Discover Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the first town liberated by the Allies near Utah Beach. June 1944 left many traces on this ctown whose heritage bears the scars of the battles of the WW2. Today many sites testify to this significant episode of the Battle of Normandy and pay tribute to the liberators.
Don't miss: the Airborne Museum
Stay: Saint Mere Eglise Hotel
Eat: Les Curies restaurant
Take the N13 to Ecauseville (10 min drive from Sainte-Mère-Eglise)
Don't miss: the unique Airship Hangar
The hangar was built by the French Navy to house the airships used to escort convoys and locate submarines and mines during the First World War. After this first crucial period, the Hangar served in turn as a Navy artillery school, logistics for the Germans and a huge repair garage for American vehicles. All these occupants left numerous and remarkable graffiti there. He will know a 3rd war, the cold war from 1967 to 1969, for the construction of balloons for nuclear tests. Unique in the world, this immense construction can be visited in 3 stages: first, the museum explaining its history as well as an exhibition on the Battle of Montebourg in 1944, an explanatory film and a visit of the hangar, where you can spread your wings and fly a quirky Aéroplume!
Catch the N13 again to Montebourg then take the D42: 3rd stop Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue (30 min drive from Ecauseville)
On June 27, 2019, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue was officially crowned France’s Favourite Village. The media impact was huge for this authentic fishing village, whose 2 Vauban towers are UNESCO-listed. From the port of Saint-Vaast, you can reach the small island of Tatihou, by foot at low tide or by catching an amphibious craft at high tide!
Don’t miss: Tatihou Island and the Vauban Forts
The museum on Tatihou Island was built to preserve and enhance the archaeological furniture from the wrecks of the Battle of La Hougue (1692). Its collections have since expanded to the fields of ethnology and the history of coastal life and Fine Arts (17th-19th century marine paintings)
Stay: Les Fuchsias Hotel
Eat: Restaurant Le Panoramique
Shop: the famous ‘Maison Gosselin’ and its impressive cellar
Drink: Le Goéland 1951, one of Normandy’s best beach bars
Take D911 to Cherbourg (40 min drive from Barfleur)
Cherbourg was considered by Vauban as one of the two “keys to the kingdom”. It has become, through colossal maritime development works, a first-rate military port. The only continental stopover of the Titanic in 1912, Cherbourg was the second French port of embarkation for the New World in 1929, and still welcomes the largest ocean liners in the world today. A city of history and culture, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin has an architectural heritage marked by Queen Mathilde, Vauban, Napoleon and the 1930s. The former transatlantic station, an Art-Deco masterpiece, now houses La Cité de la Mer, a huge sea life centre that traces the adventure of man and the sea.
Don't miss: the Cité de la mer, crowned ‘France’s Favourite Monument’ in 2022
Stay: Hotel Mercure Cherbourg Centre Port / Landemer Hotel
Eat: Le Plouc 2 Restaurant
Take D900 to Sotorsville (30 min drive from Cherbourg)
Don’t miss : La Maison du Biscuit One of the last traditional biscuit makers in Normandy, perpetuating family history since 1903. The specialty and best-seller is the heavenly financier cake. Taste all their delicacies and stroll around the welcoming shop with its old-fashioned decor, boasting over 7,000 gourmet products. You can also take a delicious break in the English tearoom.
Take D902 to Barneville-Cateret (10 min drive from Sotorsville)
