The Airborne Museum (Musée Airborne) is Europe’s largest museum dedicated to the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. It’s located at 14 rue Eisenhower in the town square of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Normandy, France. This guide covers opening hours, ticket prices, transport, and practical visitor tips.
To skip the detail and just buy your tickets, head this way.
Updated May 2026. The museum’s fourth pavilion, dedicated to WACO gliders, opened in May 2024 and is not yet reflected in many older guides.
Quick facts: Airborne Museum, Sainte-Mère-Eglise
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 14 rue Eisenhower, 50480 Sainte-Mère-Eglise, Normandy |
| Hours (May–August) | 9:00am–7:00pm daily |
| Hours (April and September) | 9:30am–6:30pm daily |
| Hours (October–March) | 10:00am–6:00pm daily |
| Adult admission | €11.50 |
| Child admission | €7.50 |
| Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) | €33 / €5.50 per additional child |
| Parking | Free, adjacent to the museum |
| Nearest train station | Carentan (~15 minutes by car) |
| Typical visit duration | 2–3 hours |
Airborne Museum opening hours
The museum is open daily year-round. Hours vary by season:
- May–August: 9:00am–7:00pm
- April and September: 9:30am–6:30pm
- October–March: 10:00am–6:00pm
The museum closes on 24 and 25 December, 31 December, and 1 January. It is open on all other French public holidays. Confirm winter closures by calling +33 (0)2 33 41 41 35 before travelling.
Airborne Museum ticket prices
Tickets are available online or at the museum entrance.
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | €11.50 |
| Children | €7.50 |
| Family (2 adults + 2 children) | €33 |
| Additional children in family group | €5.50 each |
The Histopad augmented reality tablet is included with all admissions. The tablet allows visitors to scan terminals throughout the museum, triggering historical re-enactments in augmented reality. It also includes a treasure hunt for children.
Admission was checked on the official website and last updated in May 2026.
How to get to the Airborne Museum
The museum is in the centre of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, on the main square.
By car: The museum is on the N13 (Nationale 13), which runs between Cherbourg and Caen. It is approximately 60 km north of Caen (around one hour), 10 km west of Utah Beach, and 350 km from Paris (approximately 3.5 hours via the A13/N13).
By train: The nearest station is Carentan-les-Marais, 15 minutes south by car. Carentan is served by trains from Paris Saint-Lazare via Bayeux (approximately 2.5 hours). A taxi from Carentan station is the most practical onward option.
Parking at the Airborne Museum
Free parking is available directly adjacent to the museum in the town square and in nearby car parks. During D-Day anniversary events (early June), parking in Sainte-Mère-Eglise fills rapidly; arrive early or park on the outskirts and walk.
How long to spend at the Airborne Museum
Allow two to three hours for a thorough visit across all five pavilions. Visitors who engage fully with the Histopad content and the 20-minute archive film in the Centre Reagan may spend closer to three hours. The museum is laid out as a park with outdoor paths between buildings.
Accessibility at the Airborne Museum
The museum is designed to be fully accessible. The five pavilions are spread across a park; paths between them are paved. Contact the museum in advance at [email protected] for specific accessibility requirements.
The museum is entirely child-friendly. The Histopad, jump simulator, authentic C-47 aircraft, and WACO glider are consistently popular with younger visitors. No content in the museum is considered frightening or inappropriate for children.
Inside the Airborne Museum: what to see
The museum comprises five pavilions in a park, visited in sequence.
Pavilion 1 — Occupation covers daily life in Normandy under four years of German occupation and the role of the local Resistance in preparing for D-Day.
Pavilion 2 — C-47 houses an authentic C-47 aircraft that carried 101st Airborne Division soldiers over Sainte-Mère-Eglise on the night of 5–6 June 1944. The pavilion covers the birth of American airborne units through North Africa and Italy to D-Day. A hologram and a parachute jump simulator are included.
Pavilion 3 — Operation Neptune takes visitors through the battles of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, La Fière, and Les Haies in an immersive, hyper-realistic format. This is the museum’s centrepiece narrative, ending with a stark accounting of Allied and civilian losses.
Pavilion 4 — WACO (opened May 2024) is dedicated to American military gliders and the soldiers who flew them. It houses an authentic WACO glider set up as if newly landed in a Norman field. This is the most recent addition and covers a largely forgotten part of D-Day history.
Pavilion 5 — Centre Reagan contains a cinema showing a 20-minute archive film covering the days before, during, and after D-Day, and the temporary exhibition space. The 2026 temporary exhibition will be announced on the museum website.
Practical visitor tips for the Airborne Museum
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visit the church during your trip | The Church of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, immediately in front of the museum, has a stained-glass window depicting a paratrooper and still displays a parachutist figure on its tower — commemorating John Steele, who hung from it on the night of 5 June 1944. It is free to visit. |
| Camp Geronimo (3–7 June 2026) | The museum’s annual D-Day reenactment camp involves uniformed participants, military vehicles, and demonstrations. It draws large crowds. If you prefer a quieter visit, avoid this week. |
| Combine with Utah Beach | Utah Beach is approximately 10 km east. The Utah Beach Museum covers the beach landing that the paratroopers at Sainte-Mère-Eglise were supporting, making the two museums natural companions. |
| Allow time between pavilions | The museum is spread across a park. Walking between buildings and taking in the outdoor elements adds 15–20 minutes compared to a single-floor museum. |
| Book tickets online | Buying in advance avoids any queue at the entrance, particularly during the busy June anniversary period. |
Frequently asked questions about the Airborne Museum
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Airborne Museum open year-round? | Yes, daily. Hours reduce in winter (10am–6pm October–March). It is closed 24–25 December, 31 December, and 1 January. |
| Is it suitable for children? | Yes. The museum is explicitly child-friendly. The jump simulator, C-47 walk-through, WACO glider, and Histopad tablet are popular with children of all ages. |
| Do you need to book in advance? | Not required, but online booking at is recommended during the June anniversary period when visitor numbers are highest. |
| What is the Histopad? | A digital tablet included with every admission ticket. It overlays augmented reality re-enactments on the real exhibits as you scan terminals around the museum. |
| Is the WACO pavilion new? | Yes. It opened in May 2024. Older guides and many third-party sites do not include it in descriptions of the museum. |
Things to do near the Airborne Museum
Sainte-Mère-Eglise Church (immediately in front of the museum, free) is where paratroopers landed in the town square during the night drop. The church tower displays a parachute figure commemorating John Steele and has two D-Day stained-glass windows.
Utah Beach Museum (~10 km east, ticketed) covers the American beach landings on 6 June 1944 — the operation the paratroopers were sent to support.
Iron Mike Monument / La Fière Bridge (~3 km west, free) marks the site of one of the most intense small-unit battles of the Normandy campaign, fought by paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Dead Man’s Corner Museum (Saint-Côme-du-Mont, ~10 km south, ticketed) is a small specialist museum in the farmhouse that served as the 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment command post during the battle.
Carentan-les-Marais (~15 km south) is the town where Easy Company (101st Airborne) fought the Battle of Carentan, depicted in the Band of Brothers series, with a small memorial in the centre.
What to visit tomorrow: WWII museums in Normandy
Caen Memorial Museum (~70 km south-east, ~1 hour) is the broadest overview of the Second World War and D-Day in Normandy, covering events from 1918 through to the end of the Cold War. Admission €20.80 adults.
Overlord Museum (Colleville-sur-Mer, ~60 km south-east, ~1 hour) is a large private collection of restored military vehicles and equipment from the Normandy campaign, including tanks, half-tracks, and aircraft. Adjacent to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer (free) is the primary US military cemetery in Normandy, with 9,387 graves on a bluff above Omaha Beach. Managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Mémorial Pegasus (Bénouville, ~70 km south-east, ~1 hour) covers the British 6th Airborne Division’s operations on the eastern flank of the D-Day landings, including the capture of Pegasus Bridge — the first Allied objective of D-Day.
Bayeux and the Tapestry Museum (~50 km south, ~50 minutes) offers a very different perspective: the Bayeux Tapestry documents the 11th-century Norman conquest of England. The tapestry museum is one of the most visited sites in Normandy and sits alongside the well-preserved medieval town centre.
More France travel
Other France travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- French castle guides: Foix Castle near Toulouse and Chateau de Castelnaud in the Dordogne.
- Loire Valley castle guides: Chenonceau Castle, the Chateau de Bouges, the Chateau Royal d’Amboise, the Chateau de Saumur and Chambord Castle.
- Important visitor information for Chateau de Compiegne and Chateau de Pierrefonds in Hauts-de-France.
- Can you get next-day tickets for Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey in Normandy?
- What is the Arromanches 360° Circular Cinema in Normandy?
