On our first visit to Normandy we were going to spend a week and wanted to be sure we saw the most worthwhile sights. This book fit the bill very well for us. It doesn't go into a lot of detail on explanations, there are other books that are better for that, but this one gives the top 10 of just about everything imaginable. There's an awful lot to see in Normandy and this book helped us narrow down our choices. We were able to plan to be sure we saw the major sights, but it also helped us identify things that, although not major sights, were things we found interesting. For example, in each area of Normandy it provides the top 10 things to see in that area, so if we happened to be visiting Mont St. Michel we could identify other things that might interest us while we were in that specific area. Likewise, if a person is interested in abbeys, this book provides a list of the top 10 abbeys to see in Normandy. Again, don't expect a lot of detailed explanation and history; this book covers too much territory to do that. Instead, there is a short paragraph about each sight, but it's enough to help the reader decide which attractions should be visited and which should be left for another trip.

I agree fully with the previous reviewer -- this book is not enough to be a stand alone guide to your trip to Normandy, but it is a spectacular compilation of things to do across the region.

There are numerous lists of everything from little villages specializing in crafts, food, and whatnot such as pottery, cheese, copper cookware, and more, to the top 10 D-Day sights and top 10 D-Day museums, to the most picturesque villages in the countryside and coast.

If you're interested mainly in D-Day sights, I found this book useful, because it had a few pages dedicated to the best museums, and key sights. Most people have a limited amount of time, and especially if you're driving yourself around, it's extremely helpful to have this reference of the "must-sees" along with the "nice to sees" time permitting.

We used this book lots during our 5 days in Normandy this May to plan what we wanted to do and see, and used a more detailed book (Lonely Planet Normandy was great) to round out the practical details. (Oh, yeah -- if you're driving, better bring a GPS! I think we'd still be lost in the bocage somewhere if I hadn't had that life-saving device with me!!)

This book lacks details like contact info and opening hours for museums, but makes up for it with a wealth of suggestions, useful facts, and great pictures (a strong suit of all the DK Eyewitness books).

Bottom line, get this, plus Lonely Planet or a guidebook of your choice, and you will have a great trip!

Concise, time-saving and fits in your carryon nicely. Certainly follows the porfessional and reliable series well. We used this guide the most (out of several)during a January trip to Normandy. Highly recommended.