After breakfast, meet your English speaking driver-guide at the Place du Quebec and start your full day visit to the key beaches, sites & museums linked to D-Day.
First stop will be Sainte Mere Eglise, heart of the drop zone for the 82nd Airborne U.S. forces.
On the morning of June 6, 1944, also known as the longest day, thousands of soldiers from the Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in an attempt to liberate France and the continent from the German occupation. This marked the beginning of a fierce and deadly battle against surprised but well-trained Nazi troops. Among the Allied Troops, the Americans landed on two different beaches, later named Utah and Omaha. Indeed, the D-Day landings did not only happen from the sea! Airborne divisions and paratroopers rained on this village, and one of them famously got caught in the church tower. The village is also home to the Airborne Museum. We highly recommend a visit if time allows (entrance fees are not included).
Then, your Normandy battlefield tour will take you to Utah Beach, the second beach where the American troops landed. Again, listen to your guide as he reveals the historical facts of the landings and how the troops were able to storm the beaches in this area. It is here that the 101st Airborne Pathfinders were dropped the night before D-Day. Your guide will also take you to the US military cemetery where you can pay your respects to the ones who fell during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy that followed.
Also located in the American sector, head to Pointe du Hoc, a breathtaking cliff offering lunar landscapes, stunning bomb craters and a magnificent viewpoint over the English Channel. Given the toughness of the operation, the Pointe du Hoc was given to Rangers to land upon. The battle site, dotted with German bunkers was rough, as the Pointe du Hoc had been built as a key point of the Atlantic Wall. It was the highest point between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach and provided a great observation spot to notice any unfriendly arrivals from the sea. You can still see an artillery gun battery there and feel as if it was still 1944. At lunch time, your English-speaking guide will point out the best places to eat depending on the location
This Normandy battlefield tour will also take you to Omaha Beach, where the deadliest of the landings took place. Even though bombings occurred before the landing itself, they failed to neutralise the German positions in that sector. In addition, troops and amphibian vehicles were disembarked too far from the shore, leading to an absolute failure and thousands of men being killed under heavy German fire. The assault on this beach was perfectly depicted in the opening scenes of the Saving Private Ryan movie. Learn more about the landing and the following days as your tour guide explains all the events that took place on the beach and how the battle raged and evolved inland.
If time permits, your guide will also make a stop at the Omaha Beach American Cemetery and memorial in Colleville sur Mer where you will have some time to pay homage to the fallen. Depending on the timing of the day you might also have the opportunity to enter the visitor centre. After a complete day of visiting the most important sites linked with D-Day, return to your hotel in Bayeux.
Overnight stay in Bayeux at Grand Hotel Du Luxembourg.