There are a couple of changes in store for visitors to Normandy’s top US D-Day sites this year.

The Normandy American Cemetery – Pre-booking postponed

A year ago, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) announced that as a result of growing visitor numbers (over 1m a year) they could no longer operate on an open door basis. They explained that to “preserve the visitor experience and maintain an environment appropriate for memorializing America’s honored war dead,” they would initiate a pre-booking system for all visitors on April 1, 2026.

That deadline has since moved. They now anticipate pre-registration requirements will go into effect at the end of 2026 for reservations beginning in the summer of 2027.

So, for the time being the cemetery remains open to the public every day without booking (except on December 25 and January 1), between 09:00 and 17:00. Staff members are usually on duty to answer questions, and they can also escort relatives to memorial sites. There is also a visitor centre. Read more…

Pointe du Hoc – Restoration work started

On Tuesday, an extensive restoration programme got underway to modernise and preserve the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument site, which honours the US Rangers who scaled 100-foot cliffs under heavy German gunfire on June 6, 1944, and is one of Normandy’s most visited D-Day battlefield sites (640,000 visitors in 2025).

As past visitors will know, the cliffs have been suffering from erosion over the years, and clifftop pathways that were there a decade ago, no longer exist. The American Battle Monuments Commission recognises that they can’t hold back nature, but part of the restoration will “ensure the site remains safe and accessible for future generations of visitors.” There will also be improvements to parking areas, the memorial plaza, the visitor centre, and pathways.

The site will remain open during the anticipated 18-month, $10 million restoration, however visitors can expect expect temporary closures and modified access at times. Read more…

And, a D-Day commemorative site, but not in Normandy…

National WWII Museum, New Orleans – D-Day Exhibition closed for renovation

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will begin major renovations to modernise its original flagship exhibit, The D-Day Invasion of Normandy, on Feb. 25. The project, which will transform the exhibit to tell the story of the Normandy landings in a more immersive, interactive and engaging way, is expected to be completed in 2027 in time for the 83rd anniversary of D-Day.

So Tuesday (Feb 24)  will be the final day to experience the original exhibit before those renovations begin. Not much notice!

The D-Day Invasion of Normandy debuted over 25 years ago as the main exhibition of The National D-Day Museum (now The National WWII Museum) and remains the Museum’s only permanent exhibit dedicated to one battle. Across 8,000 square feet, the exhibit’s two galleries explore what the Allies faced in Normandy, from the comprehensive preparations to the daunting challenges troops encountered once they landed on the beaches and in the hedgerows.

The renovated exhibit will explore the Normandy landings in even greater depth, expanding to four galleries with a clearer, more accessible narrative that takes visitors through the planning, landings and aftermath of D-Day. Innovative storytelling, new immersive environments, technologically advanced multimedia and interactive elements, plus fresh scholarship and newly displayed artifacts acquired over the past 25 years will contribute to the updated experience. Read more…