Normandy’s D-Day beaches
From Pegasus Bridge to Utah Beach along the coast of 6 June 1944, with the Bayeux Tapestry and a granite fishing port to finish.
- Distance
- 142 km (88 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 58 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 8
- Countries
- France
- Updated
- September 5, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 142 km (88 mi) with 8 stops, from Caen to Barfleur. About 1 h 58 min of driving in total.
Route description
Start in Caen, where the Mémorial museum gives the best overview of the Battle of Normandy, then drive north to Pegasus Bridge at Bénouville. From Ouistreham the D514 follows the coast west past Sword, Juno and Gold beaches, through small resorts with memorials on almost every seafront.
At Arromanches the remains of the Mulberry harbour lie offshore; the clifftop viewpoint east of town shows them best at low tide. Turn inland for Bayeux, the first town liberated, to see the tapestry and the cathedral, and spend the night there.
Back on the coast, the American Cemetery at Colleville overlooks Omaha Beach, and Pointe du Hoc’s cratered headland is a few kilometres further. Continue across the marshes of the Cotentin to the Utah Beach museum at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
End in Barfleur, a granite harbour on the tip of the peninsula, with the tall Gatteville lighthouse just north. Parking is easy outside July and August; Cherbourg and Ouistreham both have ferries to England if you are coming from the UK.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Caen
France - 212 km
Pegasus Bridge
HistoryBénouville, FranceThe canal bridge seized by British glider troops in the first minutes of D-Day. The original span now stands in the Memorial Pegasus museum across the water at Ranville.
- 334 km
Arromanches Mulberry harbour
HistoryArromanches-les-Bains, FranceConcrete caissons of the artificial harbour towed across the Channel in 1944 still lie in an arc offshore. See them best from the clifftop viewpoint east of the town at low tide.
- 411 km
Bayeux
France - 518 km
Normandy American Cemetery
HistoryColleville-sur-Mer, FranceMore than 9,000 white marble headstones on the bluff above Omaha Beach. A path leads down to the sand; the visitor centre explains the landings calmly and well.
- 613 km
Pointe du Hoc
HistoryCricqueville-en-Bessin, FranceA headland still pitted with bomb craters and shattered bunkers, where US Rangers climbed the cliffs on 6 June 1944. Stay on the marked paths, the cliff edge is eroding.
- 717 km
Utah Beach Museum
HistorySainte-Marie-du-Mont, FranceA museum built on the dunes of the westernmost landing beach, with a B-26 bomber inside. The long, empty beach outside is good for a quiet walk afterwards.
- 836 km
Barfleur
France
