The caissons of the Mulberry harbour still break the surface of the bay: Arromanches is fifteen minutes from your cottage.
In June 1944, the Allies towed an entire harbour across from England to supply the front: six kilometres of breakwaters, six-thousand-tonne concrete caissons, floating pontoons. Eighty years later, the remains are still there, visible from the beach and above all from the cliff. The town can be visited in half a day, museum included.
The coast road passes the Longues batteries: you can combine both visits in the same morning.
At low tide, you can walk out to the stranded caissons. The cliff car park, to the east, offers the best overall view.
Check the tide times before you set off: at low tide, you can get close to the stranded caissons. The cliff car park offers the best overall view.
A hundred and fifteen Phoenix caissons sunk in an arc, around thirty of them still visible. From the viewpoint indicator, you grasp the scale of the work at a glance: a harbour the size of Dover, built in twelve days.
Reopened in 2023 in a new building facing the sea, it tells the story of the Mulberry harbour with animated models and archive films. An hour is enough, and it's the best introduction for children.
On the cliff, nine circular screens show "The 100 Days of Normandy": nineteen minutes of archive footage, with no commentary. Gripping.
Between visits, the beach at Arromanches is still a beach: beach huts, terraces, kites and a view of the caissons. The best place to catch your breath.
5-star cottages and a 2,020 m² heated water park, in Port-en-Bessin facing the Channel.
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