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Château de Caen
Attractions in Caen

The one to see in Caen: Abbaye Royale aux Hommes

Around Caen, the places to visit include 27 attractions, 10 galleries and 8 museums. There are 37 places to visit in Caen, and 24 more within 5 km of its centre. 8 of those in town are listed historic monuments. Within 1 km of the middle there are 26 of the places on the list. Day-trippers head 26 km out to Tapisserie de Bayeux.

Photo: Château de Caen, Nikater (Public domain)
In Caen
37
inside the commune
Within 5 km
24
in the communes around
Museums & galleries
18
in town and nearby
Châteaux & heritage
12
in town and nearby
Historic monuments
8
in town, listed (Mérimée)
Best known

Highlights of Caen

Once you have seen Abbaye Royale aux Hommes, try 3 museums, a château and an abbey.

Monastery or conventMonastery or conventAbbaye Royale aux Hommesin townChâteauChâteau de Caenin townAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye aux Dames de Caenin townMuseumMuseumMémorial de Caenin townMuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts de Caenin townMuseumMusée de Normandiein town

Best known first: by how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each place (Wikidata’s count). It isn’t a ranking of how good they are.

Map

The map view

Out of town, most of the 24 are to the west.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The first 20 on the list, numbered as below. The shape is the commune of Caen; the orange dot is its centre. © OpenStreetMap contributors · commune boundary: IGN

By kind

Grouped by kind

Count 27 other sights and 18 museums or galleries.

Museums & galleries 10 galleries · 8 museums17 in town · 1 nearby
Châteaux & heritage 5 monasteries · 4 châteaux · 2 forts · 1 abbey11 in town · 1 nearby
Gardens 3 gardens3 in town
Zoos, parks & days out 1 theme park0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 27 attractions6 in town · 21 nearby

Dark: in Caen. Light: in the communes within 5 km of its centre.

Every place

Full list of places

After the 37 in town come 24 more within 5 km of its centre.

The 37 places in Caen first, then those within 5 km of its centre.

The history of Caen → · Parks and trails in Caen →

Further afield

Further away

Tapisserie de Bayeux, at 26 km, heads the 12.

MuseumTapisserie de Bayeux26 km northwest, in BayeuxAttractionCathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux26 km northwest, in BayeuxMuseumMuseumMémorial Pegasus9.7 km northeast, in RanvilleFortFortBatterie de Merville16 km northeast, in Merville-Franceville-PlageAttractionChâteau de Falaise34 km south, in FalaiseMuseumSite Hillman10 km northeast, in Colleville-MontgomeryChâteauChâteauChâteau de Creully17 km northwest, in Creully sur SeullesAttractionAttractionChâteau de Fontaine-Henry12 km northwest, in Fontaine-HenryChâteauChâteauChâteau de Bénouville8.7 km northeast, in BénouvilleAttractionAttractionMaison au grand péristyle de Vieux-la-Romaine9.9 km southwest, in VieuxChâteauChâteauChâteau de Balleroy34 km west, in Balleroy-sur-DrômeMuseumMuseumMusée archéologique de Vieux-la-Romaine9.6 km southwest, in Vieux

Places within 40 km of Caen with an article in both French and English Wikipedia, nearest first.

Good to know in Caen

What is there to see in Caen?

The first on our list in Caen are Abbaye Royale aux Hommes, Château de Caen, Abbaye aux Dames de Caen and Mémorial de Caen. We list 37 places in town. Another 24 are within 5 km of the centre.

Are there museums in or near Caen?

18 museums and galleries in town or within 5 km, including Mémorial de Caen, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, Musée de Normandie and Plan de Rome par Paul Bigot.

Which places in Caen are listed historic monuments?

8 places on this page in Caen are listed or registered historic monuments (Mérimée), including Abbaye Royale aux Hommes, Château de Caen, Abbaye aux Dames de Caen and Monastère des Bénédictines de Caen.

What well-known places are within a day out of Caen?

The nearest with articles in both French and English Wikipedia: Tapisserie de Bayeux (26 km), Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux (26 km), Mémorial Pegasus (9.7 km), Batterie de Merville (16 km).

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap and Wikidata: named museums, galleries, châteaux, abbeys, gardens, zoos, theme parks and other visitor attractions whose mapped point lies inside the commune of Caen, then those in the communes within 5 km of its centre, and well-known places within 40 km. Houses, ruins and gardens need a sign they’re open to visitors; places marked private, closed or disused are left out. The historic-monument link is the Culture ministry’s Mérimée record. A place that isn’t mapped isn’t listed, so this isn’t everything there is to see.

Sources: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), Wikidata (CC0: descriptions, websites, Wikipedia articles), the Culture ministry’s Mérimée database (Licence Ouverte 2.0), IGN commune boundaries. Distances are from the commune’s centre point.

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (10)

Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.