Full Information To six Finest Issues To See And Do

This is what to see and do in Ouistreham-Riva Bella, the place World Conflict II historical past meets a working Normandy seaside and spa city, from D-Day touchdown websites to contemporary seafood and seaside walks.

It could appear odd that warfare and water collectively make for a captivating resort however right here you might be, Ouistreham-Riva Bella, a mixture of D-Day seashores, spa waters, Belle Epoque structure, and attraction that simply will not finish.

You possibly can come right here for the historical past, or you’ll be able to come right here to “take the waters” and laze on the seaside, however this tiny village quarter-hour from Caen might be savored in a day or, as I did lately, in per week.

Listed below are six methods to maintain busy on this delighful city.

An early begin earlier than the outlets open in Riva-Bella Ouistreham ©OffbeatFrance

An instance of the native structure ©OffbeatFrance

1. Study Ouistreham’s coastal heritage

Ouistreham sits on the level the place the Orne River and the Caen Canal meet the English Channel, and that convergence is a part of its historical past.

On the one hand, it’s a gateway to Normandy’s inside and the town of Caen, and on the opposite, it’s a port for fishermen and for every day ferries to Portsmouth, offering an attention-grabbing combine between artisanal fisheries and industrial maritime visitors.

Within the morning, particularly on weekends however not solely, a stroll by means of the port-side fish market shall be magnetic, and you will not go away with out a bag stuffed with shrimp or scallops or regardless of the season requires.

A smile and contemporary fish and seafood is what you’ll be able to count on at Ouistreham’s fish market ©OffbeatFrance

Tougher to imagine is the historical past carried by this similar stretch of land: Ouistreham Riva-Bella finds itself on the jap finish of Sword Seashore, the place British and French troops landed on D-Day in 1944, combating their means from the seaside, into the dunes and onto the village streets, a lot of which have been broken throughout the invasion.

As soon as the warfare over, postwar rebuilding common the city right into a quiet resort, however a lot of the sooner avenue plan remained. So Ouistreham-Riva Bella is each, a spot of remembrance, and a seaside resort, and you will find each standing aspect by aspect, memorials alongside the seaside, and eating places subsequent to former bunkers. 

The Flame, one in every of many monuments to the 1944 Normandy landings you will discover scattered alongside the seaside ©OffbeatFrance

This stability between the warfare and what got here after is commonly seen alongside the coast of Normandy, however notably robust proper right here, with historic websites practically overlapping a contemporary port and picturesque streets.

The older identify, Ouistreham-Riva Bella, comes from its Nineteenth-century resort growth. Promoters drew on the picture of the Italian Riviera to sign a brand new seaside identification for a group lengthy tied to the river and the ocean. The identify persists within the seaside district and offers a clue to the ambitions that formed the city earlier than the warfare.

2. Comply with the Commandos’ footsteps

At daybreak on 6 June 1944, troopers ran ashore on Sword Seashore within the first minutes of the invasion. Amongst them have been the 177 French males of the Kieffer Commandos, built-in into the British No. 4 Commando. They have been the one French troops to land that morning, and their function has change into central to Ouistreham’s reminiscence of the liberation.

This little museum is unprepossessing on the surface, however completely well worth the go to ©OffbeatFrance

On the foot of a modest residential constructing, the Musée du Commando n°4 pays homage to those troopers and to the Franco-British cooperation that occurred at a time when the invasion’s success was removed from sure.

Opened in 2019, it tells their story by means of private mementoes and first-hand accounts. Uniforms, weapons and private letters, a lot of which have been donated by people, present how the unit educated and operated. A fair clearer image comes from the reconstructed bunker which explains how they superior by means of German defences.

The museum itself is small however its assortment is unattainable wealthy for anybody within the touchdown at Sword ©OffbeatFrance

It is not a big museum, nevertheless it’s filled with historical past and completely well worth the go to when you’re focused on both Ouistreham’s historical past or within the French troopers who took half in liberating their very own nation. Significantly placing are the visuals that present simply how defended the seaside was and what obstacles the troops needed to overcome to get ashore.

There are a number of reminders outdoors close by – a bronze sculpture of a commando carrying the No. 4’s inexperienced beret, plaques with the names of those that fell… all this sits near the seaside the place they landed, which helps guests join the shows inside with the geography of warfare outdoors.

3. Discover the Grand Bunker museum

For a village this tiny, you’d suppose one warfare museum could be sufficient however no, there’s one other, even bigger one.

The Grand Bunker stands as a tall concrete block, a uncommon vertical construction in a panorama the place most wartime bunkers sit half-buried in sand and homes are three storeys at most.

Outdoors the Grand Bunker Museum of the Atlantic Wall ©OffbeatFrance

The bunker was constructed by German troops in 1942 to coordinate the Atlantic Wall alongside this a part of the shoreline, and its peak served a transparent objective: higher traces of sight. Whenever you step inside, you enter an area constructed for warfare.

Every ground restores a part of the unique command submit:

• the radar room reveals how crews tracked approaching plane
• the infirmary reveals the cramped setup medics labored in, cabinets filled with provides alongside a slim hall.
• the residing quarters have bunks that line the partitions subsequent to ammunition crates and subject telephones.

The reconstruction follows the bunker’s authentic format, and that provides us an concept of how days right here would unfold. 

Only a few of the shows on the Grand Bunker Museum of the Atlantic Wall in Ouistreham. Prime, medical equipment, backside, meals rations ©OffbeatFrance

The climb ends on the roof, the place you’ll be able to see towards Sword Seashore and  observe the identical shoreline German officers watched in June 1944 because the Allies disembarked on D-Day.

Ladder resulting in the rooftop of the Grand Bunker Museum – and also you may perceive why I made a decision to forgo the view! ©OffbeatFrance

4. Stroll alongside the seaside promenade

That is an space of lengthy, broad seashores, with calm seas and few crowds, even in summer season. Visiting in winter, I used to be greeted with sunshine, a breeze, and households strolling youngsters and canine alongside the water or the lengthy boardwalk, about 3km lengthy (1.8mi).

Simply up the coast, in among the better-known resorts, seashores shall be crowded so it is a welcome respite.

Iconic cabins alongside the seaside at Riva Bella ©Caen la Mer Tourisme

The aptly named Promenade de la Paix (Peace Promenade) alongside the shore in Ouistreham ©Caen la Mer Tourisme/Les Conteurs

You may discover all kinds of attention-grabbing artefacts alongside the promenade:

• Belle Époque villas that survived the warfare
• the brand new on line casino rebuilt over the ruins of the outdated German command submit
• the enduring seaside cabins as soon as used as altering rooms by Nineteenth-century bathers
• wartime monuments in reminiscence of sword seaside

If you happen to do not feel like strolling, lease a motorcycle: the seafront path connects on to the Caen Canal towpath, making it straightforward to proceed your stroll or journey inland previous the canal locks and all the way in which towards Caen

The brand new on line casino, rebuilt proper on the seaside ©OffbeatFrance

5. Take the waters

This, in reality, is what introduced me to Ouistreham within the first place. Annually, I go to a French spa for per week of de-stressing and re-energizing, and this 12 months I selected Ouistreham, principally as a result of I prefer to attempt a brand new place every time.

The Thalazur spa is correct on Riva-Bella seaside, a lovely backdrop in opposition to which to regain your power. The seawater and marine mud are utilized in therapies, which vary from massages to bathe jets.

Even if you cannot go for per week, a day or a weekend will already make a distinction. France does, in spite of everything, have a practice of wellness that stretches all the way in which again to Rome.

The pool on the Thalazur spa – it is often a bit extra crowded however not very… ©Thalazur

6. Uncover the port and the canal

Simply once I thought I might exhausted this small village, I found a complete new neighborhood by the port, with cafés and eating places, a fish market overflowing with seafood, and fishing boats moored close by heavy with the day’s catch.

It is nonetheless the ocean, however at a special tempo. The ferry docks spill out their British guests every day, turning the port right into a vivid and busy scene, belying the quiet simply throughout the canal, the place households dig for clams at low tide and fishermen put together nets and restore their gear.

That is behind the port. You possibly can hardly see them within the distance however individuals are strolling on the seaside digging for clams ©OffbeatFrance

To cross the water between the open sea and the Caen Canal means navigating two slim walkways (nicely protected) over the locks, offering a transparent view of how all of the items match collectively － port, land, canal system. 

That is additionally the place you will discover the stunning 38m (125ft) lighthouse, whose 171 steps you’ll be able to climb in season for a full view of the realm.

Ouistreham port, with the lighthouse within the distance ©OffbeatFrance

An aerial closeup of the lighthouse. That is the view you will get from the highest ©Caen la Mer Tourisme/Michel Dehaye

This stretch of Ouistreham feels quieter and extra native than the seaside, a haven for photographers in search of clear traces and altering gentle. That is additionally the place the canal bike path begins, becoming a member of up with others alongside the coast. It follows the Caen Canal for roughly 15 kilometers, passing small inlets, occasional herons and a gentle sequence of bridges because the canal approaches the town.

Preserve going and you will attain Pegasus Bridge, the place British glider troops landed earlier than daybreak on D-Day in a daring operation to safe this very important crossing earlier than German forces might destroy it.

Pegasus Bridge in close by Ranville was moved and now has its personal museum. Right here it’s, in its entirety ©OffbeatFrance

A number of sensible concerns

Attending to Ouistreham might be difficult if you do not have a automobile. It is solely a 15-minute drive from Caen, though that may stretch considerably throughout rush hour. If you happen to’re coming by prepare (a two-hour journey from Paris) you’ll be able to both catch the Twisto Line 12 bus from the prepare station or arrange a taxi.

For lodging, I’ve already talked about the Thalazur resort and spa, however there are many different inns and visitor rooms in Ouistreham. You may discover midrange inns close to the seafront and a variety of family-run guesthouses within the streets behind the promenade.

It is easy to search out good meals in Ouistreham: oysters and mussels arrive from close by beds, and plenty of eating places serve fish landed on the identical wharves you walked previous earlier.

• Le Channel is on the harborfront and serves basic preparations; I ordered fish and chips – the fish was glorious, the fries rather less so. 
• La Moulerie du Port attracts regular crowds for its mussels and I concur. Simply be sure you reserve as a result of eating places can get fairly crowded, particularly throughout holidays. 
• And when you’ve had an excessive amount of seafood (is that even attainable?) then head for Mamma Mia, which I did twice, no regrets.

One among my meals at house, though the restaurant meals outdid themselves as nicely (I had a number of) ©OffbeatFrance

Staying in Ouistreham works nicely when you plan to go to D-Day websites alongside the coast. You possibly can transfer between the seaside, the museum district and the ferry terminal with little effort, which avoids the tempo and visitors of central Caen. My different possibility for visiting the seashores is Bayeux.

Earlier than you go…

Ouistreham-Riva Bella has an uncommon legacy of bridging the previous to the current, and historical past right here feels shut sufficient to the touch.

It is not a heavy vibe – one minute you are pausing on the seaside the place the Commandos landed, and the subsequent you are shopping for contemporary scallops proper off the boat.

And if you would like to discover a bit of additional afield, listed here are a couple of extra Normandy journey concepts.