Bayeux was the first French city to be liberated in 1944. Although very close to the landing beaches, it was fortunate to escape damage. The old cathedral, a fine example of Norman Gothic architecture, still keeps watch over the old town with its many attractive mediaeval buildings intermingled with modern in the city centre precincts.

The "Bayeux Tapestry", an embroidery which is a jewel of Romanesque art, is superbly presented in a special museum. Visitors see audio-visual presentations of the exploits of the Vikings and the Battle of Hastings, then a long strip cartoon explains the contents of the masterpiece (a very realistic account of the events of 1066), and finally the entire 200 foot-long tapestry (19 inches high) may be viewed under security glass.