Omaha Beach: A Visitor's Guide

No beach carries the weight of D-Day quite like Omaha. It was here, on a curving stretch of sand overlooked by steep bluffs, that the American assault came closest to failure on the morning of 6 June 1944.

Most visits begin at the Normandy American Cemetery above the beach, where nearly 9,400 graves look out over the Channel. From the memorial you can walk down to the sands themselves.

A short drive west brings you to Pointe du Hoc, the fortified headland scaled by the Rangers. The nearby Overlord Museum rounds out the picture with restored tanks and vehicles.

For a fuller sense of the cost on all sides, the La Cambe German War Cemetery a little inland is a sombre and worthwhile counterpoint.

See how these places sit in relation to each other on the interactive map.