D-Day on a guided tour or by Rick's book

We toured for a full day with Dale Booth several years ago. It was one of the very best experiences I have ever had. It came alive with special stories he shared that I would never have gotten another way. It was definitely worth the money and I'd like to tour with Dale again.

The tours can be very expensive. The D-Day tour I had was included in the RS Paris and the Heart of France tour.

Our D-Day guide, a former English soldier, spoke to us about the invasion non-stop from the time he got on the bus until the tour was over. I am positive that any guide you might get would be first class.

Our D-Day tour guide related the experiences of many of the individual heroes and knew their name, age, rank, unit and where they were from. He co-authored a guide to the battlefield, "D-Day June 6 1944: Following in the Footsteps of Heroes".

There is an interactive map that gives a little info about the top ten sites http://www.normandie-chambres.co.uk/beaches.html

I recall that as our bus drove thru the area under direction of our D-Day guide, that we remarked that were is very little signage in the area so, if you drive, google maps or something similar would be needed. One of the roads we took was simply the top of a dike (the approaching car had to retreat several hundred yards to let us by) so that road may not be on too many maps.

I would recommend an all day tour. There is so much to see and learn and a good guide can make a very memorable day for you.
We booked an all day tour thru Viator.com (a consolidator) and the actual tour was with Overlord tours. Our guide Adrian was fantastic and he was able to tell us so much about the history of the landing and some of small towns in the area.
We went to 2 beaches Utah and Omaha and got to walk along the beaches bit. We went to several small towns that had significant history of D-Day and a few days after the landing. We had a great lunch in a nice restaurant along the harbor and we then went to the American and then the British Cemeteries.
If you can be at the American Cemetery at 4:00 when they lower the flags and play the national anthem - it is a truly memorable event.

Full-day tour is best value, money well spent. When shopping, be aware that some tours cater to Commonwealth travellers and the itinerary may not cover as many of the US sites.

I guess it depends on your travel style. A majority of people here will say take a tour, but that may be the bias of the type of people who flock to sites like this. I have gone to Normandy a half dozen times in the past decade, all without a guide. I like the experience of discovering things on my own, but I go to Normandy with a fairly thorough knowledge of the history of the WWII events in the area. Knowledge of history is key. Without it, I would imagine it would help to be accompanied by someone who does know this history. If you have a good understanding of what transpired where and when, and what is it that is important for you to see, I'd encourage you to go on your own. The WWII areas of Normandy alone are huge (60 miles as the crow flies, but you can't fly). Most D-Day sites are along the coast, but you have to go inland to get to the larger roads that take you between them. Read up, get good maps, make a good plan, but plan to be surprised and discover things you never thought you would run across.

The full-day Overlord tours are about 100€ per person, which I consider extremely reasonable for small-group tours. And they are full-day, not just six or seven hours. A private tour would surely be much more expensive.

The only reason I can see to do it independently is to save the high cost of a tour. You will get more out of a tour and not have to deal with the stress of driving and finding all the places you want to see.

If you decide to do it independently you will still have a favorable experience. The more knowledgeable you are, the better it will be. If your research consists of watching two movies, I would urge you to take a tour if you can afford it. It is an excellent value.

In order to see and learn as much as possible, I'd highly recommend both taking a tour and exploring on your own. Don't underestimate the value of an experienced tour guide, as they can make the history "come alive" and can provide so many more details, some of which are not shown in any books. Many guides have had veterans in their groups and many are veterans themselves. While the cost might seem expensive, I believe the guided tours are good value.

As you have a car, you might contact Chris Emery at http://www.visitdday.com/ . He can travel with you and prepare a custom tour of the sights that you're most interested in seeing. Some of the others that you could look at (some more expensive than others) are....

• http://dboothnormandytours.com/
• http://www.ddayhistorian.com/ (often used as a consultant by history channel and other shows)
• http://overlordtour.com/

There are many others, but that will give you a few to look at.

Highly recommend Chris Emery since you'll have your own car. Spent a great day with him last summer. Definitely brings a perspective you can't get from any guidebook.