Pet-Friendly Hotels in Caen and Around the Memorial

Hôtel La Particulière is a 4-star hotel in Caen with air-conditioned, soundproofed rooms that have parquet floors, a work desk and a private bathroom. Soundproofing helps children sleep, and room service is handy after a long day. Families can sit on the terrace or in the outdoor seating area, and there is a bar and a coffee shop. The 24-hour front desk and concierge help with plans, and a paid shuttle is available. WiFi is free. No family rooms or pool are listed.

Holiday Inn Express Caen Epron sits on the edge of Caen and focuses on air-conditioned family rooms, which I find makes it an easy choice for parents travelling with children by car. Each room has a desk, a TV and free WiFi. Free on-site parking and electric vehicle charging help drivers, and the front desk is open 24 hours. The Caen Memorial and the Botanical Garden are both about 4 km away, and there is a bar, a coffee shop and outdoor seating.

The Mémorial de Caen is 1.1 km from the Hôtel Goodwood in the Saint-Contest area, which makes it a practical base for families planning a visit to the museum and the D-Day sites by car. Free private parking is on site and the 24-hour front desk handles late arrivals. Rooms are simple, with a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with toiletries and a hairdryer. The Caen Botanical Garden is 2.4 km away, and pets are accepted.

I would consider Hotel Libera for families driving to Caen who prefer free parking to a central address. The hotel is in Colombelles, six kilometres from the centre of Caen, with free WiFi. Rooms are air-conditioned and have a balcony, an HD satellite TV and a private bathroom with a shower. The restaurant is open Monday to Friday, so weekend evenings need a plan. Pets are welcome.

Rooms for up to four people make the Mercure Caen Côte de Nacre easy for families, and the tram stop in front of the hotel reaches central Caen in about ten minutes. The Normandy coast is roughly a fifteen-minute drive away, so a city day and a beach day fit into the same short break. The large free car park is fully enclosed, and the restaurant with its terrace serves regional products from breakfast onwards. Rooms have Chromecast for quiet evenings. Pets are accepted.

I would choose the ibis Styles Caen Centre Gare for families who want a practical three-star in the centre of Caen. It stands on the edge of the Orne river, about 500 metres from the train station. Rooms are air-conditioned with a flat-screen TV and free WiFi, and the private bathroom has a bathtub or a shower. The bar is open 24 hours, which helps after a late train or a long day out.

Campanile PRIME Caen Centre Gare is a renovated three-star next to the station and close to the historic centre, beside the Orne quay and the port. For families arriving by train the location is simple, and the air conditioning helps in summer. Rooms are functional and well kept rather than spacious. Private parking exists on site but has to be booked in advance. The Calvados beaches are about 18 km away. More than 2,600 reviews give it 8.5.

Breakfast is a good reason to choose Ivan Vautier with children: homemade jams, local cheese, juice and yogurts, with gluten-free bread on request for those who need it. Rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed with spacious bathrooms, and a welcome tray waits on arrival. I would book the spa, with its hammam and sauna, for a quiet hour, and keep one evening for the chef's gastronomic restaurant. A tea room covers lighter breaks, and pets are accepted.

I like the Mercure Caen Centre Port de Plaisance for families who prefer a modern, recently renovated hotel to a heritage building. It faces the marina and is five minutes from the city centre and the pedestrian area, with tram access nearby. Rooms are en suite with Italian showers, and some have a marina view. The fitness centre is free for guests, and there is electric car charging, both practical for a family on a longer trip.

Brit Hotel Caen Nord - Mémorial is just 400 metres from the Memorial Museum, in a quiet area on the outskirts of Caen, and I would suggest it to families whose trip centres on the D-Day story. Rooms are en suite with a bathtub, handy for bathing small children, plus satellite TV, free WiFi and tea and coffee facilities. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is a private terrace, and free public parking is on site.

Logis Hotel du Château is a three-star in central Caen, 200 metres from the castle, so children can be on the ramparts minutes after breakfast. I would book it for families planning a day at the Caen Memorial Museum, three kilometres away. Rooms have a private bathroom, LED satellite TV and free WiFi, a French breakfast is served each morning, and luggage storage helps on the day you leave.

Breakfast is the family-friendly surprise at ibis Caen Centre: a buffet with eggs, fruit salad, yogurts and juices, plus pastries baked on site and fresh madeleines. The hotel sits in the centre of Caen, about 750 metres from the Château de Caen and 350 metres from the Church of Saint-Pierre, so sightseeing with children stays on foot. Rooms are air-conditioned with private showers. I would pick it for a short, practical stay in Caen, and pets are accepted.

The Originals City Hôtel Caen Mémorial is a three-star, non-smoking hotel a 14-minute walk from the Memorial of Caen, and I recommend it to families whose visit centres on the museum of 20th-century history. Rooms are air-conditioned, with a desk, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom. Free private parking saves a daily search, the reception works around the clock in French, English and Spanish, and a buffet breakfast is served each morning.

I would consider L'Hôtel Bristol for families who arrive by train and want a central three-star in Caen. It stands in the centre, near the train station. All rooms are served by a lift and have a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV with cable and satellite channels and free WiFi. A full buffet breakfast is served daily in the breakfast room. The lift is a real help with luggage and small children.

I would pick the Novotel Caen Côte de Nacre for families who want a pool and space for children. The four-star hotel has a heated outdoor swimming pool, a terrace, a garden and a children's playground, and it offers free private parking. Rooms have satellite TV and free WiFi, and the Gourmet Bar restaurant serves traditional cuisine. It stands near the Peace Memorial, about twenty minutes from the Allied Landing beaches.

The Originals City Hôtel Le Savoy is 800 metres from Caen station, close enough to walk with luggage, and it also has direct motorway access for families arriving by car. Family rooms are available. Rooms have a flat-screen TV with Canal+ satellite channels, free Wi-Fi and a tea and coffee tray. I would book it as a practical stopover in Caen, for one or two nights before or after the Normandy coast.

Le Dauphin is a three-star Logis hotel set in a former priory in central Caen, and I recommend it to families who want character within walking distance of the sights. Rooms and suites have free WiFi, a minibar and a flat-screen TV. The restaurant serves Normandy specialities with fine wines, which makes dinner easy after a day out. Parents can book the spa, with a Finnish sauna and hammam, for an extra charge and on reservation.

A no-frills stop that suits a family on a D-Day itinerary: the Caen Memorial is a four-minute drive and the landing beaches about twenty minutes away. Rooms are simple, with a flat-screen TV and an en suite bathroom, and the lift helps with pushchairs and luggage. Breakfast is a buffet each morning, and free parking makes early starts easy. Do not expect a pool or play area here; the value lies in the location.