestry was kept in the city's cathedral and when a rumor spread in 1562 about the arrival of Protestant soldiers (Huguenots), it was hidden - and forgotten. It was only found again in 1728 by a historian who was researching the subject and named it after Queen Mathilde, a name that remained until advanced studies of the tapestry were carried out at the end of the 20th century (1982-83). Today, the tapestry is displayed in the "Tapestry Museum" ("Musée de la Tapisserie").

Accommodation in the town of Bayeux

There are two main reasons to make this town your base for your Normandy travels. The first is that, as you have read, it is a charming town. The second reason is its location, which will allow you to easily visit the landing beaches, which we will talk about in a moment.

So if you want to live there, you are welcome to enterLink this.

Lisieux

On the way back to Paris, you can stop in the small town of Lisieux, with a population of 20,000. There are no special sites here either, except for the basilica. The white Basilique Sainte-Therese, made of white marble, is built on top of a hill and is visible from afar. Its construction began in 1929, was completed only after the war, and was dedicated in 1954.

It is dedicated to Sainte Therese, a nun of the Carmelite order (an order for nuns only) who was born and worked in the area. She was born in 1873 and died in 1897, aged 24. After the death of her mother when she was 4, she was raised by her older sisters, both members of the Carmelite order. Religious education had a profound effect on the young woman and at the age of 15, while still under the legal age, she went to Rome to ask the Pope for special permission to join the order on the grounds of a deep religious conviction.

The Pope was deeply impressed by the young woman's religious aspirations and approved her extraordinary accession. After her death from tuberculosis, several writings by her pen were published in which her profound thought was revealed, with a very developed theological character for her young age. Her image and writings were famous throughout France and the world (500 million copies) and in 1925 she was awarded the title of "saint". After the construction of the basilica, her veneration developed greatly and the White Basilica is the second most important pilgrimage site in France (after the city of Lourdes).

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This is where the “classic route” ends. From here, you are welcome to continue to Paris (or the airport) or alternatively try the following two routes.

The Cider Road – Route du Cidre

If you are interested in culinary arts and alcoholic beverages, then the cider route was created especially for you.

If you want to discover the places where the best cider is made in France and enjoy the magical landscapes of Normandy along the way, I recommend you read the article Normandy's Cider Road: A trail following apples and alcohol.

Travel itinerary following World War II

You won't find a lot of ancient historical buildings or stunning views here, but if you're interested in World War II history, you shouldn't miss this route, which follows the main Allied landing points.

Ouistreham

Your first encounter with history will be in a nice little place (about 9,500 inhabitants) called Ouistreham (pronounced Ouistreham). A small fishing town with a cute and colorful harbor located right at the mouth of the Orne River into the ocean. This is the easternmost invasion point (Sword Beach) where the first landing ships of the entire international armada arrived at sea.

This is also one of the filming locations for the film “The Longest Day.” There was a large German army bunker there, part of which was blown up by British commandos during its occupation in June 1944. Only the tower remains and it is now a small museum dedicated, of course, to the events of those days. This is where the Normandy commemoration tourism begins, and continues all the way along the coast, to “Utah Beach.”

Arromanches

Arromanches-les-Bain, or Arromanches by all, will be remembered in history as a key location in the invasion of Normandy because its beautiful, flat beaches were chosen for the construction of the first artificial harbor during the invasion.

It was clear to both sides from the outset that the invasion would be accompanied by heavy equipment and not just foot soldiers, and that heavy equipment must arrive at an organized port and not by landing on the beach. The basic premise was that the German army would ensure the guarding and defense of the existing ports – Le Havre and Cherbourg. Therefore, there was no escape from building a temporary port, at least until the liberation of the existing large ports.

In the first days of the invasion, once the Allied bridgehead was secured and the Germans were pushed back from the coastline, large concrete blocks were brought from Britain on June 9, 1944, towed through the sometimes stormy seas, and sunk on the invasion beaches at two sites - Arromanches on Gold Beach (Mulberry Harbor B), and Omaha Beach (Mulberry Harbor A).

Today, Arromanches is a memorial site and a tourist village. The village is home to about 500 residents who are mainly involved in history and tourism. A museum was established in the village to commemorate the invasion and this is the main and official memorial site of the invasion – the annual memorial ceremony is held here. The museum displays many items from the invasion period, with uniforms, documents and sand tables of the battles and troop deployments. Outside the buildings, on the beach you can still see the remains of concrete bunkers and parts of the port and steel piers. A small cinema has been established next to the museum that projects a film about the invasion in 360 degrees.

Accommodation in Aroumanches

Arromanches is ideally located between all the main sites of The Normandy Invasion Therefore, it can be an excellent base for trips in the area. If you want to live there, you can find some nice apartments and hotels inLink this.

Colleville sur Mer

From Arromanches, head west on the D514, along the coast. 19 kilometres away lies a small village called Colleville-sur-Mer – the most interesting thing about the village is its name. In the early Middle Ages (around the 9th century) there was an isolated farm in the area where a Viking named Koll, a descendant of the invaders from the north, lived. A small town grew up around the farm, which everyone called “Koll’s village”.

Over the years, the current name was created – Colleville (literally translated, “the city of Colle”. The letter K is not very common in the French language, and was naturally replaced with a C). Due to its proximity to the sea, the addition “on the sea” was added over time. As mentioned, the small village, with about 170 residents, has nothing interesting, except for what is outside it – the American cemetery of the dead of the World War.

About 100,000 soldiers were killed during the invasion of Normandy. The vast majority were hastily buried during the fighting, and after the war almost all were moved to 27 organized cemeteries along the invasion beaches. A very small proportion of the fallen were returned to their countries of origin.

The Colleville-sue-Mer military cemetery is the largest of the Allied World War II military cemeteries in Normandy and contains the remains of 9,387 American soldiers. The cemetery is well-maintained and cared for and is simply… beautiful! It’s a strange thing to say about a cemetery, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

Utah Beach Museum

In recent years, especially after the 50th anniversary of the invasion (1995), additional invasion museums have been established in other places along the coast, most of them private, owned by collectors and “crazy people.” A visit to “Utah Beach” is not to a particular town or village, but to a special museum that is now one of the most impressive in the entire invasion area.

In 1962, the mayor of Sainte Marie du Mont (literally translated, “Saint Mary of the Mountain”) decided to establish a museum on the beach of the invasion to commemorate the invasion and to commemorate the debt of the citizens of France to the American soldiers. Since then, the museum has been expanded several times (today, 3,000 square meters of projection and display space), its collections have been increased by various donations or various objects and tools found and survived around the world.

A special building displays a B-26 “Marauder” bomber, one of the few remaining in the world, in another hall you can see a model of the artificial harbor that was built on the beach, and in another hall the award-winning documentary “La Plage de la Victoire” (“Victory Beach”) is screened, telling the story of 830,000 soldiers who invaded the beaches of Normandy with 725,000 tons of war equipment.

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This is the end of the route dealing with the landing beaches. If you would like to read a similar but slightly different route created by my friend Danny Ashkenazi, you are welcome to read the article Normandy Invasion Itinerary: The Landing Beaches and the Fabric of Bayeux.