Tours of Normandy from ParisThe D-Day Beaches: Which Ones to Visit and How to Get There from Paris
The Normandy D-Day beaches are the five stretches of coast where the landings of 6 June 1944 took place: Utah and Omaha for the Americans, Gold and Sword for the British, Juno for the Canadians. This guide explains what you actually find at each beach today, what it costs to enter the museums and memorials, and which tours from Paris stop where. The beaches sit around 263 to 286 km from Paris, so most people see them on a long day trip or a tour, and the honest answer is that one day from Paris covers two or three sites, not all five. The tours themselves are compared on Normandy day trip from Paris.
The Les Braves memorial on Omaha Beach. Photo: Jonovision82, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer The short answer
There are five D-Day beaches: Utah and Omaha (American), Gold and Sword (British) and Juno (Canadian). The beaches lie 263-286 km from Paris, so a day trip usually covers two or three sites plus the Normandy American Cemetery, not all five.
Key takeaways
- The full American sector in one long day: Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch at $142 covers Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the cemetery.
- Only one day trip continues east to Arromanches and Juno: D-Day Beaches and Arromanches Day Trip from Paris at $193.
- For the Canadian sector, see the Juno Beach small-group tour from Paris at $273.
- Going alone instead? Read Paris to Normandy by train first, because the bus season is short.
The Five D-Day Beaches, West to East
The landings of 6 June 1944 were spread along the Normandy coast. The beaches run west to east, American first, then British, then Canadian.
Utah Beach
Utah Beach is the westernmost of the five, the American landing beach. The main reason to come is the Utah Beach Landing Museum, built on the site of a former German strongpoint. Adult entry is €10 ($11.40).
The museum opens 9:30-19:00 from May to September and 10:00-18:00 from October to April. It holds a B-26 Marauder bomber, and the entry is included in the price of several tours from Paris. The beach itself is free and open, with monuments along the dunes.
Pointe Du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc sits on the cliff between Utah and Omaha. Entry and parking are free. The visitor centre opens 9:00-17:00 from 1 April to 30 September.
A restoration project runs through mid-2027, so parts of the site may be closed, but public access is kept open. The craters, the ruins of the German positions and the clifftop monument can be seen in under an hour, which is how the tours from Paris treat it, with stops of 20 minutes to one hour.
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the beach below the American Cemetery, where American forces met the fiercest resistance of the landings. The beach is free and public. The Les Braves memorial stands on the sand at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.
Above the beach at Colleville-sur-Mer is the Normandy American Cemetery, free to enter and open daily 9:00-17:00, closed 25 December and 1 January. Note that the path from the cemetery down to the beach has been closed since 2016, so the beach is reached from separate public access nearby.
Gold Beach and Arromanches
Gold Beach was the British landing sector, and its main town for visitors is Arromanches-les-Bains. The concrete Phoenix caissons of the Mulberry artificial harbour are still visible offshore, both from the beach and from the clifftop above the town. Arromanches is a working small town with places to eat, which is why the day trips that include it stop there for lunch.
No dedicated Gold Beach museum entry fee appears in our sources.
Juno Beach
Juno Beach was the Canadian landing sector at Courseulles-sur-Mer. The Juno Beach Centre is the museum here: €9 ($10.26) for the museum alone, €13.50 ($15.39) with the guided bunker tour. It closes on 1 January and 25 December.
A short drive inland, the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery holds 2,048 burials. Between Juno and the British sector, the German battery at Longues-sur-Mer survives with its guns still in place, and some minivan tours stop there for 30 minutes.
Sources: ABMC, Normandy American Cemetery, ABMC, Pointe du Hoc
Which D-Day Beach Should You Visit
You cannot see all five properly in a day from Paris, so the choice comes down to which sector matters to you.
If Your Interest Is the American Story
Choose Utah, Omaha and Pointe du Hoc, with the Normandy American Cemetery above Omaha. This is what the majority of tours from Paris cover, because the sites sit close together and the combination is the strongest single day. The cemetery holds 9,389 American war dead, with 1,557 names on the Walls of the Missing, on a 172.5-acre site.
The flag-lowering ceremony takes place one hour before closing. All of this is free to enter, so what you are paying a tour for is the transport and the guide.
If Your Interest Is the British and Canadian Story
Choose Arromanches and Gold Beach for the Mulberry harbour remains, and Juno Beach for the Juno Beach Centre and the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery with its 2,048 burials. Very few day trips from Paris reach this far east in a single day. The one that does is D-Day Beaches and Arromanches Day Trip from Paris, which spends 45 minutes at Juno Beach after a lunch stop in Arromanches.
For the Canadian sector in depth, the Canadian D-Day Juno Beach Small-Group Tour from Paris is the dedicated option.
The Honest Constraint
From Paris, the drive to the beaches is around three hours each way with no traffic, and tour operators budget more in practice. That leaves roughly five to seven hours on the ground in a 12-15 hour day. In that window a coach tour manages two or three sites plus the cemetery.
Seeing all five beaches, the museums and both cemeteries properly takes two days, which is what a 2 day trip to Normandy from Paris is for.
Which Tours from Paris Stop at Which Beaches
The table below compares the day trips from Paris on this site by sector, the sites visited and the price, using the figures published on each tour listing. Read it alongside the fact that entry to the beaches, Pointe du Hoc and the American Cemetery is free, so the museum entries and lunch are what differ. Prices are the tour prices only.
| Tour | Sector | Beach stops | Also included | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our pick Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch | American | Utah Beach (30 min), Pointe du Hoc (1 h), Omaha Beach (30 min) | American Cemetery 75 min, Utah Beach Museum entry, 2-course lunch with cider | $142 | Check Availability Details |
| Small-Group D-Day Landing Beaches Tour | American and British | Omaha Beach (30 min), Pointe du Hoc (45 min), Longues-sur-Mer battery (30 min) | Overlord Museum, American Cemetery 45 min, tasting stop, lunch stop (food not included) | $302 | Check Availability Details |
| Omaha and Utah Beach Tour with Lunch | American | Utah Beach (museum 75 min), Pointe du Hoc (20 min), Omaha Beach (25 min) | American Cemetery 30 min, sit-down lunch, pre-reserved museum entry | $129 | Check Availability Details |
| D-Day Beaches and Arromanches Day Trip | American, British and Canadian | Pointe du Hoc (1 h), Omaha Beach (30 min), Juno Beach (45 min) | American Cemetery 1 h, lunch in Arromanches on the lunch option | $193 | Check Availability Details |
| Canadian D-Day Juno Beach Small-Group Tour | Canadian | Juno Beach and the Juno Beach Centre | Bény-sur-Mer Canadian Cemetery, Hell's Corner, Abbaye d'Ardenne, entrance fees included | $273 | Check Availability Details |
| Omaha Beach and Mont-Saint-Michel Day Trip | American (brief) | Omaha Beach (15 min), Pointe du Hoc (25 min) | 2 hours at Mont-Saint-Michel, abbey ticket only on the ticket option | $231 | Check Availability Details |
| Private Mont-Saint-Michel and D-Day Day Trip | American | Omaha Beach | Overlord Museum, American Cemetery 1 h, Mont-Saint-Michel 15:00-18:00, hotel pickup, all site fees | $518 | Check Availability Details |
| 3-Day Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel and Loire Tour | American and British | Omaha Beach, Arromanches | Rouen, Honfleur, Mont-Saint-Michel, three Loire châteaux, 2 hotel nights, dinner in Caen | $952 | Check Availability Details |
What the Tour Prices Do and Do Not Include
Entry to the beaches, to Pointe du Hoc and to the Normandy American Cemetery costs nothing. The differences between the tours are group size, transport, food and museum entries.
Included and Not Included
On the coach tours, the Utah Beach Museum entry is included on Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch at $142 and pre-reserved on Omaha and Utah Beach Tour from Paris with Lunch at $129, and both carry a sit-down lunch. The small-group D-Day Landing Beaches Small-Group Tour from Paris at $302 includes the Overlord Museum but only stops for lunch, with food not included. On D-Day Beaches and Arromanches Day Trip from Paris at $193 no entry fees are stated, and lunch is included only on the lunch option.
None of the D-Day tours offer hotel pickup except the private Mont-Saint-Michel and D-Day day trip, which collects you at your hotel at 7:30.
Closures and Seasons That Affect Your Plan
Pointe du Hoc is under restoration through mid-2027, so parts of the site may be fenced off, though the site stays open. The cemetery closes on 25 December and 1 January. The Juno Beach Centre closes on the same two days.
If you travel independently, Nomad bus line 120 from Bayeux to Colleville-sur-Mer and Grandcamp-Maisy runs only one round trip a day, Monday to Saturday, and only from 20 April to 5 November, and no public transport reaches Pointe du Hoc. The D-Day anniversary commemorations around 4-7 June jam the roads between Caen, Bayeux, Arromanches and the beaches, and the cemetery ceremony is by invitation only. For season choice more broadly, see the best time to visit Normandy.
Where the Figures Come from
Museum prices come from the operators' own pages: €10 ($11.40) at the Utah Beach Landing Museum, €9 ($10.26) or €13.50 ($15.39) at the Juno Beach Centre. Tour prices come from the listings on this site. Cemetery figures come from the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Inside the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer. Photo: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Normandy American Cemetery Above Omaha
Almost every D-Day day trip from Paris ends here, and it is the site that stays with people longest.
What You Find
The cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer sits on the cliff directly above Omaha Beach. Entry is free. It holds 9,389 American war dead, with 1,557 names on the Walls of the Missing, across 172.5 acres.
It is open daily 9:00-17:00 and closes on 25 December and 1 January. The flag-lowering ceremony, held one hour before closing, is worth planning your visit around. Note that the path from the cemetery down to the beach has been closed to the public since 2016, so if you want to stand on the sand, use the separate public access nearby.
The tours give it between 30 and 75 minutes. For the site in depth, including how to visit it on your own, see our guide to the Normandy American Cemetery.
Getting to the D-Day Beaches from Paris
The beaches have no train station, which is the single fact that shapes every trip from Paris.
By Tour
A tour solves the transport problem in one booking. Coach tours such as Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch take up to 50 people and cost from $129 to $193. Minivan tours such as the small-group D-Day tour take up to 8, add the Longues-sur-Mer battery, and cost more.
Expect a 12 to 15 hour day door to door, with departure from a fixed meeting point in Paris in the morning. Hotel pickup is not offered on the group tours.
Independently
By car, a routing engine gives 286.2 km and about 3 h 21 from Paris to the cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, and 263.0 km and about 3 h 02 to Bayeux. By train, Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux takes about 2 h 58 on average, fastest 2 h 12, with about 14 trains a day. From Bayeux the problem begins: bus line 120 runs once a day, Monday to Saturday, only from 20 April to 5 November, and Pointe du Hoc has no public transport at all.
Without a car, a tour or a local guide from Bayeux is the practical answer.
Which D-Day Day Is Right for You
Four honest routes through the choice, based on what each tour actually covers.
If You want the American sector in one day, with lunch, at the lowest coach price
Take Omaha and Utah Beach Tour from Paris with Lunch at $129, which includes the Utah Beach Museum and a sit-down lunch.
If You want the fullest American-sector itinerary, including 75 minutes at the cemetery
Take Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch at $142, the most reviewed D-Day coach from Paris.
If You want a small group, a driver-guide and the Longues-sur-Mer battery
Take the D-Day Landing Beaches Small-Group Tour from Paris at $302, up to 8 people, though children under 7 are not accepted and lunch is at your own cost.
If You want to see more than the American sector, including Arromanches and Juno
Take D-Day Beaches and Arromanches Day Trip from Paris at $193, the only day trip that reaches the British and Canadian beaches, or the dedicated Juno Beach small-group tour at $273 if the Canadian story is your focus.
Questions About the D-Day Beaches
What are the five beaches of D-Day?
Utah and Omaha for the Americans, Gold and Sword for the British, and Juno for the Canadians, all landed on 6 June 1944. Our guide to which D-Day beach to visit explains what you find at each today.
Which D-Day beach is best to visit from Paris?
For most visitors from Paris, Omaha Beach with the Normandy American Cemetery above it, plus Pointe du Hoc and the Utah Beach Landing Museum, is the strongest single day, and it is what the D-Day beaches day trip with lunch covers at $142.
Can you see all five D-Day beaches in one day from Paris?
Not properly. The drive is around three hours each way, so a day trip manages two or three sites plus the cemetery. The widest single-day itinerary is the D-Day Beaches and Arromanches tour, which reaches Juno Beach after the American sites.
How much does it cost to visit the D-Day beaches?
The beaches, Pointe du Hoc and the Normandy American Cemetery are free. The paid sites are the Utah Beach Landing Museum at €10 ($11.40) and the Juno Beach Centre at €9 ($10.26), or €13.50 ($15.39) with the bunker tour. Tour prices start at $129 for Omaha and Utah Beach Tour from Paris with Lunch.
Is Pointe du Hoc open?
Yes, entry is free and public access is kept open, but a restoration project runs through mid-2027 so parts of the site may be closed. The visitor centre opens 9:00-17:00 from 1 April to 30 September. It is included in Normandy D-Day Beaches Day Trip from Paris with Lunch with a one-hour stop.
Is there a train to the D-Day beaches?
No station serves the beaches or the cemetery. The nearest useful station is Bayeux, about 2 h 58 from Paris Saint-Lazare on average, then a single daily bus on line 120 from 20 April to 5 November. The full picture is in Paris to Normandy by train.
Where are the Canadian D-Day beaches and what is there to see?
Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer, with the Juno Beach Centre museum and the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery holding 2,048 burials nearby. The dedicated visit from Paris is the Canadian D-Day Juno Beach small-group tour at $273.