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.

The entrance to the museum itself is housed in an imposing stone edifice that was previously the Bayeux Seminary, which itself was constructed upon the site of a medieval priory. You ascend a few stairs to the main doors (stair-free disabled access is available from the other side of the building) and can get your tickets from one of the cash desks in the hall. The fee charged is €7.70 for adults and €3.80 for children, with various discounts for tour parties, OAPs, and so on.

The tapestry is marked at regular intervals with numbers on its top edge, and these numbers correspond to scenes in the story that the artwork tells. The audio guide (which is very well translated, something that is often taken for granted but less often the case) uses these numbers to help explain the figures displayed and the events that are taking place - this story of the Norman Conquest is a fascinating one, and even if you've learned about it at school or elsewhere, there are many fascinating facets to it that only become apparent on closer examination. The viewing of the tapestry takes about 15 minutes in total if you follow the pace of the guide. Of course, there are those who push past or dawdle but the experience is most effective if everyone follows the sedate pace set by the audio guides - this is of course what the museum wants to happen, so that there are no bottlenecks at the entrance, and all visitors get to see the tapestry with as little stress as possible.

The museum (which was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World programme in 2007) also houses a large shop in the vaulted basement, which contains a huge array of tapestry memorabilia and a wide range of material dealing with the history of the Normans, on both sides of the English Channel. This is a very professionally run museum that clearly is used to catering for large numbers of visitors, many of whom only stay to view the tapestry before boarding tour busses and heading for their next destination. This means that the main room can get crowded - but the way the museum is set up helps to avoid this, as far as possible. And if you can take the time to visit the exhibition rooms after seeing the tapestry, this gives a far more rounded and in-depth feel to the visit - and all in all, paying just over a fiver to get in is very good value for money!