Hillman Fortress

The basics

The hilltop bunkers of Hillman Fortress have been preserved as an open-air museum, and visitors are free to explore the 60-acre (24-hectare) site, including the kitchen, bunkers, command posts, and well. For further insight, you can also visit the memorial museum or join one of the weekly guided tours to learn about the bunkers’ strategic importance and the D-Day battle between the German 736th Regiment, who occupied the command center, and the Suffolk Regiment who managed to reclaim the post.

Some tours of Normandy’s D-Day Beaches and battlefields include a stop at the Hillman Bunker, and many travelers opt to combine it with nearby Sword Beach and the Caen Memorial War Museum.

Things to know before you go

• Visiting the Hillman Fortress allows the rare opportunity to walk inside an original German World War II bunker.

• Volunteers maintain the Hillman Fortress. Guided 2-hour tours and visits to the site are free, but donations are welcome.

• Information boards and tours are available in both French and English.

• Note that there are no on-site facilities such as a restroom, gift shop, or café at the site, so bring everything you need with you.

• The bunkers have been restored to their original condition, so access is limited for wheelchair users and those with restricted mobility.

How to get there

The Hillman Fortress is located 8 miles (13 kilometers) north of Caen, or about a 20-minute drive. It’s about a 10-minute drive south of Sword Beach. There’s no public transport to the site, so you’ll need a car to take a taxi or to join one of the many Normandy World War II tours. Free parking is available on-site.

When to get there

The outdoor site of the Hillman Fortress is open daily all year round, but guided tours are held on Tuesdays at 3pm from July through September only. The Memorial Museum is only open in July and August, from 10am to midday and 2:30–6:30pm. Much of the site is outdoors and exposed to the weather, so dress accordingly.

Visiting Normandy’s D-Day battlefields

Many travelers to Normandy choose to visit the museums, memorials, and battlefields of the D-Day Landings, one of the pivotal battles of World War II. You can visit all five of the D-Day beaches—Utah, Sword, Omaha, Juno, and Gold—which stretch for more than 43 miles (70 kilometers) along the Normandy coast, as well as critical sites such as the Caen Memorial Museum, the Airborne Museum, the D-Day Experience, Pointe du Hoc, and the Arromanches 360 Museum.