Normandy Weather Month by Month
Weather here does not usually stop a tour. What it does is decide how much of the day you spend outdoors enjoying it, and which of the four ticketed sites is even open. Normandy tours and tickets run in every month of the year, and two of the four gates do not.
What the weather does to a Normandy day
Three consequences, in the order they catch people out. The first is wind: the landing beaches face open water and there is nothing between you and it, so April and May will feel colder to you than the numbers suggest. The second is daylight — if you book a nine-hour tour in December you begin and end it in the dark. The third is closures, and those sit on a calendar rather than a forecast, so you can plan around them.
For the record, Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals for Caen-Carpiquet, the station that covers this coast, give an average daily maximum of 15.1 °C, an average minimum of 5.2 °C, 1,174 mm of rain across 130 days, and 2,117 hours of sunshine a year. It is a mild, damp, windy climate with few extremes in either direction.
Normandy month by month
January
Short days and a raw wind off the Channel, with highs usually in the high single figures. The Arromanches landing museum closes for its annual break from the 5th to the 27th, and Bayeux’s two museums shut from the 5th to the 18th. The abbey is on its winter price and its 9:30 opening. Come for an empty coast and check what is open before you drive to it.
February
Much like January and marginally lighter, with sunset moving past six by the end of the month. The abbey stays at its winter price and is free on the first Sunday. Giverny is still shut. Half-term brings French families to Mont-Saint-Michel for a fortnight, which is the one crowd this month has.
March
The month everything starts again. Giverny does not open until 1 April, but the days pass twelve hours and the coast dries out. Highs climb into the low teens by the end of the month. The abbey is free on the first Sunday and still on the winter price. Coach traffic on the D514 is light.
April
Giverny opens on the 1st and the abbey goes to its summer price the same day. Highs reach the mid-teens, and the wind is the story rather than the temperature — travellers write about being colder than they expected on the beaches more often in April than in any other month. Bring a windproof layer and go.
May
The best month on this coast, and the one to book early. The abbey moves to its 9:00 to 7:00 summer hours on the 1st and closes for the day on the 1st as well. Days run fifteen hours, the gardens at Giverny are at their fullest, and the coaches have not arrived in force. Highs in the high teens.
June
Anniversary month. The commemorations around the 6th bring road closures on the coast, ceremonies at the cemeteries and accommodation booked out months ahead. Days are the longest of the year at over sixteen hours. If you want the anniversary, book in winter; if you want the coast quiet, come in a different month entirely.
July
Warm, long and busy, with highs into the low twenties. Mont-Saint-Michel and Giverny fill from mid-morning, though the beaches themselves stay surprisingly empty. The abbey is on summer hours until 7:00 pm, which makes a late visit the sensible move. Book any small-group day at least a fortnight out.
August
The busiest month for the island and the gardens, and French holidays add to it. Temperatures are similar to July. The Bayeux museums are on their long summer hours, 9:30 to 6:30. Almost everything worth doing here is better at nine in the morning or after five in the afternoon this month.
September
The quiet sweet spot. Days are still long, the sea is at its warmest of the year, and the coach traffic thins from the second week. The abbey drops to 9:30 to 6:00 on the 1st and Giverny runs to the end of the month. Highs in the high teens, and the light on the beaches is the best it gets.
October
The abbey drops to its winter price of €13 on the 1st and Giverny closes on the 1st of November, so this is the last month for both. Highs fall to the low to mid-teens and the wind picks up. Bayeux’s museums return to their split 10:00 to 12:30 and 2:00 to 6:00 hours.
November
Giverny is shut from the 1st. The 11th brings Armistice ceremonies at the cemeteries, which are worth timing a visit around. The abbey is free on the first Sunday. Days drop under nine hours, so a full-day tour now starts and finishes in the dark at both ends.
December
The shortest days of the year and the emptiest coast. The abbey is free on the first Sunday and closed on the 25th, and so is the American cemetery. Bayeux’s museums close on the afternoon of the 24th and the 31st. Highs in the high single figures, and a real chance of standing on Omaha alone.
The seasons, and which one you want
- Spring (April–May): the gardens open, the abbey goes to summer hours, and the coaches have not arrived. Bring a windproof layer and you will have the best of it. This is the compromise most visitors should make.
- Summer (June–August): longest days, warmest sea, and the only months the island and Giverny genuinely feel crowded. June carries the anniversary.
- Autumn (September–October): the quiet one. Long enough days, warm sea in September, and the abbey’s winter price from 1 October.
- Winter (November–March): Giverny shut, museums taking their annual breaks, and a coast you can have to yourself. Check what is open before you travel.
Best time of day on the coast
Early, wherever you are going. The American cemetery opens at nine and the first coaches reach it around ten, so the first hour is the one you want. On the island the same rule bites harder: you can walk the Grande Rue at nine and you will be shoulder to shoulder by eleven. Late afternoon works for you too, and in summer the abbey stays open until seven.
Frequently asked questions
Do tours run in the rain?
What is the warmest month?
Which month has the fewest visitors?
Whichever month you pick, Normandy Excursions shows you which departures run in it and what each one covers, and visiting Normandy has the opening hours that move with the seasons.