D-Day Beaches Tour Recommendations

I have nothing against Overlord tours at all, they usually get five-star raves here. But I was surprised to see a recent negative review. I just want to make sure you get a full spectrum of replies:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/normandy-brittany-loire-in-june-and-july-2024

We did not use a tour, we used two paperback D-Day guides, ten years ago. I would add that one reason to use a guide is the large number in your group. It can be helpful to have an authority figure when "herding" a group with varied interests. (No insult intended.)

Thank you, Tim. I hadn't seen the review that you shared. This is helpful and encourages me to continue to research. Like you, I usually have only seen great reviews, so perhaps this is an anomaly. I appreciate you taking the time to respond and share the link.

We just took an Overlord Tour in April, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were scheduled for a full day tour, and had a foot injury the previous day and were worried about it being too long of a day in light of the situation. They were very accommodating, put us on a half day tour, and even provided a wheelchair, (which we ended up not needing) and would really have only been realistically used at the American Cemetery, but nonetheless their efforts were greatly appreciated. And of course we wished we could have done a full day, but were very happy with our experience.

Our tour was interesting and informative and our young tour guide's family went many generations back as residents of Bayeux and his grandmother was there during the invasion. Our tour van only held 7 passengers plus driver, so with 6 of you, you nearly have a private tour. Honestly you don't have to be a history buff to appreciate and reflect on what happened in Normandy. I challenge your friends who will be going along for the ride not to be moved. And of course, it's all very scenic and beautiful. And Bayeux is so charming. Try to see the tapestry.

Not sure what happened with the person who had a negative experience with Overlord, but sometimes that happens, and I'm always open to understanding that sometimes things go awry. On this same trip we stayed at a highly recommended RS hotel in Paris. It was an extremely unpleasant and unfortunate experience, that likely wouldn't happen again to us or anyone else; but circumstances just made it such a negative. Sometimes stuff happens.

@KD - Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it.

I agree with you - sometimes things are just a bit off for otherwise excellent experiences. Sorry your hotel experience wasn't optimal, but sounds like you didn't let it ruin your trip. Things will always happen; it's how we deal with it that makes the difference. C'est la vie! :)

My husband and I were in Bayeux about 15 years ago, so seeing it again and with first-timers will be very pleasant, I'm sure. The Tapestry is definitely on our list for the group to see (as we saw it on our first trip).

Thanks again! Cheers!

We took a tour with Dale Booth when he worked for another firm in 2009. He is now on his own. He is excellent, and I have seen many positive reviews over the years.

We were very pleased with HQCompany tours in September. Super easy to work with and Yannick our guide was the best. Their reviews on Trip Advisor mention him a lot. Would certainly use them again. Picked up and dropped off at our B&B.

Adrienne,

I think it's important to note that Overlord Tour generally gets excellent reviews. I suspect if the guide in that negative review gets many negative comments, he won't be working for them too long.

There are many D-Day tour companies, and some that you could consider are......

• Dale Booth (always gets rave reviews) - https://www.dboothnormandytours.com/
• Chris Emery - http://www.visitdday.com/about.html

If there are specific sites your group is interested in seeing, a personalized tour might be better than a group tour. However a private tour is going to be considerably more expensive. If you're only going to be there for two nights, that basically provides one full day for tours.

There's also an excellent Museum in Bayeux, and of course the famous Bayeux Tapestry which describes a much earlier battle.

Hi

I used Overlord in November 2023 & would absolutely use them again.

Here’s a review I wrote:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/over-lord-tours-normandy-review

Best of luck

We have booked with Stuart Robertson twice, for 2 days each time. My husband is the history buff and I went along for the ride. I took a paperback each time in case I got bored. I never cracked it. With 6 people, you could customize a tour, which is what we did. Stuart is so knowledgeable and had stories of real people, not just the places. I can’t recommend him enough! He fills up very early so don’t wait.

http://www.normandybattletours.com/

Hope you have a great trip!