Best Tour Guide for Normandy Beaches for Teenage History Lovers

Ready to head out to a meeting so a quick response. Dale Booth did our tour about 4 years ago. He's an independent tour guide now but was fantastic! Also, we loved the museum in Bayeux.

I never miss an opportunity to recommend Sean Claxton (http://www.normandyinsight.com/biog/). You don't say where you are staying, but he will meet up with you anywhere within an hour or so of St. Lo. He gave us a two day "American Experience" tour in 2010 through a different company.

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a museum, but the church at Angoville au Plain (sp?) is truly fascinating. It was used as an aid station during a battle.

Thank you both for the helpful info! I appreciate any ideas, especially about the church....anything we might not think of on our own.

Here's more information on Angoville:

http://www.normandythenandnow.com/the-scars-of-angoville-au-plain/

I never miss an opportunity to recommend Chris at Visit D Day. He'll jump in your rental car and navigate while you drive, saving a considerable sum over other tour providers. He's also a retired Royal Marine with lots of good war stories to keep kids entertained. He and his wonderful wife run a bed and breakfast, too, if you're in search of accommodations.

http://www.visitdday.com/

Thank you for the help!!!! How long ago did you tour? Thx!

We were in Normandy the weekend of June 24, 2016. We stayed in a small apartment I found on VRBO, in Bayeux. Awesome location. Too small for your family, only sleeps 2.

Thank you for the info on Angoville au Plain....it sounds amazing!

"...have read every book they can find...on D-Day" Bravo! My compliments on such determination and diligence on this subject. I'll offer some here, some of which most likely they already read.

D. Eisenhower, "Crusade in Europe" (Ike's memoirs), S. Ambrose, "The Supreme Commander" , J. Keegan, "Six Armies in Normandy", M. Hastings, "Overlord and the Battle for Normandy", A. Beevor book on D-Day and Normandy, J. Keegan, "Churchill and his Generals." R. Weigley, "Eisenhower and his Lieutenants" (on the US Army on D-Day and Normandy and more in Europe). C. Ryan, "The Longest Day", C. Wilmot, "Struggle for Europe", D. Showater, "Patton and Rommel." R. Lewin, Montgomery. BH Liddell Hart, "History of the Second World War", B L Montgomery, " Memoirs" , R. Weigley, "The American Way of War"

Seen from the German side: R. Hargreaves, "The Germans in Normandy" R. Lewin, "Rommel"
D. Showater, "Hitler's Panzers", P. Carell, "Invasion, They're Coming" (popular history), H. A. Jacobsen (ed), "Decisive Battles of the Second World War: the German View"

RE: the best museum to see if it is only one. In that case I would say the museum in Bayeux, concise, well organized with some pertinent literature on the topic posted, in translation as well as in the original language. The PAK gun can be seen there also.

The museum in Caen is much bigger, information overkill if you like that (I like the Caen Museum and its book shop), be prepared to spend the entire afternoon there. I mainly recommend that one if you know the history (inter-war and WW2) very well, otherwise Bayeux is better. Your boys will find the Caen Museum fascinating.

Thank you for all the help, Fred!

We booked 2 tours - each a full day.
1 - Beaches, cemeteries, small towns significant to d-day
2 - Mont St. Michel
We booked thru Viator.com - they are a consolidator and they hooked us up with Overlord tours for each of these 2 tours. Our guide was a young man named Adrian and he was excellent - really knows his history.
Our guide for both days was Adrian and he was excellent.

runner,

There are a huge number of guides in Normandy, so you'll have lots to choose from. I would suggest pre-booking a tour as some can be busy at times, although March will likely be somewhat quiet. Some that you could consider depending on your budget.....

• http://www.ddayhistorian.com/
• http://dboothnormandytours.com/
• http://www.visitdday.com/ (you'll need the rental car)
• http://www.overlordtour.com/ (they do half day tours as well)

Bayeux is a good central location for a "home base", so I'd recommend staying there. I would also recommend the Museum there, and you could also see the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which describes a much earlier battle.

The events at the Church at Angoville au Plain were documented by PBS in a special called Eagles of Mercy. Here's a trailer....

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDvBrGDFs

It's a very inspiring story! Some of the tours stop at the Church, and it's better to see it with a guide.

As you'll be driving in France, note that each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office). In lieu of the I.D.P., you'll need a notarized copy of the terms of your D.L. in French.

@ runner316....You are welcome! Hopefully, your boys can track down some of my reading suggestions at the public library.

We used Sylvain Kast of D-Day Experience Tours. He offers a number of different tour options on his website (including one that involves some significant hiking around Omaha Beach), but he also will customize a tour based on what you want to see/do. He typically does 2-day tours, but we booked him for one full day and did a custom tour that was a mix of beach hiking and various stops along the American Sector. He's a younger guy, but has family roots in that area and knows an astonishing amount of info and stories as you make stops along the way. He also kept the attention of 2 teenage girls who had zero interest in even going to Normandy but ended up feeling like it was one of the best things they did during several weeks in France. All of us agreed if we can get back to Normandy again for a longer stay, we'd book with him again for a 2-day tour and do a full day of hiking the beaches and hit the Canadian and British sectors with him. I don't think he'd agree to do a half day tour, but you could always try to ask, especially since March is not a really busy season.

I did a self guided driving tour, so I can’t suggest guides, but Bayeux is a good base for visiting Normandy, and its D-Day Museum is excellent. It’s a pleasant city with good walks and restaurants after touring the beaches, and it’s a short drive from the battle sites.

I enjoyed the D-Day Landing Museum at Arromanches; it focuses more on the engineering and harbor building, which was an aspect I hadn’t thought about as much, and it’s not covered in the movies. That may not interest your kids as much, though, but I spent more time than I had originally planned, there.

The visitors center at Omaha has some emotionally moving exhibits. Rick Steves says that the Utah Beach Landing Museum is “the best museum on the D-Day beaches.”

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/frances-dday-beaches-a-powerful-memorial

We were going to use Chris from visit dday but he cancelled as he had health issues. We used Duncan from Normandy sight seeing services also retired British special forces and he was great. We went to the airborne museum in St Mer Eglise. We enjoyed the entire experience. My boys are 13 and 15.

Wow thank you all so much for these wonderful ideas! I love the books, guide suggestions, activity suggestions.

Any special restaurants in Bayeaux that we should try? Or places we might not have read about (in a guide book) that we should visit in Bayeaux?

Thanks to everyone for taking time to help us!

You've already received some great tips but I'll toss in a few more. I took my sister to Normandy in October - it was my 5th visit and her 1st. We did a full-day tour with Overlord Tours; 1/2 day on Omaha and 1/2 day focus on Band of Brothers. Our guide, Yannick, was phenomenal - he developed his passion for the battle of Normandy as a young teen, so I think he would bond easily with your boys. I adore Bayeux and we stayed at Maison de Bayeux-- phenomenal! If you do go to the museum there (like others, I highly recommend it), be sure not to miss the journalist memorial across the street - it's beautiful and touching - only takes a few minutes. I'll message you after I dig up names of favorite places to eat.

Shelly, Thank you so much for the wonderful input! We will put the journalist museum on our list. Please do let me know any other places you recommend, restaurants sound great.

Thanks to everyone for all the help!

I will second and third the recommendation of the Bayeux museum. Concise, and gives you a good overview. However, my favorite museum in the general area is the museum at Utah Beach. It emphasizes the western approach and airborne operations a little more, but it is still a great and comprehensive museum. Many visitors don't make it out to the Utah Beach area, but it is beautiful, and is much better preserved than the other beaches. I can't speak to the tour guides, as I have always made my own way in the area (5 trips, and soon to be 6). The area is very doable on your own if you understand the history and terrain, and it sound like your kids have done their homework in the first part of that. I've heard good reviews of many tour guides, but there is a lot to see that most tour guides will never bring you to. Take your time and enjoy the area.

@ runner 316....A couple more pertinent books on the subject for your eager readers.

J. Gavin, "On to Berlin" (Gavin's memoirs as the youngest Division commander in the US Army, Your boys will be familiar with the 82nd Airborne)

JFC Fuller, " A Military History of the Western World," vol. 3 (the relevant chapter on D-Day and Normandy, the British view.)

BH Liddell Hart, "The German Generals Talk," (Interviews the author held with captured German Army officers after the war plus those who survived Normandy).