By the Normandy Private Tours team, Le Havre · Last updated: October 2026
The five D-Day beaches are Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. They run along about 80 km (50 miles) of the Normandy coast, from the Cotentin Peninsula in the west to Ouistreham in the east. One full day covers the American sector. Seeing all five takes two to three days.
This guide explains what happened at each beach, what you can see there today, how long to allow and how to get there. If you would rather visit with a driver and a local guide, see our private D-Day beaches tour.
Key facts
- Date of the landings: 6 June 1944
- Beaches, west to east: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword
- Length of the landing front: about 80 km (50 miles)
- Best base: Bayeux or Caen
- Time needed: 1 day for the American sector, 2 to 3 days for all five beaches
- Cost: the beaches, the Normandy American Cemetery and Pointe du Hoc are free; museums charge an entry fee
The Five D-Day Beaches at a Glance
| Beach | Who landed | What to see today | Nearest base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | United States (4th Infantry Division) | Utah Beach Landing Museum, Sainte-Mère-Église, Airborne Museum | Bayeux (about 50 min) |
| Omaha | United States (1st and 29th Infantry Divisions) | The beach and Les Braves memorial, Normandy American Cemetery, Overlord Museum | Bayeux (about 25 min) |
| Gold | United Kingdom (50th Infantry Division) | Arromanches and the Mulberry harbour remains, British Normandy Memorial, Longues-sur-Mer battery | Bayeux (about 20 min) |
| Juno | Canada (3rd Canadian Infantry Division) | Juno Beach Centre, Canada House, Canadian War Cemetery | Caen or Bayeux (about 30 min) |
| Sword | United Kingdom (3rd Infantry Division) | Ouistreham, Pegasus Bridge and its museum | Caen (about 20 min) |
Pointe du Hoc is not one of the five beaches. It is a cliff-top battery between Utah and Omaha, and it is one of the most visited D-Day sites.
What Happened on 6 June 1944
On 6 June 1944 the Allies landed in German-occupied France in the largest seaborne invasion in history. According to the National WWII Museum, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed that day, supported by more than 7,000 naval vessels and about 12,000 aircraft. Some 23,400 airborne troops jumped or landed by glider behind the beaches during the night.
The Allies suffered more than 10,300 casualties on D-Day, about 2,400 of them on Omaha Beach. The museum notes that D-Day figures are estimates and that sources differ. By the end of June, more than 850,000 troops had come ashore across the Normandy beaches. The landings opened the campaign that liberated Western Europe.
What to See at Each D-Day Beach
The sites below run from west to east, which is the order most visitors follow.
Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église
Utah is the westernmost beach. The US 4th Infantry Division landed here and took the lightest losses of the five beaches. The Utah Beach Landing Museum stands on the dunes at the landing site.
Sainte-Mère-Église is about 15 minutes inland. American paratroopers liberated the town in the early hours of D-Day. A parachute and a figure hang from the church tower in memory of paratrooper John Steele, whose parachute caught on the steeple. The Airborne Museum is across the square.
Allow: half a day for the beach and museum, a full day with Sainte-Mère-Église.
Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is a headland between Utah and Omaha. On D-Day, 225 US Army Rangers of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder, climbed its 100-foot (30 m) cliffs to silence a German gun battery. The guns had been moved inland. The Rangers found and destroyed them, then held the position for two days. Only about 90 were still able to fight when they were relieved on 8 June.
The ground is still covered in bomb craters and broken bunkers, which makes this the place where the battle is easiest to picture. A granite monument in the shape of a dagger stands on the German observation bunker.
Good to know for 2026 and 2027: the American Battle Monuments Commission started an 18-month restoration on 17 February 2026. The site remains open, with temporary closures and changed access in some areas.
Allow: 1 hour. Cost: free.
Omaha Beach
Omaha was the hardest-fought beach. The US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions landed under heavy fire from the bluffs above. More than 34,000 Americans came ashore here on 6 June, and about 2,400 became casualties.
Today it is a wide, quiet beach. Most visitors stop at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer to see Les Braves, the steel sculpture on the sand, and the memorial behind it. The Overlord Museum is nearby at Colleville-sur-Mer.
Allow: 45 minutes to 1 hour for the beach.
Normandy American Cemetery
The Normandy American Cemetery stands on the bluff above Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-Mer. It holds 9,389 graves, and the Walls of the Missing carry another 1,557 names. The grounds cover 172.5 acres and were dedicated in 1956.
The cemetery is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except 25 December and 1 January. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Entry is free and no booking is needed. The flag-lowering ceremony takes place one hour before closing. The visitor center tells the stories of individual soldiers and is worth 30 to 45 minutes.
The path from the cemetery down to the beach has been closed to the public since 2016, so visit the beach separately by road.
Allow: 1.5 to 2 hours. Cost: free.
Gold Beach and Arromanches
The British 50th Infantry Division landed at Gold Beach. The main stop is Arromanches-les-Bains, where the Allies built an artificial port, the Mulberry harbour, to bring supplies ashore. Its concrete sections still sit in the bay and are easiest to see at low tide. The D-Day Museum at Arromanches (Musée du Débarquement) explains how the harbour worked.
Two more sites are close by:
- British Normandy Memorial, Ver-sur-Mer. Inaugurated on 6 June 2021, it overlooks Gold Beach and records the names of 22,442 men and women who died under British command on D-Day and in the Battle of Normandy.
- Longues-sur-Mer battery. A German coastal battery where the guns are still in their concrete casemates.
Allow: half a day.
Juno Beach
Juno was the Canadian beach. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade landed here. The Juno Beach Centre records that 340 Canadians were killed and 574 wounded on D-Day.
The Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer is Canada’s museum on the landing beaches. Canada House at Bernières-sur-Mer is one of the first houses liberated on the beach. The Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer is a few kilometres inland.
Allow: 2 to 3 hours.
Sword Beach and Pegasus Bridge
Sword is the easternmost beach, near Ouistreham. The British 3rd Infantry Division landed here, together with French commandos.
Pegasus Bridge, at Bénouville, is a few minutes inland. British glider troops led by Major John Howard captured it shortly after midnight, hours before the beach landings, to protect the eastern edge of the invasion. The original bridge is kept in the grounds of the Pegasus Memorial museum next to the canal.
Allow: 2 to 3 hours.
Museums and Cemeteries Worth Adding
- Caen Memorial Museum (Mémorial de Caen). The widest view of the war, from its causes to the Cold War. Allow at least half a day.
- Overlord Museum, Colleville-sur-Mer. Vehicles and equipment from the landings, close to Omaha Beach.
- Airborne Museum, Sainte-Mère-Église. The story of the American paratroopers.
- Bayeux War Cemetery. The largest Commonwealth cemetery of the Second World War in France.
- La Cambe German War Cemetery. More than 21,000 German soldiers are buried here, between Omaha and Utah.
How Long Do You Need?
| Time | What you can see |
|---|---|
| 1 day | The American sector: Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Normandy American Cemetery |
| 2 days | Day 1 as above. Day 2: either Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église, or Gold, Juno and Sword |
| 3 days | All five beaches, Pointe du Hoc, two or three museums and the Caen Memorial |
Most first-time visitors choose the one-day American sector. If you have family history with the Canadian or British forces, plan your day around Juno, Gold and Sword instead. For longer stays, see our custom and multi-day tours.
How to Get to the D-Day Beaches
From Bayeux or Caen
Bayeux and Caen are the two closest towns with hotels and train stations. Trains from Paris reach both, but there is very little public transport on to the beaches, so you need a car or a tour with transport.
| Site | From Bayeux | From Caen |
|---|---|---|
| Utah Beach | about 50 min | about 1 h |
| Pointe du Hoc | about 30 min | about 50 min |
| Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery | about 25 min | about 40 min |
| Arromanches (Gold Beach) | about 20 min | about 40 min |
| Juno Beach (Courseulles-sur-Mer) | about 30 min | about 30 min |
| Sword Beach (Ouistreham) | about 40 min | about 20 min |
Drive times are approximate, by car in normal traffic. Driving the whole coast from Utah Beach to Sword Beach without stopping takes about an hour and a half.
From Le Havre cruise port
Omaha Beach is about 1 hour 45 minutes by road from the Le Havre cruise terminal. That is enough for the American sector on a port day. See our shore excursions from Le Havre.
From Paris
The drive from Paris is roughly three hours each way, so a day trip covers the American sector only. See the D-Day beaches day trip from Paris and our guide to planning a Paris to Normandy day trip.
Guided or Self-Guided?
You can visit every site in this guide on your own. Entry to the beaches, the American Cemetery and Pointe du Hoc is free, and the main sites have information panels in English.
A guide adds what the panels cannot: where each unit landed, why the bluffs at Omaha were so hard to take, and the stories behind individual graves. A guide also handles the driving and the timing, which matters most on a port day or a day trip from Paris.
How we plan the day. On our own tours the order is Pointe du Hoc first, then lunch near Omaha Beach, then the beach, with the Normandy American Cemetery last. Pointe du Hoc has the roughest ground of the three stops, so starting there means you walk it before lunch and not at the end of the day. Ending at the cemetery puts you there in the afternoon, and the flag is lowered one hour before closing. If you are driving yourself, the same order works well.
Practical Tips for Your Visit
- Start early. The American Cemetery closes at 5 p.m. and the sites are busiest from late morning.
- Avoid 5 to 7 June unless you are coming for the anniversary. Roads close for ceremonies and the sites are very crowded.
- Wear walking shoes. The ground at Pointe du Hoc is uneven, with craters, grass paths and bunker steps.
- Bring a windproof jacket. The coast is exposed and the weather changes quickly, even in summer.
- Check the tide for Arromanches. The Mulberry harbour remains are clearest at low tide.
- Respect the cemeteries. They are burial grounds. Keep voices low and stay off the graves.
- Check opening times before you go. Museum hours change by season, so look at each museum’s official site.
Visit the D-Day Beaches with a Local Guide
Our private D-Day tour covers Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery in one day, with a local guide at the beaches. Pick-up is free from Le Havre, Honfleur, Rouen, Caen and Bayeux. The Canadian or British sector can replace the standard route on request.
See the private D-Day beaches tour or contact us to plan a different route.
FAQ
What are the five D-Day beaches in Normandy?
The five D-Day beaches are Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. American forces landed at Utah and Omaha, British forces at Gold and Sword, and Canadian forces at Juno. Together they cover about 80 km (50 miles) of the Normandy coast.
Which D-Day beach should I visit if I only have time for one?
Choose Omaha Beach. It sits beside the Normandy American Cemetery and is a short drive from Pointe du Hoc, so one area covers the beach, the cemetery and a preserved battlefield in a single day.
How many days do you need to see the D-Day beaches?
One full day covers the American sector: Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. Two days let you add Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église or the British and Canadian beaches. Three days cover all five beaches with time for museums.
Is it free to visit the D-Day beaches?
Yes. The beaches are public and free. The Normandy American Cemetery and Pointe du Hoc are also free and need no booking. Museums charge an entry fee, so check each museum’s official site for current prices.
Do you need a car to visit the D-Day beaches?
In practice, yes. Trains reach Bayeux and Caen, but the beaches, cemeteries and museums are spread along about 80 km of coast with little public transport between them. Most visitors hire a car or book a tour with transport.
