During the nights of June 5 and 6, 1944, more than 16,000 paratroopers landed in Normandy, in northwestern France, and the D-Day invasion of World War Two began. Soon after, British, American, French and Canadian troops landed on various beaches on the Normandy coast and engaged in heavy fighting over the following days, which eventually led to the end of the European conflict of WWII.
This flexible private tour from Caen allows you to personalize your own itinerary – see the sites and attractions you want for however long you want! Visit the famous landing beaches, like Utah Beach (the first beach secured by the Allies) and Omaha Beach (where some of the heaviest fighting took place, giving it the nickname Bloody Omaha). You can also visit the Airborne Museum of Saint-Mere-Eglise or the American Cemetery, on the eastern end of Omaha Beach, which commemorates the US soldiers who died in this battle. This expansive space of reflection is the final resting place of 9,387 soldiers.
Or maybe you’d rather spend time at Sword Beach, where the British, along with Free French soldiers, began their invasion of Normandy and quickly moved to capture Pegasus Bridge. You’ll have the opportunity to visit the Hillman Bunker Complex, outside the village of Colleville-Montgomery; the Merville Battery Museum; and the Commonwealth Military Cemeteries, where messages and epitaphs bear testament to the lives lost during the Normandy invasion.
If you’re interested in the Canadian participation around Juno Beach, visit the Juno Beach Center and the Canadian Cemetery near the villages of Veny-sur-Mer and Reviers. You can also choose to see the 12th-century Ardenne Abbey, initially the main point of French resistance and the site where 11 Canadian prisoners of war were executed.
However you choose to customize your private tour, you are sure to have a fascinating and interesting day at the D Day sites of Normandy.