D-Day Beaches Bike Tour from Caen

Day 1: Arrival in Caen
Your journey begins in Caen, with its small harbour in the middle of town, its castle of the Dukes of Normandy and its imposing double monastery: the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and the Abbaye-aux-Dames.

Day 2: Caen – Bayeux (40 km; +330 m)
On your first stage, you will leave Caen for the Caen Memorial, a museum dedicated to the Battle of Normandy, 20th-century history and peace. You will continue to the Château de Fontaine-Henry, a magnificent Renaissance property that has remained in the same family for 800 years and boasts some of the highest castle roofs in France. Small bocage roads will carry you through the Seulles valley and its livestock farming country to Bayeux, where you will wander narrow streets lined with stately merchant houses and admire the Romanesque Cathedral of Notre-Dame.

Day 3: Excursion to Omaha Beach (55 km, option Pointe du Hoc +15 km; +385 m, option +90 m)
You will ride to Vierville-sur-Mer and Omaha Beach, often called "Bloody Omaha" because the Allies suffered their heaviest losses here. At the top of the cliff, the American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks the beach: rows of headstones, emerald grass and the ever-present sea create a sense of peace and serenity. You will return to Bayeux, with an optional visit to the Overlord Museum. You can extend the circuit to the 30-metre cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, where traces of the shellfire from the Allied ships can still be seen in the fields.

Day 4: Bayeux – Courseulles-sur-Mer (35 km; +220 m)
You will head to Longues-sur-Mer and its impressive German defensive battery, then on to Gold Beach and Arromanches, where the remains of the enormous artificial harbour built on Winston Churchill's orders still stand. Arromanches 360°, a circular cinema, retraces the history of the Battle of Normandy. Little lanes between hedged fields, the "bocage", will lead you to Courseulles-sur-Mer and its picturesque fishing harbour.

Day 5: Courseulles-sur-Mer – Caen (35 km; +100 m)
You will cycle along Juno Beach and Sword Beach, through small coastal villages and past fine sandy beaches, to the port of Ouistreham. You can visit the museum of No. 4 Commando, devoted to the landing of the Franco-British forces, or follow the bike path along the Caen canal to Pegasus Bridge, scene of a significant British victory in 1944. You will enjoy Caen one last time, with its lively port and impressive abbeys.

Day 6: Departure
Your tour ends in Caen; you will depart during the day.