Airborne Museum
D-Day museum devoted to American paratroopers, with a Waco glider, a C-47 aircraft and an immersive trail in Sainte-Mère-Église.
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About the museum
The idea for the museum came from Alexandre Renaud, a pharmacist and mayor of Sainte-Mère-Église after the Liberation. Between 1956 and 1958 he sought funds from American and French authorities to create a memorial to the airborne troops. The first pavilion, shaped like a parachute, was inaugurated on June 6, 1964; it houses a restored Waco CG-4A glider from 1943. The museum is run by an association under the French law of 1901.
Between 1975 and 1977 an aviation enthusiast donated a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the type of aircraft that dropped the paratroopers on the night of June 5–6, 1944; a second building was built to house it. The “Opération Neptune” pavilion was inaugurated on June 5, 2014, and the Ronald Reagan conference centre opened in 2016.
From 2020, the museum renovated its spaces with the support of the European Union and the Normandy Region: the Neptune hall was redeveloped in 2021, and the C-47 pavilion then received an immersive trail. For the museum’s 60th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a fifth building devoted to American gliders was added in 2024. It houses a permanent exhibition on the Occupation and the Resistance in the Sainte-Mère-Église area, and the grounds have been entirely redesigned.
Highlights
- Waco glider and pavilion devoted to American gliders
- C-47 Skytrain displayed in an immersive setting
- Histopad: augmented-reality tablet given to every visitor
- Parachute jump simulator in the C-47 pavilion
- Permanent exhibition on the Occupation and the Resistance in Sainte-Mère-Église
Permanent exhibitions
- Pavillon C-47 – Douglas C-47 Skytrain in an immersive setting, with a parachute jump simulator.
- Pavillon Waco – Pavilion devoted to American gliders, with an exhibition on the Occupation and the Resistance in the Sainte-Mère-Église area.
- Opération Neptune – Redesigned hall on military medicine, temporary cemeteries, civilians during the Liberation and the making of memory.
- Founded
- 1964
- Operated by
- Association loi 1901 « Exposition permanente des troupes aéroportées »
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €11.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8.50Veterans, serving military personnel on leave and people with reduced mobility |
| Children & teens | €7.50free up to age 5 · Child rate for ages 6 to 16 inclusive; free for children under 6. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €8.50Reduced rate for people with reduced mobility. |
| Students & apprentices | –There is no student rate. |
| Groups (15+ people) | –Group rate from 15 people for a self-guided visit and from 20 people for a guided tour; booking strongly recommended, and essential for a guided tour. |
| Families | €33€33 for 2 adults and at least 2 paying children, plus €5.50 per additional child. |
| Adult with guided tour of the storerooms | €16.50Only on scheduled dates, for 4 to 12 people; the storeroom tour lasts 30 minutes. |
| Child with guided tour of the storerooms | €11.50Only on scheduled dates. |
| Airborne Ambassador Pass (adult, unlimited access for one year) | €21€1 reduction for accompanying persons, up to 4 per day. |
Free admission on proof for children under 6, tourism professionals, veterans of the Second World War and their spouses, military personnel in uniform, Pupilles de la Nation, residents of Sainte-Mère-Église and the new commune, and holders of the Amis or Membre card. The Pass Culture and Chèques-vacances (at the ticket office) are accepted. €1 reduction on the adult ticket with the Pass’Baie du Cotentin, or on an adult ticket for the Musée du Débarquement d’Arromanches or La Cité de la Mer.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Each pavilion and the reception building are single-storey or fitted with ramps. Only the C-47 pavilion platform is inaccessible to people with reduced mobility. The museum is suitable for strollers.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 2 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
| Family ticket | €33 · €33 for 2 adults and at least 2 paying children, plus €5.50 per additional child. |
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
The museum states it has adapted its displays so that children are not shown disturbing content. Children’s trail with age-appropriate panels, augmented-reality Histopad and parachute jump simulator in the C-47 pavilion. Family rate available.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
No railway station in the commune: the nearest SNCF station is Carentan, on the Paris–Cherbourg line.
By car
Paid parking
Paid municipal car parks (€2 for 2 hours, €4 for 24 hours) opposite the museum, at the church square and in rue du Docteur Masselin behind the museum.
Access via the N13 between Caen (45 minutes) and Cherbourg (35 minutes); Paris is about 3 hours 30 minutes away by car.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
The shop is accessible without a ticket; an online shop also exists. The park has a snack area and is only accessible with a ticket. Leaving and re-entering on the same day is possible while keeping the ticket.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Corporate events
Up to 300 guests.
Three rooms with Wi-Fi: a 60 m² meeting room (50 people), a 110 m² cinema room (120 seats) and the 130 m² Neptune hall (300 people).
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 30 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography allowed, without flash. |
| Good to know | Every visitor receives the Histopad, an interactive augmented-reality tablet. Guided storeroom tours with the curator take place only during school holidays, on Thursdays at 14:30; a guided tour of the Battle of Sainte-Mère-Église and group visits are available by reservation. Online booking is recommended in July and August. |
