The town of Bayeux, near the north French coast, is best known for its tapestry but what else is there to enjoy on a weekend there? This article is a longer version of one written for The Times on what to see and do on Bayeux Normandy.
A weekend in Bayeux
We all know how it ended for poor King Harold, an arrow in the eye and that was that. Thanks to a 70-metre banner of embroidery stitched a millennium ago, the story of William the Conqueror’s ascension to the English throne is woven into our own educational tapestry, but the home of this 1000-year-old historical artefact, the delightful town of Bayeux, doesn’t often get a mention.
Just 20 minutes from the D-Day landing beaches on Normandy’s north coast, medieval Bayeux offers the best elements for a weekend away – fascinating museums and history, great shopping and some excellent restaurants. It’s all easily walkable, too, with attractive cobbled streets lined with elegant limestone mansions and timber-framed buildings. Until the tapestry goes en vacances to Britain in 2022, it’s on display in its own museum in the heart of the town.
My husband and I arrive fresh off the boat on a Saturday morning when the market is in full swing down the main street, Rue Saint-Jean. Stalls abound with local cider and apple juice, whiffy cheeses and hearty vegetables and we wander through, past cheerful stall-holders exchanging ‘bonjours’ with locals and on towards the mighty cathedral. Its twin spires and intricate copper-domed tower can be seen from miles out of town, and up close the Gothic-Romanesque monument is no less magnificent.
Though the architecture seen today dates mainly from 13th, xxth and 15th centuries, what remains of the crypt dates from William the Conqueror’s days, when it was consecrated by his brother, Bishop Odo of Conteville in 1077 with King Bill himself in attendance. It was Odo who is believed to have commissioned the tapestry the same year. The vast interior of the cathedral is light, with bright limestone pillars and ornate arches setting off the exquisite stained glass. We go down the steps into the dark crypt, where the low cloistered ceiling is decorated in detailed frescoes depicting saints and angels as well as a star-studded night sky. It was here, on the site of the original cathedral, that Harold is depicted in the tapestry swearing an oath on Holy Relics, supposedly promising the throne to William.
But there’s more to Bayeux’s history than its tapestry, so after lunch in the jolly Chez Paulette opposite the cathedral, we visit the town’s beautifully curated art and history museum set in the former Bishop’s Palace, with a unique displays for each period of town’s history from prehistoric times through to the 20th century. In the 18th century, the palace became a tribunal, and the marble-walled courtroom that dates from 1793 is still intact. Beautifully tactile wooden benches look towards the judges’ bench and I can’t help but wonder about the wrongdoers whose fate was decided here. The room to the rear of the courtroom is the ornate palatial chapel where court deliberations were held. I look up to admire the octagonal intersected ceiling which is decorated with exquisite 17th-century paintings. Towards the end of the museum, there is an enchanting display of Bayeux’s lacemaking industry, then to finish, glass cabinets show off Bayeux’s porcelain industry. Who knew the place was accomplished?
Later over dinner, we get a taste of the town’s joie de vivre. At Le Volet Qui Penche, a wine cellar-cum-restaurant, whose name translates as ‘The Crooked Shutter’, we take our table squeezed into the small space among the racks of wine bottles and are welcomed by the ebullient owner Pierre-Henri, whose menu is a showcase of hearty local cuisine, platters of charcuterie and local beers and ciders and of course the wines. “Welcome to my wine cellar,” he says. “It’s not a restaurant with wine, it’s a wine cellar with food!”. We both order a delicious lamb shank with polenta from the specials board and each sip a glass of Bordeaux as the live music duo get stuck into their set. The atmosphere is magical and as darkness falls outside, we exchange head-nodding and smiles with the neighbouring table as we all enjoy the music.
After a superb breakfast at our B&B courtesy of our friendly host Carole at Clos de Bellefontaine, we set out to explore the town further. Its cobbled streets lead between grand 18th-century mansion houses (known as Hotels Particuliers) set back from the road behind courtyards and elegant gates, but its proximity to the D-Day landing beaches links Bayeux to 20th-century history. At the Battle of Normandy museum, we learn more about D-Day, the landings of the allied forces. The museum is particularly effective in explaining the roles of each of the different political leaders who represented the Allied forces and the German army. Across the road, the immaculate Bayeux War Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 4000 British servicemen, and a further 500 of other nationalities. Each gravestone stands alongside the pink roses and other colourful plants.
We rush lunch (not the done thing in France but c’est la vie) because our timed entry to see the tapestry is imminent; having seen souvenirs, posters and other references to it throughout town, it’s finally time to see the real McCoy. We enter the dark corridor where the tapestry stretches out in the distance, curving around to the left. Though we all know the outcome, the story that surrounds it is fascinating, and the excellent audio guide points you to key elements told by the embroidered figures, such as Harold’s eventful journey to France, as well as the needlepoint representations of such places as Mont Saint Michel and Westminster Abbey. Given it was William’s brother who commissioned the tapestry (if not Odo, then William’s wife Mathilde) it’s no surprise that the story doesn’t do Harold’s reputation any good – reneging on his relic swearing oath, snitching the English crown from William – but it is truly extraordinary to see the intricate workmanship that has endured a millennium. In the following museum displays, you learn how that its survival is almost miraculous: its torrid life has seen the tapestry survive two fires in Bayeux cathedral; it narrowly escaped being hacked to pieces during the French Revolution and then in World War II, it was hidden with other French treasures. Whatever we do and wherever it is displayed come 2022, we better look after it.
Need to know:
Carolyn Boyd was a guest of Sawdays and Brittany Ferries, travelling from Portsmouth to Caen and back, on a route that costs from £85 each way for a car plus 2 passengers (0330 159 7000, www.brittany-ferries.co.uk). For more information on Bayeux and Normandy, see Normandy tourism
The luxury hotel
Clos de Bellefontaine
Beautiful chambres d’hotes run by the welcoming Carole, rooms are spacious and breakfast is a real treat. Easily walkable from the main sights, with parking on site. Double room B&B from €135 per night (00 33 6 81 42 24 81, www.sawdays.co.uk).
The budget hotel
Les Glycines
This homely B&B is in the heart of the town, run by a retired French couple. Double room B&B from €71 per night (+33 2 31 22 52 32, www.sawdays.co.uk)
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Also in this area: D-Day Beaches
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