Bayeux has become famous throughout the English-speaking world thanks to a 68m-long piece of painstakingly embroidered cloth: the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, whose 58 scenes vividly tell the story of the Norman invasion of England in 1066.
The town is also one of the few in Normandy to have survived WWII practically unscathed, with a centre crammed with 13th- to 18th-century buildings, wooden-framed Norman-style houses, and a spectacular Norman Gothic cathedral. It makes a great base for exploring D-Day beaches.
Bayeux TapestryTAPESTRY
The world’s most celebrated embroidery depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 from an unashamedly Norman perspective. Commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother, for the opening of Bayeux’ cathedral in 1077, the 68.3m-long cartoon strip tells the dramatic, bloody tale with verve and vividness.
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire Baron GérardMUSEUM
Opened in 2013, this is one of France’s most gorgeously presented provincial museums. The exquisite exhibits cover everything from Gallo-Roman archaeology to medieval art to paintings from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including a fine work by Gustave Caillebotte. Other highlights include impossibly delicate local lace and Bayeux-made porcelain. Housed in the former bishop’s palace.
Trains link Bayeux with Caen (€6.60, 20 minutes, hourly), from where there are connections to Paris' Gare St-Lazare and Rouen.
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