France Road Trip | Best Western Royal Hotel Caen: A Central Normandy Base – Travel guides for couples; romantic escapes, city breaks + worldwide adventures

VERDICT: WE GAVE 3 OUT OF 5 TICKETS AND HERE’S WHY!

This guide forms part of our complete France Travel Guide, featuring scenic road trips, iconic destinations, practical travel advice and honest first-hand travel experiences from across France.

This article is also part of our 🚗 3-Day Normandy Road-Rail Trip series, exploring Normandy Beaches and experiencing Eurostar for the first time. Read the complete itinerary here.

▶︎ Our Normandy-Eurostar Itinerary:

A comfortable city-centre hotel near Caen’s historic landmarks and Normandy’s D-Day beaches

We were booked for one night in the Best Western Royal Caen Hotel. It’s ideally located in the center of Caen, and overlooks the historical Place de la Republique.

The architecture is elegant, the hotel was clean & it was a good starting point to discovering Normandy. There was a breakfast cafe, coffee shop, cocktail lounge & business centre.

Best Western Royal Hotel Caen is a solid 3-star pick right in the center of Caen, Normandy, making it super central and walkable.

Within a 5 min walk, there’s the Church of St. Pierre, Maison des Quatrans, a 10 min walk gets you to Caen Castle, the Normandy Museum, and Saint-Jean Church.

This was a perfect stop for us to visit the D-Day beaches. We’d wished we had more time here, as it was quaint & very interesting.

Some of the amenities at this hotel were free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, bar/lounge, library, even bike rentals.

It was nice to know this is an eco-certified Green Key property. The buffet breakfast was served 6am-10am (for a fee)which was perfect, as we don’t waste any time getting started on a busy touring day.

There was parking available nearby – there’s an underground lot at Place de la République.

BECOMING KING OF ENGLAND: William, Duke of Normandy, became King of England after defeating Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Norman Conquest transformed Britain’s ruling class, land ownership, government, military defences and language. Norman nobles replaced much of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, while castles were constructed throughout England to secure William’s authority. His administration also produced the Domesday Book, an extraordinarily detailed survey of land, property and wealth completed in 1086. Norman French became the language of the royal court and government, introducing thousands of French words into English. William’s reign permanently connected England more closely with continental Europe and reshaped the country’s political and cultural development for centuries.

The hotel itself, is right in the pedestrian historic center, near William the Conqueror’s castle and a few abbeys.

Top 5 Places to Visit in Caen

1. Château de Caen

Constructed for William the Conqueror around 1060, Caen Castle is one of Europe’s largest medieval fortified enclosures. Its grounds contain the Musée de Normandie and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, along with towers, defensive walls and viewpoints across the city.

2. Mémorial de Caen

This major museum explores the Second World War, the Normandy landings, the Battle of Normandy and the Cold War. Its exhibitions provide valuable historical context before visiting the D-Day beaches and surrounding battlefield sites.

3. Abbaye aux Hommes

William the Conqueror founded the Men’s Abbey during the 11th century. Its Saint-Étienne church combines Romanesque and Gothic architecture and contains William’s tomb. The former monastery buildings now house Caen City Hall.

4. Abbaye aux Dames

Founded by William’s wife, Matilda of Flanders, the Women’s Abbey is another important example of Norman architecture. Its Church of the Holy Trinity contains Queen Matilda’s tomb and an impressive crypt supported by closely spaced columns.

5. Church of Saint-Pierre

Located near Caen Castle, the Church of Saint-Pierre is distinguished by its soaring tower, elaborate stonework and mixture of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Its central location makes it an easy addition to a walking tour of historic Caen.

The Five Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches

Listed geographically from west to east:

Utah Beach: The westernmost landing sector, assigned primarily to American forces.
Omaha Beach: The American landing sector that experienced some of the fiercest fighting and heaviest Allied casualties on D-Day.
Gold Beach: Assigned primarily to British forces, with the capture of Arromanches helping establish the artificial Mulberry harbour.
Juno Beach: The principal Canadian landing sector, extending approximately nine kilometres along the Normandy coast.
Sword Beach: The easternmost landing sector, where British forces and Free French commandos came ashore.

The five landings took place on June 6, 1944, as part of Operation Overlord. Pointe du Hoc was another critical D-Day objective between Utah and Omaha, but it was not a sixth landing beach.

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