Bayeux Things to Do

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I have read every book I could about the Normandy invasion. I am better than average with a map. So I felt well prepared to find my own way as I toured Normandy. After just a few hours it became clear that I was going to miss many of the things that I wanted to see because Normandy I huge and the places that I really wanted to see were small and very specific. Add the kicker that many sites are privately held and restricted to guided tours. So I luckily found a great guide in Dale Booth.

He was smart, very well prepared, approachable, super knowledgeable and energetic. He draws on a life time of study, personal contact with many veterans of Normandy and years of guiding experience. I used him for two days and was very satisfied. He took me to many sites that I would simply been unable to find. He quickly and expertly put things into context and filled in details with accurate information. He was very approachable and welcomed any and all questions.

I am a bit of a cheepo and it was hard to part with the guide fee. In retrospect I have no regrets. I know that I had a much more meaning full time in Normandy because of using this guide.

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The famous Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of an event that changed the course of history back in the 11th Century. It is housed in the Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux and is well worth a visit.

The tapestry is in fact "an embroidery made from wool on linen canvas" and is 70metres long and 50cm high. It tells the story of how and why the Norman, Willliam the Conqueror, invaded and defeated England in 1066.

A visit to the museum commences with a look at a replica of the tapestry, with a full written explanation of the events portrayed in it. There is then a film you can also watch. After that you can see the actual tapestry, which you view whilst listening to an audio guide, explaining the events again.

There is too much information given…..if you are short on time, or don't want information repeated, you could skip the replica tapestry, and move straight on to the real thing.

It is pretty impressive though, and was nothing like I was expecting. Cost in June 2006 was 7.60euro per adult.

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Located not far from the Tapestry Museum is the impressive Cathedrale Notre Dame.

Dating from the 13th century its spectacular Norman Gothic architecture made sure we didn't miss when we drove into town. The tall central tower was added in the 15th Century.

The inside of the Cathedral is serene and has some beautiful stained glass windows. Make sure you stick your head in and take a moment for quiet reflection.

Free admission

Bayeux, one of many smaller towns in the Normandy, is famous for the so-called "Tapestry of Bayeux". This piece of linen shows the story of William the Conqueror and the battle of Hastings after which he became King of England. It is considered as one of the most important documents of its time and has a length of 70 meters. Unfortunately, the last piece of the tapestry got lost. It is said that the tapestry was made after an order from Williams half-brother Odon, bishop of Bayeux. The tapestry was to be shown in the cathedral of the town, but after a dispute between Odon and William, the plans were dropped and it was never placed there. In the 18th century, it was said that the tapestry was made by Queen Mathilde, William's wife. Nowadays, this is regarded as false.

You will found the tapestry in the Centre Gillaume le Conquerant (William the Conqueror center). There, you will find different exhibitions about the tapestry, the background of its history and the Normans in general. The information you get about the scenes and their details on the tapestry (58 in total) is very good and abundant. The entrance fee (7,50 EUR / 3,00 EUR for students and children) includes an audioguide which is offered in 11 languages. Please calculate around an hour for it and an additional one for the rest of the center!

The tapestry itself is located in a dark room, so that I don’t have any photos of it. The picture shows the place in the Cathedral (just around 200 m away from the Centre Gillaume le Conquerant) where the tapestry was supposed to be.

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This Cathedral was consecrated in 1077 by Odon of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror, although construction works continued well into the 13th century. Some windows show traces of rayonnant and flamboyant gothic, older elements of the church are even in romanic style.

There is a possibility to visit the crypt too. For that, please contact the Musee Baron Gerard under the phone number given below.

It is said that the tapestry was to be shown in the Cathedral but it was not after a dispute between Odon and William. Anyway, it is also a few meters longer than the place thought for it.

"Mulberries" are artificial harbors created at Arromanches (Gold Beach) and St Laurent (Omaha Beach). These artificial harbors were conceived because the Germans knew the Allies would need a deep-water port to move troops and supplies inland... therefore, the Germans heavily defended all of the major ports. The Mulberries were constructed by the Allies to allow them to attack less defended areas, then create artificial harbors to enable movement of the critical wartime supplies as needed. The Mulberries consisted of sunken ships and concrete blocks to act as breakwaters, along with floating piers for unloading the ships.

Parts of the Mulberry at Arromanches are still visible in the water around the town.

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The center of Bayeux is Bisected with a canal. All along it’s edge there are wonderful paths. It is traffic free and is very peaceful. There are parks, gardens and benches all along the way. There are some old mill works to view. It is ripe with romance and photographic opportunity.

So get out and walk about during your stay. It will be one of the highlights of your stay.

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We were renting an apartment south of Caen and our landlady told us not to miss the market in Bayeux on Saturday morning. It was her favorite. So Saturday morning we dutifully breakfasted and drove to Bayeux. It was not hard to find the market. We simply went the opposite direction of all the people carrying away bags of various things.

The market was wonderful. They had fresh produce, wonderful cheeses, flowers, clothes, table linens, furniture and people all over the place. Our apartment came with a gardener who delivered fresh produce so we limited ourselves to cheeses at the market. We hadn't intended to buy anything but as we walked by one cheese monger, she cheerfully asked if we knew what a certain cheese tasted like. We answered, no, so she insisted we must try it for the experience. Well . . . it was so good we bought some of that and then slices of several others. Normandy is a great place to explore cheese!