Le Havre->D-Day beaches

[John Bull]

Reading this thread and seeing a local history buff's presentation on D Day convinced me to rent a car for our upcoming port stop in Cherbourg. We intend to do the beaches and Cemetary and like knowing that we can take as much time as we want to walk around as much as we want to in this sacred ground.

 

Not sure if we have enough time to do Arromanches and the museum...a friend keeps saying if we have extra time to do the Bayeaux tapestry instead of the museum.

 

Any opinions??

 

Cherbourg is the best port for visiting the American sites.

The American cemetery & adjacent Omaha beach are about an hour's drive. Best to make a beeline for that, then back along the coast to Pointe du Hoc. Back on the main road at La Cambe mebbe a quick look at the German cemetery - a stark contrast. Then perhaps just a few miles off-route to Utah beach & museum and finally the Airborne museum & other sights at Ste -Mere-Eglise for such time as you have left, it's about half an hour from your ship.

 

Problem with Arromanches & Bayeux is that although they're only about half-an-hour further, because they're further you should go there first and that makes it difficult to be sure you've allowed enough time for other sights.

They're only about 15 mins apart, if you're going to one it's tempting to go to both. In that case beeline on the fast divided highway to Bayeux, down to the coast at Arromanches, then back along the coast to American cemetery/Utah. Then figure what you want to see/what can be missed from there back to the ship.

 

Visiting all these places is about 150 miles / 3.5 hrs basic driving time. So unless you're on a late sailing (and can return the car late) something has to go.

 

https://www.google.com/maps?saddr=Cherbourg,+France&daddr=Bayeux,+France+to:Arromanches-les-Bains,+France+to:Colleville+to:Pointe+du+Hoc,+Cricqueville-en-Bessin,+France+to:La+Cambe,+France+to:Voie+de+la+Libert%C3%A9%2FD913+to:49.4438488,-1.2113594+to:49.443767,-1.2118198+to:Ste+Mere+Eglise+to:Rue+Lucet%2FVoie+de+la+Libert%C3%A9%2FN2013&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sll=49.434199,-1.173477&sspn=0.338922,0.699005&geocode=FcNZ9QIdhz_n_ymNGDOdC5cMSDGQfrlPSBQMBA%3BFRXm7wIdXEX1_ymJCuK4qqwLSDGU8sPJX8VL1g%3BFY3a8AIdsYD2_ynFAVHh2lUKSDEA_bxPSBQMBA%3BFQAA8QId-R7z_ymXwzswO6gLSDGw9LxPSBQMBA%3BFa2-8QIdGefw_yn5ngbxNQoLSDHL8JJsd6M2dg%3BFfjl8AIdq1bw_yGRklQ3zYFskClfwkqctQoLSDGRklQ3zYFskA%3BFZUA8gIdWgLu_w%3BFQh08gIdIYTt_ynxpB68y3ALSDGl8ysARvDGbg%3BFbdz8gIdVYLt_ynxpB68y3ALSDGl8ysARvDGbg%3BFXDv8QId2eLr_yk5cbgPM3kLSDFgZ7lPSBQMBA%3BFQYo9QId31vn_w&oq=Bayeux&mra=dvme&mrsp=8&sz=11&via=7,8&t=m&z=10

JB :)

Edited May 31, 2014 by John Bull

[sunsetbeachgal]

We are renting from Hertz...it looks close to the ship dock on a map..I hope so!

 

John, yesterday I spoke in detail with a friend who used to take student groups to this area and he said exactly what you did...make a beeline for the cemetary, spend time there, then walk down the path to Omaha Beach, then drive to Point du Hoc and Utah Beach and he also said St. Mere Eglise should be a "must do.".

 

I think the above, combined with a nice lunch will be a great day with no stress to get back in plenty of time to return the car and walk around Cherbourg.

 

Thank you for your suggestions! The tapestry will have to wait until another trip!

Edited June 1, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[Turtles06]

We are renting from Hertz...it looks close to the ship dock on a map..I hope so!

 

John, yesterday I spoke in detail with a friend who used to take student groups to this area and he said exactly what you did...make a beeline for the cemetary, spend time there, then walk down the path to Omaha Beach, then drive to Point du Hoc and Utah Beach and he also said St. Mere Eglise should be a "must do.".

 

 

You will have an incredible day. Particularly since you'll be on your own, may I suggest you watch (or re-watch) "The Longest Day" before your trip. It's a little dated and cheesy by modern film-making standards, but the history is spot on and you'll be glad to have seen it when you are in Normandy.

[Pet Nit Noy]

We rented a car for our day in La Havre a few years back. It was an easy drive even though we got lost a few times but the country roads were just beautiful so we didn't mind driving around. It was a moving experience visiting the D-Day beaches, the American Cemetery, and the museum. A memorable day indeed.

 

"the museum..."

 

We just got back from four days in Normandy, two of which were spent focusing on the D-Day sites. According to our guide, there are approximately 80 museums which range from the totally worthless to the superb. (The totally worthless ones tend to exhibit the bits and pieces that the farmers have stumbled across on their land over the years with little or no signage.)

 

We went to the museum in St. Mere Eglise near Utah Beach and the one closest to Omaha Beach. Highly recommended.

 

The St Mere Eglish focuses on the operations of the paratroopers. There is a new exhibit that is a must-see. Visitors walk inside a reconstructed glider plane with small scale three-dimensional structures meant to show what the paratroopers would have seen in flight just before the drop. When we walked to the back of the glider, the realism was so strong that I felt terrified. We encountered the open door through which the paratroopers jumped and there's icy wind blowing across the opening. There are flashes of light from "below" as if from anti-aircraft batteries. Definitely a worthwhile you-are-there experience.

 

The museum near Omaha has lots of dioramas built around the real equipment used in the in invasion and an excellent film.

 

The museum at Caen has supporters and detractors. The point of the museum is to warn people against the horrors of war. It succeeds in its mission but it certainly does nothing to clarify or honor the military actions that took place throughout NOrmandy.

[Pet Nit Noy]

We visited on a weekday in early May; no one on the beach but us. I walked out to the water's edge and turned back to face the beach. I thought about the underwater obstacles that the Germans had planted and the crossfire from the bunkers, and I could not even imagine what courage it took for the Allies to get out of their landing vessels.

 

It is an amazing and emotional experience to visit the D-Day sites.

 

My most emotional moment came at Utah Beach. This was odd in terms of challenge since Utah was a much, much easier invasion site than Omaha and Pointe du Hoc. The day we visited Utah, the weather was overcast and the height of the waves was about what the invasion forces endured. As I stood on Utah Beach, looking out at the empty expanse of water and I felt like I was seeing the scenes from the move, The Longest Day. And then, I thought about what would have come next: The vast armada of ships sailing over the horizon into the path of the German guns. The men who were seasick and trying to remain brave in the face of the challenges that lay ahead for them. The courage to leave the landing craft. The improvisation that took place to make all the landing sites a success. The individual stories of bravery and selflessness.

 

The day we went to Omaha Beach, the water was as still as glass and I wasn't feeling well so my connection to the site was more intellectual than emotional.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I hope we all take a moment this Friday to remember the day and the sacrifices so many made.

 

Thank you everyone who has posted...I can not wait to go to these sites!

[Cornishpastyman1]

I hope we all take a moment this Friday to remember the day and the sacrifices so many made.

 

And so say all of us, what a lovely sentiment. I only had 4 hours there a few years ago and seeing the massive media coverage in the build up to tomorrow has made me determined to go back. All the best for your trip there, Tony

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Edited June 5, 2014 by Cornishpastyman1