You’ve Heard of Omaha Beach, But These 5 Lesser-Known D-Day Sites Also Left a Strong Impression

Omaha Beach is an incredible, moving D-Day site in Normandy, and we loved visiting. From standing on the beach, to Pointe du Hoc, to the American Cemetery, to the museums in the area, we were so impressed with the history and the sites here.

Omaha is the most well-known of the 5 D-Day landing beaches (especially to Americans), as it was the deadliest of the landings and has been featured the most prominently in media.

However, Omaha is just part of the story—there are 4 other beaches (Gold, Sword, Juno, and Utah) that were also integral to the success of the operation and the war. Here, soldiers not only showed incredible bravery and grit, but were also part of bold, strategic operations that are fascinating to learn about.

So without further ado, here are five other D-Day locations that we found particularly memorable, and that you are sure to be moved by, too.

(Want to explore all the D-Day sites? Check out our ultimate guide).

1. Merville Battery and Museum (Sword Beach)

One of the most crucial parts of the D-Day invasion was the airborne landings that preceded and prepared the way for the amphibious assault. While airborne and air force actions took place on all the beaches, the eastern and westernmost beaches saw the largest efforts.

The Merville Battery and Museum is dedicated to telling the story of one particularly heroic effort by a group of 150 paratroopers, who attacked and disabled a gun battery threatening Sword Beach.

Despite attacking a fortified position, being outnumbered, and suffering 50% casualites, the 9th British Paratroopers defeated the German force at Merville and secured the gun battery for the Allies.

This site is interactive, informative, and emotional. One thing that was really driven home by here was just how chaotic the night of the 5th-6th of June was, how much went wrong, and how the soldiers worked so hard to turn it into a victory.

(Read the full story of the Merville Battery attack here)

If you want to learn more in this area, you can also check out the Pegasus Bridge Museum, which focuses on the glider landings. The efforts of the Airborne troops played a key role in making Sword Beach the most successful landing of D-Day.

2. Paratrooper Museum in Sainte-Mère-Eglise (Utah Beach)

On the western edge of the beaches, you’ll find another major site dedicated to airborne efforts — this time focusing on the American paratroopers who were instrumental to the success of the Utah Beach landings.

The Paratrooper Museum specifically honors their mission and impact. The museum is extremely well-designed, with interactive exhibits and a huge emphasis on life-size models and vignettes.

A few highlights include a hanger with a full-size airplane and paratrooper models, where you can try on a paratrooper harness. Or another hangar with a model plane that you enter with “soldiers” preparing to jump, with the sights and sounds of the deployment all around you.

If you are traveling with children, this is a museum you must do, but it’s fascinating for adults as well. It really brought home the adversity faced by the airborne troops in accomplishing their many important objectives.

Even the museum location is memorable: Sainte-Mère-Eglise was the first village liberated on D-Day.

3. Canadian War Cemetery (Juno Beach)

Juno Beach, and the Canadian efforts on D-Day, are probably what we knew the least about heading into our trip. Yet, this cemetery was surprisingly emotional (and we felt emotional at all the sites).

Juno Beach was the second-deadliest beach on D-Day, with nearly 1,000 casualties. Many of those who died that day, and in the continued fighting over the next few days and weeks, are buried in this cemetery.

The grounds are incredibly lovely, though it is the smallest war cemetery in the area, holding “just” 2000 men. The gravesites are all decorated with flowers, bushes, and trees—the effect is so beautiful.

Make sure you read the plaques at the entrance, which tell some interesting stories about the people buried here.

In particular, there are several sets of brothers buried in the cemetery, including one set of 3 brothers that all died within days of each other during the landing. (No, I’m not tearing up again…)

This is definitely a lesser-known site but is a worthwhile one to visit. The cemetery is located at the furthest point the Canadians advanced on June 6 — in fact, it was the deepest push inland of any of the D-Day landing beaches.

4. British Normandy Memorial (Gold Beach)

Situated right above Gold Beach, the British Normandy Memorial is an incredibly beautiful and haunting tribute to fallen British soldiers in the war, as well as to the general Allied forces that fought at D-Day.

The main feature of the memorial is a large pergola-type structure inscribed with the names, age, and rank of the fallen, sorted by the date they died. It really drove home how deadly the days and weeks following June 6 were, as there were SO many deaths throughout the rest of June and July.

The most haunting part of the memorial is the field sloping down to the beach, filled with hundreds of soldier silhouettes stretching as far as the eye can see. With the sea in the background, it was one of the most powerful and emotional reminders of the scale and sacrifice of D-Day.

At the far end of the memorial is a smaller tribute to the French, especially French civilians, who lost their lives during the Normandy invasion. While they hoped for liberation and supported the Allied efforts, many paid the ultimate price in the process.

5. German War Cemetery (Omaha Beach)

We’ll end with a site near Omaha Beach that’s often overlooked by visitors: La Cambe German War Cemetery. It’s the final resting place for over 20,000 German soldiers.

Small, in-ground markers fill the cemetery, with crosses punctuating periodically. There are few informational placards here, but of course, it isn’t dedicated to honoring the Nazi regime; just remembering the fallen.

Obviously, the Germans were the enemy that needed to be defeated, and the SS was so evil. But so many of the fallen here were just young boys (so many were 18 or younger). My overwhelming feeling while visiting the German Cemetery was sadness about what an incredible waste of lives war is.

Visiting here helped to humanize the opposing side and was a sobering place to visit.

Final Thoughts

Visiting Normandy and the D-Day landings was certainly informative. There were even exhibits and locations that were entertaining.

But it was also extremely emotional, and these sites were some of our favorites that really brought home the incredible bravery and unbelievable efforts of those soldiers.

In the time since visiting, I still frequently think back on what I saw and felt there, and highly recommend that you make the effort to explore these moving memorials for yourself.