I've been to Normandy before, but was there this spring with friends of ours and also went to Dieppe and Vimy. Apologies if this post is long, but this is a favourite topic of mine and I thought I'd toss in a few pics for good measure.
We started in the parking lot about a km away from the monument which is the home of a Parks Canada office (the area is a gift to Canada from The French so you are in theory on Canadian Soil). From there you can sign up for a tour of the bunker tunnels and go through the exhibit on the monument. The video on the restoration of the monument shouldn't be missed. Right nearby is a mockup of the trenches with the odd piece of actual trench and old bombs or military parts. Everywhere in the fields you see remains of bomb craters, which are now home to the Vimy Ridge sheep which keep the grass down. Think about how big these craters would have been as they've had 90 years to fill in.
Depending on what time the next tour is you can walk from the Parks office to the monument. I'd highly recommend this as you get to the monument slowly and can see if from many angles. As you get closer and closer the enormity of the monument becomes clear.
Part way to the monument is a Canadian cemetery which is also a must. Pay attention to the number of "Known Unto God" epitaphs which are bodies they couldn't recognize.
Vimy could be done in a day trip from where you are unless you want to stay and see it at night when it's lit up. The whole thing is very thought provoking.
Dieppe was also good even though it what whizzing rain on us. Standing out on the crappy shale beach makes you shake your head at the whole plan and how anyone would have gotten off that beach alive. The monument right near the beach is great to see and going to the Canadian cemetary is very moving. The relatives were given the opportunity to write an epitaph and the ones who did were moving. Make sure you sign the guest book in the nitch at both cemeteries.
The Normandy beaches are also good. The new Juno Beach Centre is good, and the tour is worth taking. The museum exhibits focus a lot on Canadian life during the war and not the actual landing. Omaha is the big one of course thanks to Pt. Ryan and The Longest Day. It's a must see though as you stand out on this beach and look back up the hill and wonder how anyone would survive.
The US Cemetary at Coleville is gigantic. It's the cemetary in the opening scene of Pt. Ryan. I didn't see it the first time I was there but glad I did this visit. While it's huge, it's very tastefully done.
For the heck of it I'll add the Germany gun battery at Longues was really cool to see and my friend and I both channeled our inner 6 year old by climbing in and around the gun placements.
All of my pics from the spring are in the link below, go to the second page for Vimy and the beaches.
http://www.stadevene.com/normandy.html
I'd say visiting the majority of the above is a must for anyone who is interested in war history and some of it is interesting on it's own as the wives can attest to. I'm missing all the stuff you'll see in Belgium so I'm anxious for your account and pics of that area.
Enjoy your trip.