BRITISH SECTOR TOUR
British Tour
This tour is possible as a day trip from Paris (Monday to Friday).
I will greet you at Bayeux train station or at your hotel/accommodations and we’ll travel in my comfortable 9 seater, air-conditioned van, solely for you and your travel companions.
This is a typical British tour but it may be possible to integrate any special requests – please contact me.
We will discuss the events leading up to D-Day en route to Bénouville where the tour commences. On this eastern-most flank of the invasion, we will talk about the crucial objectives of the airborne forces and the swift capture of Pegasus Bridge. This was the first airborne operation of D-Day and certainly one of the most crucial for its success. The Pegasus Memorial Museum can be visited at extra cost if you would like to learn more about the airborne achievements.
Our next stop will be at the second largest British Commonwealth War Cemetery in Normandy in the small town of Ranville. We will pay our respects to the over 2,560 fallen who are buried there. We will have time to appreciate the beautifully-kept grounds and to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice of these brave men.
From there, we’ll drive towards Sword Beach. Starting from Riva Bella (Ouistreham), we will make several stops along the way to learn about the Atlantic Wall and the Allied preparations to ensure the success of the landings, wave after wave, which would establish the beachheads. We will find out more about the Free French Commander Kieffer and his Commandos, the main British landing site, and more.
Lunch will usually be at a bistrot with a good choice of food and drink. After lunch, we’ll make our way to Gold Beach and take multiple stops to hear its stories – notably the illustrious actions that lead to the award of the only Victoria Cross of D-Day.
From the heights above Arromanches, we will see the remnants of the British Mulberry Harbor and talk about the amazing feat of engineering that it represented, and its impact on the logistics of the Allies.
Our last stop is at Longues-sur-Mer where we will visit the only coastal German gun battery in Normandy to retain its guns, . We’ll find out more about this technologically-advanced battery site, its dueling with the Allied armada on D-Day, and its observation post, famously seen in the 1961 classic film “The Longest Day”.
On the return journey we will expand on the Battle of Normandy and the ordeal that it was for the Allied troops.
We will have covered a lot during the day – yet it is still just a brief insight into the British actions during this historic campaign.
Useful Information
Pick-up/drop-off: At your accommodations in or near Bayeux. Other pick-up locations by arrangement.
Start: 8.30-9.00 am.
Duration: 9 hours approximately.
Vehicle: Comfortable air-conditioned van.
Passenger capacity: 1 to 8 people.
Price: €600 (for the tour, not per person).
Lunches and/or museum entrances are not included in the tour price.