The Airborne Museum at Sainte-Mère-Église
The Airborne Museum stands on the church square of Sainte-Mère-Église, facing the steeple where paratrooper John Steele hung by his parachute in the first hours of June 6, 1944. It opened on June 6, 1964, the twentieth anniversary of D-Day, and covers the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions from the drops of that night through the fight for Normandy.
The short version
- The Airborne Museum stands on the church square of Sainte-Mère-Église, where the 82nd Airborne landed in the first hours of June 6, 1944, with an original Waco glider and a C-47 in their own pavilions.
- Adult entry is €11.50, children 6 to 16 pay €7.50, a family ticket costs €33, and the Histopad augmented-reality tablet comes with entry.
- The museum opens 9:00 to 19:00 from May to August and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March, and closes for December and January outside the Christmas holidays; the ticket office shuts an hour before closing.
- Sainte-Mère-Église is the first stop on our Normandy D-Day Tour, straight from the Bayeux station, before Utah Beach and Omaha.
- No Bayeux bus reaches the town; a private Normandy D-Day tour can give the museum its two hours and add the Band of Brothers sites nearby.
What You Will See
The museum holds an original Waco glider and a restored C-47 transport aircraft, each in its own pavilion, alongside uniforms, weapons, and the equipment the paratroopers jumped with. A “Histopad” tablet with augmented-reality reconstructions comes with entry and works well for children. Plan 90 minutes to two hours, then walk the square: the church, the stained-glass windows honoring the paratroopers, and the parachute effigy on the steeple sit directly outside.
Hours and Tickets
The museum opens daily: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from May to August, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in April and September, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October to March, closed in December and January outside the Christmas holidays. The ticket office shuts an hour before closing. Adult entry costs 11.50€, children 6 to 16 pay 7.50€, a family ticket costs 33€, and children under 6 enter free. Details at airborne-museum.org.
Getting There
Sainte-Mère-Église sits about 40 minutes by car from Bayeux and 15 minutes inland from Utah Beach. Our guide to the ten best D-Day museums in Normandy covers the wider region. The LinkParis.com Normandy D-Day tour from Paris makes Sainte-Mère-Église its first stop after the Bayeux station.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Airborne Museum?
The Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église covers the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions on D-Day. It opened on June 6, 1964, on the church square where paratroopers landed in the first hours of the invasion.
Who was John Steele?
John Steele was an 82nd Airborne paratrooper whose parachute caught on the church steeple of Sainte-Mère-Église in the early hours of June 6, 1944. He hung there wounded, survived as a prisoner, and a parachute effigy on the steeple marks the spot today.
What aircraft does the museum hold?
The museum displays an original Waco CG-4 glider and a restored Douglas C-47 transport, the two aircraft types that carried the airborne divisions into Normandy on the night of June 5 to 6, 1944.
How long does a visit take?
Plan 90 minutes to two hours for the pavilions and the Histopad tour, plus time for the church and memorials on the square outside.
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