Located where the Caen Canal meets the English Channel, Ouistreham is a small port town in France’s Normandy region. It has been a trade hub since the Middle Ages and was the site of several significant events during World War II. Today, Ouistreham attracts visitors to its wide stretch of sand and former Nazi bunker.
Things to do in Ouistreham
Ouistreham’s wartime history is on display in Le Grand Bunker, a former Atlantic Wall firing command post that was established by Nazi Germany. Experience what the bunker would have looked like in 1944, complete with World War II-era equipment and memorabilia, then soak up the views across the Orne estuary from the telemetry post.
If you’re visiting in the summer months, you can relax on the wide sands of the Plage de Ouistreham, which is a popular setting for swimming, standup paddleboarding and kayaking. On the other side of the river mouth is the Gros Banc Ornithological Reserve, a 50-hectare tract of wetland that provides habitat for European golden plovers, northern pintails and little terns.
Located partway between Ouistreham and Caen is the Pegasus Bridge, a modern recreation of a 1934-built bridge that played an important role in World War II. In 1944, it was taken by a British glider-borne force during an operation designed to limit any German counter-attack following the Normandy invasion. To see the original bridge and learn about the men who were involved, head to the Memorial Pegasus in nearby Ranville where artefacts from the operation are exhibited.
Getting around Ouistreham
Ouistreham is around 20 minutes’ drive from Caen and 25 minutes from Caen – Carpiquet Airport, which has flights to destinations across France. Buses connect to Ouistreham from Caen while ferries travel across the English Channel to Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.