What to see
The Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery about 70 metres long, tells the story of William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066. An audio guide leads you along its length. The cathedral, consecrated in 1077, rises above the old town's half-timbered houses.
Bayeux was the first town of any size liberated in 1944 and escaped serious damage. The Bayeux War Cemetery, the largest British Second World War cemetery in France, faces the Museum of the Battle of Normandy.
As a base
Bayeux lies between Omaha and Gold beaches, and most D-Day tours start here. Trains link it with Caen and Paris Saint-Lazare.