Bayeux is compact, and very easy to walk around. It is small enough that you can get around most of the areas of interest by walking.

You don’t need a car to explore the town, but it will come in handy to explore areas outside of Bayeux. Renting a moped is another option. Rentals can usually be found at the train station.

Walking around the gardens is a great leisurely activity that many visitors enjoy. There are several great parks and gardens in Bayeux. The Jardin Public de Bayeux was created in 1859 and today is a national monument. It has great varieties of plants and flowers and greenhouse displays. The Jardin du Chateau de Brecy is a 17th century Italian garden with many gorgeous statues. Also the Jardin de Castillon Plantbessin has Japanese-inspired and English inspired garden styles and provides another beautiful place to walk.

For information on getting around Normandy, refer to Getting Around.

Bayeux is linked to two famous cross-Channel invasions. The Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 is depicted in a famous tapestry that has been kept in Bayeux for so many centuries it now bears the town's name. On 6 June 1944 the Allied D-Day invasion force struck the beaches just north of the town. Bayeux was the first significant French town to be liberated from Nazi occupation during the 1944 Battle of Normandy and survived almost completely unscathed. On 16 June 1944 General Charles de Gaulle made his first important speech on liberated French soil in Bayeux. The town now hosts the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in Normandy and is an excellent base for visiting the Normandy beaches.

You’ll see that downtown Bayeux isn’t very big. Rue Saint Malo-Rue Saint Martin are excellent streets for shopping. Here you’ll find all kinds of shops. Rue des Cuisiniers is also a nice street for handicrafts and restaurants.

The shops on St. Jean offers many of the typical tourist shops, but also features high quality stores with antiques. If you are looking for art, head to Place aux Pommes where there are artist workshops featuring many different types of work.

Shopping for gastronomic pleasures is usually a goal while in France as well and you will have no difficulty accomplishing that at the local food stores and city markets.

Shoppers should make note that many stores close for the lunch period which is usually from around noon to 2pm. Also, as with most stores in France, shopping on Monday is not a good idea, many stores remain closed.

If you come for the Christmas holiday you are in luck, the city is filled with Christmas Markets featuring homemade goods and enough gifts to finish your shopping.

Cuisine in Normandy celebrates the 3 main products of the region: dairy, seafood and apples, which are produced in the region’s rich pastures and farmlands.

Specialties from the sea include Dieppe sole and Normandy oysters, along with lobsters, scallops and shrimp on many menus of the region. Don’t miss the opportunity to sample Normandy’s world-famous cheeses: Camembert, Livarot, Pont l’Eveque and the heart-shaped Neufchatel. There is even a Route des Fromages that highlights the four cheeses through stops at museums, farms, towns and restaurants. The cheeses are often served as dessert and pair well with the ever-present apple-based beverages from the region, such as cider, perry, Calvados and Pommeau, made from local apples and pears.

Normandy is renowned for its variety of meats, from the delicate flavor of saltmarsh lamb to creamy chicken "à la Vallée d'Auge" and duck "à la Rouennaise".

Local desserts include "bourdelots" or "teurgoule", or such sweets as Isigny toffees or apple sugars from Rouen.

The best time to visit Normandy is June to August. This is also when French families take their holidays, which also makes it the most crowded time of year. If you are driving, be prepared for heavy traffic. Though this is the height of the peak tourist season – which can last from May to mid-October – this period also promises the most pleasant weather. Fall and spring can be great shoulder seasons if you're hoping for fewer crowds and better accommodation rates, but a visit during this time will likely be a bit chilly and may require coats. Winter is a great time to visit if you are looking for cheaper hotel rates, but some of the businesses in the region's small towns and cities will likely close up shop for the season. Also note, some of the region's top museums close for the month of January.

The currency of France is the Euro. US dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for euros upon arrival. Currency exchange desks can be found at the airports and train stations. For more detailed information, consult our guide to tipping in France by clicking here.

English may be spoken at your hotel and in the tourist areas, but not everywhere. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook or app and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

In an emergency dial 112 is the general emergency services number or 114 for hearing assistance.