The shores where the liberation of Europe began
On 6 June 1944 Allied forces landed along some 80 kilometres of Normandy coast, and today the beaches known as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword form one of the world's most moving historical landscapes. The American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and the remains of the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches are the key stops. Bayeux, with its famous medieval tapestry, makes an ideal base, and the region's cider, Calvados and Camembert are worth lingering over.