D-Day landings tours from Bayeux

Will you have a rental car? If so, follow the directions in the Rick Steves guidebook and you should be able to find your way to the American Cemetery and other D-Day points of interest along the coast. There's a free booklet available at museums called "Exploration and Emotion: The Historical Area of the Battle of Normandy." Be sure to visit Vierville-sur-Mer as there's a large monument and also remains of landing apparatus. Further west is the German Cemetery, which apparently does not get many visitors.

Caution: at points of interest along the coast, do not park in the "bus only" parking lots. The bus drivers will block you in.

The RS guidebook has an excellent list of D-Day tour operators and says most of them run from Bayeux. It is advisable to book ahead; RS says the quality operators get booked months in advance.

When you get to Bayeux you'll see advertisements everywhere for tours to the D-Day sites. Obviously the town depends heavily on that piece of tourism. We actually hired a private guide to ride along in our own car. He directed every step of our path and explained and told stories along the way - I think it was a great way to go. We hired him from www.toursbylocals.com, and we've actually hired guides from that website for several cities.

Thanks Tim and Epitd
We will have a hire car but there are 5 of us so no room for a guide. We should have no trouble then hopefully picking up an English speaking tour if they are advertised everywhere.

I would do a tour,they have so much info on the area that you are bound to learn something.Booking one of the well known tours probably wont work,we booked three months in advance with Overlord and the tour was totally worth it,they use a mini van so there are eight people max and it lasts all day.
Mike