Museum of the Battle of Normandy (Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie), Bayeux,

Advantages: Great D-Day memorials, lots for kids, great food.
Disadvantages: Crowds in Mont St Michel in July/August.

...you in English if you put your credit card in the wrong way up. Petrol was just over 1 Euro a gallon. Fill up first and pay at the cashiers. For the best petrol deals go to supermarkets that sell gas a little cheaper than regular gas stations. What to Do? The best museums to visit, especially with kids are the Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux and La Memoriale in Caen. The Musee de la bataille de Normandie in Bayeux has several tanks outside in its grounds and inside has lots of heavy weapons including a crashed spitfire (built May 1944, crashed in France not much later in July 1944). They also have a small cinema - it seems to be the trend for museums to show 20 minute short films. At this museum they have alternating showings in French and English language. Caen - La Memoriale Be warned that this museum... Read review

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Advantages: Relatively unknown to English tourists
Disadvantages: I can't think of any

...itself holds many attractions with excellent seafood restaurants along the Quai Henri IV (Le New Haven and Le Sully are personal favourites) but it is the beautiful area around Dieppe itself that continues to attract French holiday makers. The 'Pays de Bray' which stretches from Neufchatel en Bray (from where the excellent heart-shaped local cheese originates) to encompass the valleys of the Bethune, Eaulne and Varenne and includes the spa town of Forges-les Eaux. The undulating landscape of the Pays de Bray evokes the essence of Normandy - peaceful hamlets of colombage houses, Normandy cows and of course the apple trees which produce the region's excellent cider. Our personal favourite is the Vallee de la Varenne. The river Varenne wends its way peacefully through Saint-Saens, a picturesque market town with a very good restaurant (Le... Read review

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Advantages: One of history's great stories, well-presented with an excellent audio guide
Disadvantages: It can get crowded in the main room

...According to my parents, I had seen the Bayeux tapestry on a family holiday to France many years ago, but I was too young for it to have made any impression on me. So, when on a trip to Normandy and Brittany earlier this summer, I had to take the opportunity to visit Bayeux to have a look at this piece of artwork that plays such an important role in the basic history taught at British schools. Well, I assume it still does - you read so much in papers these days about the 'dumbing down' of the educational system that I do wonder how many of today's students have more than a vague idea of the events and the story behind the tapestry… but I digress - that's a topic for discussion elsewhere. So, back to the tapestry - if you're travelling to the picturesque town of Bayeux by car, the museum is signposted from all approaches ('Tapisserie... Read review

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