Our group of 8 will conclude our September "14 days in England" trip in London. We would like to extend by going to Paris to see Notre Dame (as that was still closed last time we were there), then onto tour the D-Day sites. Who would you recommend as the best tour company for D-day sites? Is it best to travel to Bayeux by train? Would love any wisdom from those of you who have done this!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8646 posts
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/summer-travel-to-normandy-from-london-uk
D-Day tours tend to be very expensive, especially those with transportation. You need a van. This board often speaks well of Overlord or Dale Booth. (No personal experience,) They book up months in advance, fully paid in advance.
You can find dozens of reports with the search box top left. Just type in "d-day" to start with.
Are you prepared to spend the night in Paris before your flight home?
Posted by
1696 posts
I found our tour through Overlord of good value and excellent. If I recall correctly, our van carried 7 passengers so you'd have to find a tour that could accommodate all 8 of you. The other company that gets good reviews here is HQ Company.
You usually need to arrive the night prior to be able to do an all day tour, but you've got a group of 8, so I'm sure they can customize any tour for your group to meet your needs.
Enjoy!
Posted by
Freedonia
18555 posts
I'll second the suggestion for Overlord tours. With eight, definitely get in touch regarding your own private tour.
Posted by
Boston
166 posts
Hi,
I traveled by train from Paris to Bayeux in November 2023 and it was a breeze. I think it was about 3 hours 15m with a short transfer (11 or 12m) in Caen. There were direct trains but they didn't fit my schedule.
My buddy and I used Overlord - Antoine Muriel was our guide- and they were spectacular. Worth every cent and I'd use them again. I wrote a trip report/review of their services somewhere on this website.
Good luck
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11390 posts
We used Overlord and highly recommend them. As someone mentioned, you will have to spend the night before the tour in Bayeux. Setting up a private tour is a great idea with the size of your group.
Posted by
Washington DC
30182 posts
Overlord offers a tour (#2FS) designed for people sleeping in Paris. You take the early train to Bayeux and are picked up right at the train station. You get just about the same length of tour as the folks taking the regular full-day tour, but it makes for a very long day. I don't want to think about what time you'd need to wake up to catch that 6:12 AM train from Saint-Lazare Station. I'd strongly, strongly urge spending at least two nights in Bayeux so you can enjoy the pretty town and its sights and not be so exhausted when you head to your next stop.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for all this advice. To answer Tim's question, yes, I imagine we will stay the night in Paris. Perhaps at both ends of our trip.
Posted by
568 posts
We have found Overlord provide great tours and they have private 8 person mini van tours. Fairly reasonable. We are taking our larger family group on their 16 passenger mini bus tour. Even more reasonable. Dont wait though.