Day car trip to D-Day sites (Normandy Beaches)

bogliopa

you haven't completed your profile, and in neither of your posts have you identified where you are from.

Without that, and without your saying what interests you about the D-Day sights, I'd find it impossible to suggest one over another.

The D-Day front was, and still is, over 50 miles or 80 km long. Canadians are often interested in a different part than those from the US; same with British and Empire / Commonwealth. You have to be focussed, and have a plan. Are you doing this as a shore excursion from a cruise?

With only 8 hours you should book a private tour that takes you to the places, explaining while you look at the sites. You don't need to be spending a lot of time in museums, though a little time in one would be good to complement what you are seeing on the ground. If the 8 hours includes car rental and return time, you really have only six hours, then subtract all the driving time from LeHavre. A private guide would be talking and explaining while you drive.

I agree with the previous replies. The D-Day sights cover an enormous area and also extend some distance inland, so the best way to "organize our day" would be to drive to Bayeux and take one of the excellent local tours. They can cover the most significant sights in the most efficient time possible as they know they area.

There are lots of firms to choose from, and some offer both half-day and full-day tours. It's important to book these WELL in advance, as they're often fully booked during the main travel months. Some are very expensive and some more reasonable, and you'll have more choice in which firm to use if you book early. Overlord Tour is one very popular firm, but there are many others.

I used Overlord Tours and was more than happy with their service,we did the full day tour of the American Beaches,Cemetery and main US Battle points.
Mike

My recommendation:
We used "Normandy Sightseeing Tours" - our guide was Adrian and he was wonderful.
We saw most of the beaches and walked on them, visited some of historic towns involved in D-Day events and also went to both the American and German cemeteries. It was a full day and I appreciated all the info provided by our guide

We had an Adrian with Overlord Tours. Probably the same person. Very good. Learned a lot!

Also agree with suggestions for an organized tour. We splurged on a private tour (http://www.executived-daytours.com/contact-us.html) and felt that the freedom from navigation and parking hassles was a bonus we didn't fully appreciate when we signed up. Regardless of how you do it, our highlight list was topped by: (i) flag lowering and taps at the American Cemetery (Omaha Beach; confirm time if interested); (ii) the Airborne Museum at Sainte-Mère-Eglise (the C47 exhibit, putting you in a very realistic simulated flight, is terrific. You can see the whole museum in 30 minutes, and the adjacent "downtown" has a nice shop with carry-out lunch supplies if you're moving fast. Also step into the church to admire the stained glass window dedicated to US paratroopers.) We would prioritize the beaches (with helpful exhibits, signage, etc.) over museums. If you don't take an organized tour, you might want to do some preliminary homework with maps, etc.. Our day was 9:00 to 6:00, including pick-up/drop-off in Bayeux, and we felt we saw everything we wanted to.

I would encourage you to see if you could find for time for your Normandy Beaches visit. As other writers have indicated, the whole of is it vast. I, too, strongly suggest that a good tour guide is extremely important. Hearing the stories and history of the locations you stand upon and view provide a meaningful, powerful picture that would be difficult to experience by just driving to a beach and looking out upon that location. The whole area is extensive and complex. It is not like driving up to Mt. Rushmore and taking a picture. The history of the invasion in its context is very important. Therefore, also, I suggest reading some good histories and maps of the invasion before the visit. During our visit, working out Bayeux over several days, we saw those on day trips out of Paris come in from the trains to be bused out to Omaha Beach and/or Arromanches-les-Bains, stand there, hear a lecture, walk through a museum and leave. Even these short tour visits require perhaps more time than you a lot.