Remembering D-Day Part 1 Bayeux

My first visit to Paris was for only 5 days, which left me very little time to head out of the city to explore everything else that the country of France has to offer. As a big history fan, I’ve always wanted to visit Normandy. So on my second trip back to Paris, I made sure that was the focus of my trip!

I took an all day tour that may have been one of the most informative tours I have ever taken in my life. Some may have thought it was too much information for one day and while it was draining, the tour guide is what made it so amazing!

Due to the amount of information learned and experienced in this tour, I will be separating it into a few blogs over the next few weeks. For the first blog, I’d like to talk about where I stayed as a home base for the tour, Bayeux France.

Bayeux is a beautiful town in the Normandy region of France. It’s easily accessible by train which takes a little over 2 hours from Paris. This medieval town is home to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux and the Bayeux Tapestry. It was also the first city to be liberated in the Battle of Normandy.

Being from America, I always feel like I’m walking back in time when visiting Europe. There is something amazing about how things look and feel like they must have been thousands of years ago. Bayeux definitely had a very medieval vibe to me that just walking the streets transported me back in time.

Towering over the town of Bayeux is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux. This gothic style cathedral dates back to the 11th century and the times of William the Conqueror.

I recommend visiting the cathedral and to take some time to walk around inside.

I was lucky enough to have a beautiful view of the cathedral from my hotel room. It was a nice way to start and end each day by looking out the window at this beauty! I mean how peaceful does it look at night? What a great way to wind down from a busy fun day exploring.

Until 1793, the Bayeux Tapestry was displayed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux. Now it is located a short walk from the cathedral.

The Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England from the point of view of the conquering Normans.

The 70 metres long and 50 centimetres tall tapestry is behind glass and guests are given headphones to listen to the story as they walk along viewing the story on the tapestry.

It truly is an amazing site to see this tapestry that is still in great shape after 9 centuries!

The river Aure runs through Bayeux. There is a beautiful path along the river that makes for a great place for a run, take a relaxing stroll or to just sit and enjoy the world around you.

Bayeux is a great home base for all your adventures in Normandy and also a wonderful place to explore on it’s own.

Join me next week when I bring some of the stops on my Normandy tour to you.