Caen-Ouistreham France
19
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Azamara Club Cruises (11 Cruises)
Azamara Quest
10 Cruises
Ponant (4 Cruises)
SeaDream Yacht Club (2 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
At the Caen quays, after an unusual approach: fifteen kilometres of canal between the sea and Norman meadows, an hour and a half of quiet gliding from the Ouistreham locks. The terminal is within walking distance of the centre.
The ship passes Pegasus Bridge, the lifting bridge that became legendary on the night of 6 June 1944, when British gliders landed beside it in silence. Here, history is not scenery: it is everywhere.
One of the largest fortified enclosures in Europe, founded around 1060 by William, Duke of Normandy and soon King of England. The ramparts are freely open and overlook the rebuilt rooftops; inside, the Museum of Normandy and the Museum of Fine Arts occupy the former ducal buildings. Allow twenty minutes' walk from the terminal.
The Abbaye aux Hommes and the Abbaye aux Dames, raised by William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda of Flanders in Caen stone, the pale limestone also used to build the Tower of London. William lies beneath the choir of Saint-Étienne, Matilda in the church of La Trinité at the other end of town. Twenty minutes' walk separates them.
One of the major history museums in Europe, built above a former German command post. The route runs from the rise of fascism to D-Day and on to the Cold War, with film archives, personal objects and restrained staging. Allow at least two and a half hours; city buses link it to the quays in about fifteen minutes.
It is the closest to the 6 June 1944 sites, and that is its unique advantage. Sword Beach borders Ouistreham itself; Juno Beach is at Courseulles-sur-Mer, half an hour away by road.
The museum that tells the story of Canada's role, at Courseulles-sur-Mer, where 14,000 Canadians landed on 6 June 1944. It employs Canadian guides, which resonates for Quebec visitors in particular. Allow half a day including travel.
Yes, by excursion. Arromanches keeps the caissons of its artificial harbour and the American cemetery at Colleville overlooks Omaha Beach, less than an hour from the quay. Organized excursions let you combine two or three in a day.
Aged camembert and pont-l'évêque, teurgoule, the slow-baked cinnamon rice pudding, and cider and calvados from the Pays d'Auge. The Vaugueux quarter below the castle lines up half-timbered houses and good restaurants in the few streets spared by the bombing.
Almost always, yes. The Mémorial takes two and a half hours and the beaches half a day: combining them requires a long call. Many passengers make the Mémorial the heart of their day, and few come out unmoved.
