Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc
4.5
About
The location of the site where a group of American soldiers undertook the nearly impossible task of climbing massive cliffs with little equipment during the American invasion of Normandy in 1944.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
2,478 reviews
Excellent
1,803
Very good
513
Average
70
Poor
35
Terrible
57
Stuart_Away_Again
Cambridge, UK872 contributions
July 2022 • Friends
This is an iconic D-Day location full of history and bravery. I have visited Normandy several times but never got to Pointe du Hoc so was looking forward to my visit. This is managed by the US Monuments Commission and although it is possible to walk around this is a carefully choreographed visit. Fences everywhere and scaffold platform covering the casements. It felt as sterile as Merville and simply not authentic a feel you get at Maisey. I would go again but only to honour the sacrifice of the Rangers. This is a backward step.
Written 6 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda D
7 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I first visited this site in 2010 whilst on a 10 day battlefield tour with Air Cadets. It was my favourite site because it felt so untouched and authentic, we were allowed to explore the whole site including the craters. We joked at the time that if the site was in the UK you probably wouldn’t get near it for H&S! I couldn’t wait to bring my husband and children here whilst on our own holiday this year and I was so disappointed! Fences everywhere and everyone is forced to take the same path so it feels really crowded. Most of the site is no longer accessible and it’s so overgrown that the impact of the sheer number of bomb craters is completely lost because you can hardly make them out. Guards everywhere too which I found odd - the whole place is very Americanised! What should have taken a whole afternoon to explore only took 40 minutes. Go and see it if you’re passing by but don’t go out of your way!
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard S
Witham, UK10 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
The powers that be have ruined an historic site!! Since we last visited in 2013 the while site has been covered in fences, corralling people along a set path around a couple of bunkers with ugly viewing platforms built on two of them. It used to be that people could walk around the bunkers as was and experience the site for themselves. Not worth bothering with as you are herded along an outer path and unable to see most of what Pont du Hoc means.
Written 4 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jm0962
Surrey, UK49 contributions
Apr 2022
We had heard so much about this place and the reality was amazing but also disappointing. You see the number of craters and can imagine just how great the bombardment was. The cliffs are also there, but apparently 30 feet has been eroded away since 1944. You can also see the original gun emplacements that the Rangers captured, even though there were no guns.
I can understand that the craters are now fenced off for safety and to preserve the site but the modern pathway with wire fences really detracts from the whole place. It was blowing a gale and freezing when we visited so we did not spend long exploring the bunkers but we left feeling that it was not all it had been built up to be in the guidebooks and literature. As we were late, we did not visit the centre so cannot comment on that, but there was little information around the site itself.
The best thing was that it was free, there was lots of parking and toilets.
I can understand that the craters are now fenced off for safety and to preserve the site but the modern pathway with wire fences really detracts from the whole place. It was blowing a gale and freezing when we visited so we did not spend long exploring the bunkers but we left feeling that it was not all it had been built up to be in the guidebooks and literature. As we were late, we did not visit the centre so cannot comment on that, but there was little information around the site itself.
The best thing was that it was free, there was lots of parking and toilets.
Written 4 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas G
Sandwich, UK3 contributions
June 2024 • Solo
Staying nearby thought I’d visit again having been here a few times in the last decade. Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed. Although a valuable site in the history of this area, I found this time it almost all closed off with everyone following a little fenced off path round the site, you couldn’t really explore or even get that close to the ranger memorial near the cliff presumably for safety. This also meant that most of the area is becoming much more overgrown hiding many of the features that make this site so impressive. It seems so much more closed up than when I saw rangers climb the cliffs in 2019
Written 20 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melaney68
Chesapeake Beach, MD11,327 contributions
June 2022 • Business
The restrooms on site were very nice but the line was long, most likely because we visited the day before the anniversary. There was a ceremony on the grounds and the planes flying over gave us chills and helped us to imagine what it must have been like. Expect to walk long distances along the paths and to climb stairs if you plan to view a bunker.
Written 2 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew S
2 contributions
July 2023
Pointe du hoc has been spoiled beyond belief! Visitors are corralled like sheep along wire fenced lined tracks. The bunkers have been encased by ugly metal platforms. The whole experience is disappointing, even the historical facts are inaccurate, where is there any mention of the British involvement? The fact that there were no guns at Pointe du hoc when the Rangers took it is not really addressed. If you want to experience a proper Battery go to the Maisy Battery, what a fantastic place that is, there is no comparison. Longues sur mer battery is also well worth a visit, don’t waste your time with the Pointe du hoc tourist trap.
Written 9 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R1chardN
Surbiton, UK626 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
This is another excellent exhibit from the Normandy Beach Landings. It’s maintained by America and is different to the first museums I have visited. It takes you on a pathway round the cliff top where Overlord took place.
You will see the cliffs the American servicemen overcame in winning the first steps of the battle and the vastness of the gun emplacements they captured. You can go inside some emplacements including one on the cliff edge with a view to sea.
The whole area is still littered with bomb craters.
It is another piece of the jigsaw. We were there for about 45 minutes.
You will see the cliffs the American servicemen overcame in winning the first steps of the battle and the vastness of the gun emplacements they captured. You can go inside some emplacements including one on the cliff edge with a view to sea.
The whole area is still littered with bomb craters.
It is another piece of the jigsaw. We were there for about 45 minutes.
Written 11 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elliott
United Kingdom4 contributions
June 2022 • Solo
I have been visiting the site on my trips to Normandy since I was 14. 3 years on from my previous visit, the majority of the site, which for 75 years had been free to walk around, has now been fenced off. Apparently for safety, as well as protection of soil and plants.
The safety argument makes very little sense considering you can still wander into 2 large shell-holes (on site) freely. Obviously if bunkers are a safety concern then these should be individually fenced off.
Not too sure on the protection of flora argument either. Does my garden lawn also need fencing off to protect it?
If you would like a true sense of what it was like for the heroes of D-Day, then Grandcamp Maisy is only 5 mins down the road. It’s similar to how Pointe du Hoc was on my previous visits. There is a link between the two locations. Interesting place and friendly staff.
P.S. if the high-vis fanatics at Pointe du Hoc change their mind and would like the fencing removed I am happy to offer my services free of charge as a gesture of goodwill.
The safety argument makes very little sense considering you can still wander into 2 large shell-holes (on site) freely. Obviously if bunkers are a safety concern then these should be individually fenced off.
Not too sure on the protection of flora argument either. Does my garden lawn also need fencing off to protect it?
If you would like a true sense of what it was like for the heroes of D-Day, then Grandcamp Maisy is only 5 mins down the road. It’s similar to how Pointe du Hoc was on my previous visits. There is a link between the two locations. Interesting place and friendly staff.
P.S. if the high-vis fanatics at Pointe du Hoc change their mind and would like the fencing removed I am happy to offer my services free of charge as a gesture of goodwill.
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eaton_Out
Greenville, SC635 contributions
Oct 2022
If you are going to Normandy to pay your respects to those who fought in WWII and see where the Allies came ashore this is the place to start. Old German machine gun emplacements are open to the public. There is a obelisk memorial there. To the left you can see Utah Beach and to the right Omaha Beach. Humbling. When you visit realize that the landing zone is over 120 km long (?80 miles) so you need to allow time to visit many other things. Going to Normandy requires a full day. A private guide is recommended if you are not with a group tour.
Written 22 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Est ce possible pour une personne se déplaçant en fauteuil roulant manuel svp ? Merci
Written 18 February 2020
bonjour, oui c'est possible au début au bout du parking par contre après le terrain est façonné par les tirs d'obus donc accidenté si vous êtes accompagné ça peut le faire
Written 23 February 2020
Bonjour,
Combien de temps faut-il prévoir pour cette visite ?
Merci.
Cdt
Written 18 September 2019
Nous vous confirmons qu'il faut bien 2 heures.
Il y a aussi une visite intérieure (Visitor Center) près du parking.
Attention, il y a beaucoup de vent !!
Written 20 September 2019
No they are not. Not even in a basket.
Written 28 July 2019
Se dovessi arrivare dopo l'orario di chiusura del centro visitatori è comunque possibile visitare l'area e i bunker di pointe du hoc o viene chiuso tutto il sito? Grazie
Written 14 February 2019
Mi sembra di ricordare che fosse esposto un orario di apertura visite, per cui ti consiglio di non rischiare e programmare anche una breve visita ma all'interno della fascia oraria di apertura.
Il luogo è "naturalistico" ma è pur sempre un luogo di memoria storica, e sarà sicuramente vigilato dal personale.
Written 15 February 2019
You can stay there as long as you want. The museum closes at 5 but we explored the pointe itself until it was almost dark. Great education for our son visiting living history!
Written 25 January 2019
How can i go to here by public transport from Bayuex? As I am thinking if i should take a tour or not coz I know there is a Dday festival and i am afraid if I join a tour, I will not be able to discover the festival enough.
Written 19 February 2018
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