What to do and see in Manche, Normandy: The Best History Museums

Discover D-Day Experience and its different areas made up of :  two museums,  an immersive and one of a kind attraction in the wolrd  a memorial dedicated to the airborne troops»  and a gift shop Set in the heart of a historical place, the site spans across 10,000 m2, thus inviting you to live an amazing experience that combines both educational and entertainment learning. Our site includes two museums dedicated to the airborne troops who fought during World War II, an airborne wall and two shops (militaria and gift shop). You can extend your visit with the historical route to retrace the steps of the men of the 101st division.

The Airborne Museum, situated in the square of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, a few miles from D-Day landing beaches, facing the church where John Steele famously was caught, relates the heroic adventure of paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division. Through a spectacular museography, the Airborne Museum takes you through the D-Day alongside American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division. From the invasion preparations in England through the battles for liberation, meet the Airborne troops and accompany them on their journey to Victory.

DISCOVER THE BAY AND ITS ECO-MUSEUM A meeting with nature’s World Heritage For thousands of years, man has lived in and used the Mont-Saint-Michel Bay. This bay, with its extensive, continually changing landscape, holds an extraordinary biological richness. In its centre, three small rocks have emerged from its depths, dating from very ancient geological periods: the Mont, Tombelaine and Mont Dol. This unique area of land, in which bird, fish and marine mammal populations live with the strongest tides in the world, is listed as a “Major site in France” and has been classified as World Heritage by UNESCO. AN ECO-MUSEUM WHICH EXPLAINS MAN, NATURE AND LANDSCAPES Situated right on the edge of this vastness, the ‘Ecomusée de la Baie” is an interpretive centre where you discover the workings of the Bay’s natural environment, the way man has used this very special area for centuries, and the evolution of its landscapes through the ages.

Come and visit La Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg, a family attraction all about man’s adventures under the sea, and a must when you are in Normandy. You can spend the whole day here and go round “Titanic, return to Cherbourg”, an exhibition which has its like nowhere else in France. It is on the theme of the celebrated liner, but also on emigration. You will also be able to listen to the Captain of Le Redoutable telling you about his life on board the largest submarine open to the public in the world. Then you will gaze in awe at our 17 aquariums, including the magical, 11-metre-deep, Abyssal Aquarium.

This museum examines the significance of the Battle of Normandy.