D-day beaches on D-day 2016

I'm not sure that's the best time to be there, as the beaches and other sites are going to be horrendously crowded, and any locations where official ceremonies are taking place will have restricted access. On top of that, the staff of some tour companies take the day off to attend the ceremonies.

If you can find a tour company that's operating that day, that would probably be the best option as they will know which sites are accessible, and how to minimize problems with crowds.

Good luck!

In 2013 we took a tour of the American beaches with Overlord and we very pleased -- learned so much more than we could have on our own. There are several tour options. We took an all day tour, which included a stop at St. Mere Eglise, Angouville, and a museum. My father flew in a B26 during the D Day invasion, and I was able to stand next to one in this museum. A very full, emotional day. There is a lot of driving. I think if you are not exceedingly well versed in the history and do know your way around, a tour is the way to go. Forum members have taken other tour companies with good reviews, so scour this board for other companies to explore.

I think you will be okay since you're there for a few days surrounding the anniversary and not just on the day itself. It will be crowded, but I think not as badly as two years ago since it was an anniversary year. I definitely recommend taking a tour and, as Ken advises, booking well ahead since slots at that time (the two days prior to the anniversary) will probably go fast. I don't imagine that tour guides/companies will be running their regular tour schedules on the actual anniversary on the 6th; as Ken noted, they're likely to be attending various of the commemoration ceremonies that day.

Just to repeat: I recommend a tour whether it's crowded or not - it will ensure you get the most out of being there and are able to learn and appreciate the most possible.

I can't speak to the crowds but I agree with Nancy and Kim that a full day tour is an excellent use of time/money. I was on a Rick Steves tour and we had a full day with Dale Booth of Dale Booth Normandy Tours. This is what I posted on my Trip Report regarding the experience:

"Wow Moment: The DDay tour with Dale Booth was my WOW de WOW WOW moment. Really outstanding. He is a fabulous, personable, and knowledgeable guide. I loved how he started with the basics of the land features of the area, then the basics of the German occupation and fortifications, then built up the story with the Plan, the weather, the people. I love how we did the small villages in the Drop zones first, then to Utah, then to Omaha. Amazing guide. I also had asked him before we started if he could point out an Advanced Landing Ground which I knew to be near the American Cemetery on Omaha Beach. He started out his background lesson bringing in the ALGs as well as the other facets and then pointed out the airstrip as we went past. I had a map of its’ location but would never have been able to figure it out without his help."

This area is so large and unless you have a very detailed knowledge of the area I think you miss a lot. I also loved that he was able to tell us which movies had good portrayals of the situation and which didn't. The Longest Day was just on TV this week in the run up to the Oscars and wow, it made SO much more sense after having Dale's explanation.

You will probably get several recommendations for tour companies but I think most of the ones in the area use small vans so can tailor the trip somewhat to the interests of their group members.

I will be in Normandy for a long weekend in May. I have heard great thing about Malcom Clough and in fact have made reservations with him for three days of private tours. His prices for a private tour are by far the best I've seen. His web site is
http://www.d-daytoursnormandy.com. Him and his wife also owns and runs a gite in Brittany where you can stay as part of a package.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

While there will likely be a lot of people in and around the Normandy Beach WWII sites on the anniversary of D-Day, I wouldn't be particularly worried about crowds. In fact, from my own experience visiting there on June 6th, the only real problem I experienced was finding lodging close to St Mere Eglise on the night of June 5th. This is when the entire town erupts into a celebration of the paratroop landings which occurred there during the night of June 5/6th, 1944.

Otherwise, there are so many areas to see that the crowds are pretty well spaced out and aren't likely to present any great difficulty. There were lot's of people in Arromanches when I was last there on D-Day, but not so many that it presented a problem. Likewise, there were a number of visitors to the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, but again, no real problem.

If you feel comfortable driving, your best bet is to rent a car and tour on your own. There are a number of maps available which detail the significant areas and this will allow you some freedom to spend as much or as little time as you like at the various sites. It is pretty difficult to make it to all of the major sites in one day, so you'll need to either plan ahead as to what areas you most want to see, or divide things up over two days.

When I was last there, there were a number of re-inactors camping atop Pont du' Hoc- all in period dress with surplus WWII equipment which was pretty cool. Also, you'll see many WWII era US Army vehicles about at various sites.

Best of luck,
Josephus

I agree with Nancy that a guided tour is the way to go because they have so much information to enhance the tour and they know where to park so you don't have to walk too far.I did my tour with Overlord in May of 2013.
Mike

I was from 5th to 7th June 2012 in Normandy and visited many places along the coast. It was the 6th busy and less easy to park your car, so needed to walk more, but never like soonerauty had the impression it was undoable. Like Kim remarks so well it can be the case that it is too crowded if there is an anniversary year with all those political leaders attending the ceremonies and necessary security.

There are ofcourse a lot of ceremonies and there are still luckely enough veterans willing to have a talk with. With that special atmosphere makes it to an unique experience and happy to have visited the beaches that day.

Like Ken says the tour guides can be involved with the organization of the events during that period, so if interested in a guided tour contact them first how nevertheless find a way to help you with your visit.