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- ENTIRE Cooling-Off Period
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Itinerary
Day 1 Bayeux
Upon arrival at Bayeux Train Station you will be escorted by private transfer to your centrally located hotel and check in.
Overnight stay in Bayeux at Hotel Villa Lara.
Day 2 Bayeux Omaha & Utah Bayeux
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 Hotel Villa Lara.
Day 3 Bayeux Mont Saint Michel Bayeux
After breakfast, meet your English speaking driver- guide at the Place du Quebec and start your trip to one of France’s most iconic monuments: Mont Sant Michel.
The UNESCO World Heritage Listed, remarkable Gothic jewel of Mont St Michel is located about 1 kilometre from the shore and sits in a bay that sees some of the biggest tides in Europe. A few years ago, it was linked to the mainland by a bridge that gets flooded during high tides a few times a year only.
The first church was built on the mount in 709 at the request of Archange Michael. A couple of hundred years later, a small group of Benedictines settled there permanently and the church was enlarged. The first monastery was carved in the rock in the 11th century and gradually got bigger and bigger over the following centuries. In the medieval time, it quickly became an important destination for pilgrims, just like Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Visit the Benedictine Abbey with your guide. The construction of the Mont Saint Michel Abbey as we know it nowadays was finished in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the grand chancel was replaced in the 15th century. Those hundreds of years of architectural prowesses have left us with a magnificent monument, now referred to as the “Wonder of the Western World”. Follow your guide on a walking tour. The history of its construction will be explained in detail and while you are there and make sure you snap some pictures of the amazing views on the surrounding bay!
After the visit of the Abbey, enjoy some free time to explore this lively small town at your own pace and bring back some souvenirs for friends and family. Your guide will also suggest some great restaurants for lunch, suitable for all budgets. If you want to indulge, the Mère Poulard Restaurant is probably the most famous on the mount. It gained its reputation thanks to its unique omelette soufflée recipe. It is well worth a visit and a must-try when on a Mont Saint Michel day tour but keep in mind you will need a large amount of time as the restaurant is so popular with visitors.
Overnight stay in Bayeux at Hotel Villa Lara.
Day 4 Bayeux
Breakfast at your hotel and return transfer from your hotel to Bayeux Train Station.
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