Sue Burrow

I'll be in Normandy in Oct. I understand the Peace Memorial in Caen offers guided tours by mini-vans of the D-Day beaches, but in their web site, there's no mention of it. Has anyone out there done that? It is supposed to be a 4-hr. tour. That, coupled with the museum visit, seems like a long day. Would it be better to see the museum and the sights in Bayeux one day and tour the beaches another day?

Burta

You can sign up for the mini-van tours right at the museum, but should go early in the day so that you have more flexibility with the times. There are different tours offered. The tour is actually quite relaxing, so I think that the museum and one tour in a day can be managed nicely.

MWG

I toured the D-Day beaches by car and did not go to any of the museums. Point du Hoc and the German battery at Longues were highlights for me. Omaha Beach has an odd quality to it. In the US, it would be a national park with a visitor center and a trail route. In France, there is a monument, a seemingly ordinary beach, an ordinary beach road with ordinary beach homes. Still, when you stand there and realize what took place ... If you are able to go by car on your own, you can also stop at the farms and sample the Cider and Calvados!<BR>Going to Bayeux without seeing the Bayeux Tapestry would be a great great shame and any plan that would not allow time for this would not be well-considered.

Bob

Ditto on the Tapestry. It was a highlight of our trip in that area and worthwhile to visit.

Fritz

Our recent trip to France included a couple of days in that area. Take a look at our pictures at http://www.peacham.com/france/normandy.htm and see if that helps you decide.<BR><BR>Fritz

Fritz

Our recent trip to France included a couple of days in that area. Take a look at our pictures at http://www.peacham.com/france/normandy.htm and see if that helps you decide.<BR><BR>Fritz

JOdy

Fritz....<BR><BR>Thank you so much for sharing your pictures and journal..we are planning Normandy and brittany in the fall and your shots were a great help!

Lee

Fritz,<BR><BR>Such a good information & pictures. Thanks.<BR>We are going to Brittany & Normandy in mid-late Oct. & I have a question for Marie regarding what kind of a coat she took. <BR>Marie,I noticed in your pictures that you were wearing a long raincoat. Was this the only coat/jacket you took? Since you mentioned that it only rained twice on the trip,did you have another jacket to change into? Do you recommend taking a shorter rain jacket or regular jacket instead or would you recommend the longer coat. <BR>Since our trip will be close to 3 weeks, this is my major 'clothing' concern, as weather could be very iffy at that time of year. I want to be warm & dry but am interested to hear if you thought this long coat was at all cumbersome.<BR>Would be interested to hear from Marie & others.<BR>

topper

<BR>Topping for Lee

Lara Durben

My husband and I took the mini-van tour last August and thoroughly enjoyed it. We arrived at the Peace Museum early, though - a few minutes before the museum opened. Our guide was great, quite knowledgeable, and we had the good fortune to have a U.S. Air Force veteran of WW II also taking our tour. It was incredible to hear his stories! Our mini van wasn't supposed to actually stop and let us out at Omaha Beach to walk around, but my husband (a huge WW II history buff) requested this and she was happy to oblige. The Peace Museum itself is incredible, and I think one day to manage the tour and the museum will be just fine. Good luck and enjoy!

Lynn

Husband and I returned yesterday from a trip to England and France, which included several days in Normandy. My impressions: the Caen Memorial is a monumental waste of money. Admission is a whopping 16 Euros per person, and they don't even provide a directory (you have to pay an extra 4.50 Euros for a tiny worthless booklet). I should add that it's way out in the suburbs in the midst of nothing but office parks.<BR><BR> While some of the exhibit there is interesting, especially describing the events leading to WWII and the occupation of France prior to the American liberation, the "peace" and "Cold War" sections are remarkable only for their anti-U.S. rhetoric and propaganda. <BR><BR>Who knew that the end of Communism in 1989 represented the end of popularly elected democracies in Eastern Europe? Who knew that the Cold War represented the notions of justice and fair play exemplified by the USSR vs. the hedonism and imperialism of the U.S.? Now we do! Seriously, they say this with a straight face. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, of course, but this was blatant nonsense.<BR><BR>Truly, for a better look at D-Day, visit the museum at Arromanches (admission is 6 Euros per person), then drive along the coast to the beaches; don't miss Pointe du Hoc (walk among the bomb craters and damaged German gun emplacements), and try to see at least one of the cemetaries (American, British, German and Canadian are in the area). We arrived at Arromanches around 10 a.m., leisurely toured the museum there and visited the American Cem. at Colleville-sur-Mer, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Ste.-Mere Eglise and Utah Beach, and were back at our B&B near Villers Bocages by 6 p.m. The roads are well marked.<BR><BR>The Bayeux tapestry was surprisingly fascinating. We didn't get to the WWII/D-Day museum in Bayeux, but I'd guess it also was much more worthwhile than Caen's. Bayeux has a giant free car park, and walking around town is quite manageable. Admission to the tapestry is 6.40 Euros.

viva la France

I am sorry but I disagree with the above poster. Everyone should include the Caen museum on their trip. It is well laid out,thoughtfully done and if you are not into the latter portion with the Cold War-skip it. The 3 big screen videos were presented quite well and the one with the split screen-one side is the Allies getting ready to invade with the other half of the screen showing what the Germans were doing was unbelievable. I think that if you are 10 years old,40 years old or in your 80's you will think that it was worthwhile.Allow at least 4 hours to tour the museum and be sure to allow yourself time to linger at the various beaches and major points to take everything in. It should not be rushed.

viva la France

I forgot to add that I would allow a full day at Bayeaux for seeing the tapestry,having a nice lunch and shopping. They have great prices and even though it is a tourist town there are great stores for normal patrons to really experience that part of France.

StCirq

I concur that the M&eacute;morial in Caen is an exceptionally good, and beautiful, museum. We were there before the switch to the euro, and I don't remember what we paid, but whatever it was it was WELL worth it. We were in the museum for almost four hours (with two preteens who never once lost interest). The films were extraordinary. The museum in Arromanches is of interest, but it pales in comparison with the M&eacute;morial.

LD

Vive la France, I agree that the two films - the D-Day invasion and the war in Normandy - presented at the Caen Memorial were outstanding. It would be nice if a visitor could choose to visit only those parts of the memorial that are of interest to him and her, and pay accordingly or proportionately, however. The admission price of 16 Euros is steep.<BR><BR>Like many American visitors to Normandy, I am interested in WWII-related sites, not in anti-U.S. political rhetoric about Vietnam, as is presented in the Cold War portion of the memorial. That is why I was disappointed with the place as a whole, although I found the WWII-related exhibits quite fascinating.