This is part of our 10-day trip to the Normandy region of France in August 2020. You can find the overall itinerary and links to other stops on this trip in our Normandy post.
Bayeux is one of the towns in Normandy that was spared during WWII and maintained its medieval center, making it a must-see for those who enjoy all the historical character and charm. But it is also home to the Bayeux Tapestry, which is what draws so many visitors, including ourselves. Here was the schedule we followed for the day, which kicked things off with a visit to the Tapestry.
1. Bayeux Museum & Tapestry
The Bayeux Museum currently houses the Tapestry. I admittedly hadn’t heard of the Bayeux Tapestry before our trip, but my husband had and was thrilled at the opportunity to see it. For those also unfamiliar, the tapestry (actually an embroidered linen cloth) dates back to around the 11th century. It tells the story of William the Conqueror and the Norman’s defeat of England.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there were a limited number of people who could enter the museum at a time, so lines formed earlier. We parked in one of the nearby parking lots and arrived around 9:00 am (to an already lengthy line). Doors opened at 9:30am and we were in the museum by 10:00 am, so things moved quickly. Only the gallery to view the Tapestry was open, but I understand there are other exhibits/floors in the museum that are open in non-COVID-19 times.
The museum provides an audio guide at no cost which tells the Tapestry’s story as you move through it; it’s available in 16 languages. They also have a kids’ version with a simplified story and language (only in English and French). Our kids always love having audio guides in museums, and this was no exemption, as the narrator guides you through each numbered panel on the Tapestry. They ended up enjoying the visit much more than I expected! The guide lasts about 20 minutes, though I wish it had gone a bit slower to provide more time for really soaking in all the details of the Tapestry (there is a lot of detail to see!). Note that no pictures of the Tapestry are allowed.
We also really enjoyed the gift shop at the museum; we rarely get things in gift shops because the items are typically cheap or useless (especially kids’ items). But there were very cool, high quality items here. One item we bought is a gorgeous mythical puzzle with ferries and unicorns; it is long in shape like the Tapestry, so we will always remember where we bought it!
2. Notre-Dame Cathedral in Bayeux
We took the short walk to the Notre-Dame Cathedral next. The cathedral was originally built in 1077, consecrated in the presence of William the Conqueror, and was the original location of the Bayeux Tapestry. The outside of this cathedral is beautiful; they had paper lanterns strung about which added to its allure. The inside was equally impressive with the detail you can only see in these old European churches.
3. Old Town
On our way to the Bayeux Water Wheel (next on the list), we walked through the charming center of town. It’s filled with cobbled stone street and half-timbered houses plus small shops and restaurants. Our kids got caught up talking to one of the merchants through the window of her shop.
We spotted a crêperie, Crêperie L’Insolite, with a sign noting they had an outdoor terrace. For the first time on our trip, we decided to eat out and enjoy this adorable town a bit more. Plus, it felt wrong to go to France and not eat crêpes! The terrace was great (with good social distancing) and the crêpes (one with jam, one with chocolate, and two with apples, caramel and ice cream) were both delicious and decently priced. They also provided kids’ placements and crayons, which is always a plus!
4. Bayeux Water Wheel
The water wheel is located directly behind the Office of Tourism, which also had a shuttle bus stop for city tours. The wheel is, I suppose, nothing special, yet also so peaceful to look at and the setting is simply serene.
In addition to the Bayeux Museum, there are two other museums in Bayeux that you can visit with a combined ticket: the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy and the Museum of Art and History. Instead of taking the kids through additional museums, we drove to Falaise to see William the Conqueror’s Castle.