Normandy
is rugged splendour with a heavy history
Welcome to Normandy
From the Norman invasion of England in 1066 to the D-Day landings of 1944, Normandy has long played an outsized role in European history. This rich and often brutal past is brought vividly to life by the spectacular and iconic island monastery of Mont St-Michel; the incomparable Bayeux Tapestry, world-famous for its cartoon scenes of 11th-century life; and the transfixing cemeteries and memorials along the D-Day beaches, places of solemn pilgrimage.
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Normandy Beaches Half-Day Trip from Bayeux
After pickup from Bayeux, your guide will take you to the three important World War II sites in Normandy. Your first stop is Pointe du Hoc, the German battery that was attacked by US Rangers on D-Day. Hear how the Rangers, commanded by Lt Col James Rudder, scaled the cliffs to get to the German gun position — a scene that was famously depicted in the war film Saving Private Ryan. With its huge fortifications blown to pieces, the site remains as it did when the US Rangers left it: like an eerie lunar landscape.Then drive along the coast to Omaha Beach, where soldiers of the Vierville 29th and Colleville 1st Divisions landed. By far the most difficult place to land on D-Day, Omaha Beach was the bloodiest of the five beaches and the operation almost failed, but the bravery of those young men turned this operation into a victory. You’ll make two stops along the 4-mile (6-km) beach, one on each end, to give you an appreciation of the sheer scale of the events that took place here. Overlooking the eastern end of Omaha Beach is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, which you’ll visit next. This cemetery — the largest American cemetery in Europe — holds the bodies of 9,387 soldiers who fought to liberate Western Europe from the Germans. Pay tribute to the 307 unknown soldiers or visit the resting place of more famous figures such as General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. End with a tour of the Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center, where you’ll learn more about the scenes that took place on Omaha Beach in 1944. Through personal stories, narrative texts, photos, films, interactive displays and artifacts, you’ll grasp the bravery and sacrifice of the American soldiers who fought at the D-Day landings, culminating in the victory of the Allied forces. After this insightful and moving experience, your guide will drive you back to Bayeux to conclude your tour.
Normandy Battlefields Tour - American Sites
Begin your tour with a visit to the Sainte-Mère Church and Airborne Museum, the site of a massive airborne operation involving 15,000 U.S. paratroopers during World War II. Hear from your knowledgeable guide how the brave soldiers descended from the skies on the night before D-Day and learn the incredible story of Private John Steele, one of the paratroopers.Continue onward to Utah Beach, where soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division leapt from their landing crafts and headed inland under the orders of General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. The first day of battle saw relatively few casualties, but the same cannot be said for those that followed.Visit the German Cemetery, the largest in Normandy dedicated to German casualties of war and the place where over 21,000 fallen soldiers are laid to rest. Spend time at Pointe du Hoc, one of the very largest German coastal batteries. The guns located here rained shells down on Allied soldiers across Omaha and Utah beaches, and the job of silencing them fell to a certain Lt. Col. Rudder and the U.S. Rangers of the 2nd Battalion.Spend time on Omaha Beach, widely considered the most famous of the D-Day landing beaches. Gain an insight into the challenge faced by the Allied forces landing here under heavy German fire, and take time to consider their extraordinary courage.The last stop on your tour is the American Cemetery and Visitor Center, the final resting place of 9,387 U.S. soldiers. The cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach and honors soldiers of all ranks in equal measure. Spend time walking among the marked graves and consider this fitting tribute to those who never made it home after World War II.After nine hours discovering the Normandy battlefields, travel back to Bayeaux where your tour will come to an end.
Skip-the-Line Giverny and Monet House from Paris
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productPass By: Place des Pyramides, Paris, Ile-de-FranceFan of Monet? Want to see where he lived and the garden that inspired him? Your wish is our command with this half-day trip! Pass By: Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny, Eure, Haute-Normandie, NormandyExpect a feast for your eyes on this half-day tour to Claude Monet’s home in Giverny. After an hour and a half from Paris on your air-conditioned coach, you’ll alight at Monet’s property and extensive gardens, where he indulged in his green-fingered passion. First, you’ll visit the front gardens and orchards with your expert guide, to gaze upon an array of vivid blooms (depending on the season). Next, you’ll be enthralled to see the legendary water lily pond in real life and cross the oft-painted Japanese bridge. Don’t forget to take a few pics, be the star of your own Impressionist-style landscapes! Take a while to enjoy the tranquility of the weeping willows and bamboo trees. Then on to Monet’s house, painstakingly restored to its former glory. Pass By: The Clos Normand - Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny, Eure, Haute-Normandie, NormandyExplore Monet’s abode and admire his private art collection, a huge fan of Japanese engravings, he amassed one of the largest collections in the world. Make sure to stop by the excellent souvenir shop before you leave to peruse, and maybe purchase, reproductions of Monet’s paintings, crockery, table sets and even flower seeds (if you fancy recreating the gardens back home!) Then it’s back to Paris in the comfort of your coach. • Travel from Paris to Giverny by air-conditioned coach • Choose a tour in the morning or afternoon • Discover the gardens that inspired Claude Monet • Admire the water-lily pond and Japanese bridge from Monet’s paintings • Learn about the gardens with your guide then explore alone • Discover Monet’s personal collections in his home
Giverny and Monet's Garden Small Group Day Trip from Paris
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny, Eure, Haute-Normandie, NormandyYour afternoon tour to Giverny will take you through the Normandy countryside to the charming country village of Giverny, where Monet lived with his family from 1883 until his death in 1926. It was here in Giverny that Monet indulged his love of nature, in his painting, his gardening and his photography. You'll be able to stroll through Monet's exquisite gardens and admire the water-lily pond and famous Japanese bridge which featured in his masterpieces. Independently explore the house and gardens to get a real feel for how Monet lived and what provided the inspiration to his works. Duration: 1 hourStop At: Musee des impressionnismes, Giverny, Eure, Haute-Normandie, NormandyThe final stop on your artists' tour before returning to Paris is a visit to the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny. The museum houses a number of works by American painters who traveled to Giverny to meet Claude Monet and draw inspiration from his Impressionist techniques.Duration: 2 hours
Normandy D-Day and Memorial de Caen Tour with US or CA Option
Your tour begins at Caen railway station, making it especially easy to join if you're coming into the city by train from Paris (own expense). Follow your guide to the Mémorial de Caen, a museum covering major historical events from the end of World War I to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Your guide - trained by the museum's historians - will explain the intense preparations for D-Day by both sides, and the tremendous significance of the day in the outcome of World War II. Feel free to ask your guide any questions you may have about D-Day as you indulge in a 2-course lunch served with mineral water and a glass of wine at La Terrasse, a restaurant at the museum. In the afternoon, board a comfortable, air-conditioned minivan and embark on a 5-hour guided tour of some of the most important D-Day sites you learned about during your Mémorial de Caen museum tour. First off, visit the artificial harbour at Arromanches-Les-Bains and watch the film "Normandy's 100 Days" at the Arromanches 360 Circular Cinema, before continuing to the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Omaha Beach and the Pointe du Hoc. Throughout your small-group tour, your guide will share stories that will humanize the stark statistics of World War II and D-Day. By the end of this powerful tour of historic sites, you'll understand just how much was at stake on D-Day and have a new appreciation for the men who fought and died in the war. Your tour ends at Caen railway station in the evening so you can easily catch a train back to Paris (own expense) if you wish.On Sundays and some Bank Holidays the guided visit of the Memorial de Caen museum will only last 30 minutes. This is because the first train from Paris arrives at 11am and the guided tour of the D-Day landing sites departs at 1pm. Please contact resa@memorial-caen.fr for more information.
Normandy D-Day Landing Beaches Tour with Cider Tasting
ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productStop At: Musee du Debarquement Utah Beach, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Manche, Basse-Normandie, NormandyYou’ll join your expert guide in Paris aboard a comfortable, private coach. On the way to Normandy, learn the details of the Allied preparations for D-Day, the largest amphibious assault in history. Your guide, a fluent English-speaker, will stay with you throughout the tour to tell the story of the operation and answer questions from history buffs and curious minds.On Utah Beach, your first stop, the Allies quickly defeated the German forces. You’ll visit an extraordinary D-Day museum housed in an old German bunker on the landing beach itself. The collection here brings home both the scale and the personal sacrifice involved in the operation, with an original B-26 airplane on display along with collections of soldiers’ letters home.Duration: 1 hourStop At: Office de Tourisme intercommunal de Grandcamp-Maisy, Grandcamp-Maisy, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, NormandyNext, experience some of the culture and traditions of Normandy. Many Allied soldiers found shelter with local farmers. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to tour one, featuring a 17th-century barn, locally-made apple cider and traditional apple brandy. Lunch is served at a restaurant in a quiet port nearby.Duration: 1 hourStop At: Pointe du Hoc, Cricqueville-en-Bessin, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, NormandyAfter your meal, your coach takes you to Pointe du Hoc. From Pointe du Hoc, you’ll get a sense of the challenges the Allies faced, with views of the English Channel – and intimidating cliffs blocking access inland. Cliffs combined with enemy fire to make the landing at Omaha Beach a desperate battle for survival. Duration: 1 hourStop At: Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, NormandyWe’ll also have the opportunity to pay our respects to the fallen at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The cemetery is located on a bluff that overlooks Omaha Beach, which was one of the landing beaches of the D-Day invasion. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt and a Medal of Honor recipient, is buried here together with the almost 10,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Your guide will use the time spent driving to provide enriching commentary and answer questions, preparing you for each stop on the tour. You'll have time to look around the cemetery, visit the wall of the missing and awe-inspiring memorial, and look down upon Omaha, the beach where the Allies faced the stiffest resistance and suffered the most casualties.The journey back to Paris gives you time to reflect on all you’ve seen – and the tremendous courage and sacrifice of those who fought here. Duration: 1 hour