My knowledge is not extensive on the subject and I would like to ask if there are any key things that are must see/do on a one day trip to Normandy (that might be missing from the list below). I recongize choosing a smaller group might be an advantage, but I just want to make sure I don't miss something big. Planning this later than I should be. What to expect from the one I am looking at below:
Highlights
What's included
What to expect
Spend a day away from Paris and visit the Normandy beaches where thousands of the Allied Powers’ troops landed to free France from Axis control during World War II. During your early-morning ride aboard an air-conditioned coach to northern France, your informative guide shares fascinating commentary on the events of June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day.
Begin at the Utah Beach Museum, housed in an original German bunker and constructed on the beach where the first American troops landed. Here, learn about Operation Overlord (the Allied codename for the Normandy Invasion) and the invaluable assistance from French citizens that made a difference in the war. Utah Beach is now home to one of only six remaining original B-26 fighter planes that were used during the invasion. Look out onto breathtaking views of the beach from inside the museum before heading down to the beach itself.
Next, head out to the countryside to a 17th-century barn with a traditional cider-making orchard, and savor some of its cider and calvados (an apple-based brandy). With your appetite opened up, settle in for a 2-course lunch at a restaurant overlooking the port of Grandcamp-Maisy. (Lunch typically includes a main course of fish or meat, dessert, and a glass of cider.)
After your meal, your coach takes you to Pointe du Hoc, a cliff-top German defense the US troops heroically seized. Continue to Colleville-sur-Mer and pay your respects to the fallen at the American Cemetery. From the cemetery, you can see Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches where many American soldiers are buried. Inside the Omaha Beach Visitor Centre, gain insight into the landings that did not fare accordingly to plan.
Then, board your coach for return transport to your departure point in Paris.
Highlights
- Tour Normandy’s four most significant WWII sites
- Remember the victories and losses of the D-Day landings
- Walk among memorials to fallen soldiers at the American Cemetery
- Day trip from Paris includes 25-passenger coach transport
What's included
What to expect
Spend a day away from Paris and visit the Normandy beaches where thousands of the Allied Powers’ troops landed to free France from Axis control during World War II. During your early-morning ride aboard an air-conditioned coach to northern France, your informative guide shares fascinating commentary on the events of June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day.
Begin at the Utah Beach Museum, housed in an original German bunker and constructed on the beach where the first American troops landed. Here, learn about Operation Overlord (the Allied codename for the Normandy Invasion) and the invaluable assistance from French citizens that made a difference in the war. Utah Beach is now home to one of only six remaining original B-26 fighter planes that were used during the invasion. Look out onto breathtaking views of the beach from inside the museum before heading down to the beach itself.
Next, head out to the countryside to a 17th-century barn with a traditional cider-making orchard, and savor some of its cider and calvados (an apple-based brandy). With your appetite opened up, settle in for a 2-course lunch at a restaurant overlooking the port of Grandcamp-Maisy. (Lunch typically includes a main course of fish or meat, dessert, and a glass of cider.)
After your meal, your coach takes you to Pointe du Hoc, a cliff-top German defense the US troops heroically seized. Continue to Colleville-sur-Mer and pay your respects to the fallen at the American Cemetery. From the cemetery, you can see Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches where many American soldiers are buried. Inside the Omaha Beach Visitor Centre, gain insight into the landings that did not fare accordingly to plan.
Then, board your coach for return transport to your departure point in Paris.
