![D Day Aviators](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/89/99/8999314260131e64421ec4fb3e1bb971/600x422.jpg)
Some people come to Normandy on an historic pilgrimage to Mont St. Michel, or to see the Bayeux tapestry, but for many of us Normandy is most closely associated in our historical minds with more recent events: Dunkirk and the D Day landings. There’s something very special about the solemnity of the cemeteries and memorials along this beautiful stretch of coastline, about their sheer scale, and the similarities between those who’re buried here and ourselves. And for many of us visiting these places is one of the main reasons to visit this idyllic region. So it’s not surprising that there are so many hotels, châteaux and B&Bs in this region that are able to offer something a bit special to those visitors wanting to visit the D Day beaches and their memorials. Some have their own artefacts, some have stories, and some just offer great local advice, but all of our 14 great hotels near Normandy’s D Day beaches are handpicked as especially great places to stay for you.
Where to Stay:
Today the famous 80km of beaches where the D-Day landings took place are just wide open stretches of sand. Fringed occasionally by a fishing village or seaside resort and of course the many memorials, museums and cemeteries commemorating that period. We recommend that you base yourself in Dunkirk, Le Havre, Cherbourg or Bayeux for easy access to all these sights. There are lots of small museums and memorials but in Bayeux you'll find the Commonwealth War Cemetery, the largest British Commonwealth wartime cemetery in France, home to the graves of 4,144 British dead, and the memorial for another 1,800 whose bodies were never recovered and the Bayeux Military Museum. In Caen is the Peace Museum.
For a D Day themed property
![D Day Aviators](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/2c/15/2c153217f5c9edf705a9ec0455339331/600x422.jpg)
- Just two houses away from the seafront in Arromanches les Bains, the D Day Aviators is a townhouse turned four room B&B. You can probably tell from the name what the theme is here, and they have an excellent collection of WW2 aeronautical artefacts, mostly displayed in the lounge like a mini-museum. The four bedrooms are only tied to the theme with their photographs, and are otherwise simple and elegant, with beautiful fireplaces and lighting, wood floors and a balanced use of chintz fabrics. There’s also a courtyard where they have two real propellors rescued from crash sites!
For a Château Hotel
![Chateau la Cheneviere](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/71/c1/71c1e324e453cfeda7969dd527fc9c21/600x422.jpg)
- Elegant and romantic, the Château la Cheneviere is an 18th century château just back from the coast at Omaha Beach. Offering all the luxury of a fine hotel, but in a château setting, these 29 large rooms and suites are decorated with the height of modern luxury in mind, and there’s a cocktail bar, a classical French restaurant, a heated pool and tennis courts. Plus you’re surrounded by the château’s beautiful gardens and parkland.
![Chateau la Ferriere](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/37/64/3764e94a356ee9af549ea72822466c61/600x422.jpg)
- The Château la Ferriere is less of a hotel, more the sort of place you come and imagine you’re paying a visit to well off friends with a country mansion! This is because it still feels very much like an elegant home, and there are just five rooms, individually styled with their own parquet and toile du jouy, chandeliers and drapes, antiques and busts. The location, just outside Bayeux, and set in beautiful grounds, helps too. There’s no restaurant, but they do offer breakfast.
![Chateau de Beneauville](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/ee/1b/ee1b106621660049d41c1262dc43f071/600x422.jpg)
- Between Caen and Sword Beach on the coast you’ll find the Château de Beneauville, a beautiful Renaissance property set in 50 acres of gardens and parkland. Inside it's brimming with elegant antiques, tapestries, oil paintings, traditional wallpapers, carved wood and stone fireplaces with open fires, and some notable French design and patterns in its five rooms. The location makes it perfect for explorers, historians and researchers. But it’s just as much a romantic hideaway. There’s no restaurant, but they do offer a Continental breakfast.
- Classically beautiful, with the kind of huge elegant windows and ornate iron and stonework that châteaux are known for, the Château d'Audrieu was built in a beautiful spot in the 18th century, and is surrounded by elegant grounds. These days there’s a pool and tennis courts too. Inside there are 29 rooms, varying in opulence, but all boasting original features, antiques and pretty patterns. The restaurant is gourmet, and you’re not far from the coast around Arromanches les Bains.
For a family friendly hotel
- Le Grand Hotel, Cabourg is a large, elegant hotel right on the seafront, in the tradition of grand seafront hotels. It has 70 rooms and suites, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, many with huge windows or private balconies overlooking the sea. Expect all the mod. cons. and a choice of restaurants and bars.
- If you’d like a bit more space to yourselves, Les Rochers, a lovingly restored, 16th century rustic feeling manor house, has a gîte, which is perfect for families wanting their own space. It’s also got a large duplex room, also great for families, and six totally modernised, airy rooms decorated with an eclectic mixture of art, furniture and finds. You’re surrounded by fields here, aside from the courtyard, which is perfect for badminton or pétanque. There’s no restaurant, but they can provide gourmet suppers on request.
![Le Manoir Herouville](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/61/19/6119ff66bb738857a43a2d0b72533fe1/600x422.jpg)
- Le Manoir Herouville also has a gîte, which sleeps five, and three of its four rooms also sleep four, so there are plenty of family options in this 18th century manor house conversion. The owners have managed to blend the manor’s original features. like uneven or exposed stone walls, exposed beams, vast fireplaces, tiled floors and even traditional farmhouse doors, with modern decor, and the effect is one of traditional, welcoming comfort. There’s a lot to do around here, and not too long a drive to the D Day beaches, Mont St. Michel and St Malo.
For a B&B
![Manoir Hastings](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/48/3c/483c984e37907961248da0647b1a9141/600x422.jpg)
- Just a short walk from Pegasus Bridge, the Manoir'Hastings is a 17th century farmhouse, now offering four guestrooms for B&B. The farmhouses’s interiors have ben totally refreshed, retaining some of the exposed stone walls and beams, but creating a collection of light airy rooms, and an elegant restaurant in the process. The restaurant is known for its exemplary French cuisine, so useful to know even if you’re not staying here.
- If you want to accompany your explorations of the D Day landing sites with a rural escape perfect for contemplation, the right choice for you might be the Manoir de Benerville, a striking property in a wonderful position offering views of the surrounding area. Quintessentially French in design, both inside and out, the Manoir’s five rooms have just the right amount of chintz, the lounge is very elegant and there’s a beautiful garden with a pool. This is an adult’s only hotel.
The Best Value Hotels Near the D Day Beaches
![La ferme de la gronde](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/c4/37/c437a19577386a3bfba5aed2bd661b01/original.jpg)
- Located just 10 minutes outside Bayeux, La Ferme de La Gronde is a charming farmhouse turned five room B&B. It’s wonderfully rustic, both outside and in, with exposed stone walls, beamed ceilings and tiled floors, all accessorised with traditional French chintz fabrics and classic furniture. As well as being affordable, and only a short drive from numerous D Day sites, this is a great property for families, for as well as the family sized suites, there’s also a huge garden with a playground.
![Ferme de la Ranconniere](https://www.thehotelguru.com/_images/78/16/781619a70692729823369d6f20746641/600x422.jpg)
- Ferme de la Ranconniere is a collection of four lovely old buildings, set in picturesque countryside, and combined to make a 35 room hotel complete with an atmospheric restaurant specialising in local delicacies, a tennis court, large grounds and some lovely courtyards and terraces. Inside there’s a traditional feel of exposed stone, and beams, pitched ceilings and tiled floors, and, as you can imagine, not many of the rooms and suites are alike. There’s plenty of family-sized options too, but we especially like it for the clever use of these four traditional charmers, and for the price.
Still not sure which to book?