normandy

Have your tried Overlord tours? You don't have to take one of their packages, you can book a private guide for yourself through them and tell them exactly which parts of the beaches you would like to see.

I am so sorry to hear this. I had just bookmarked this guide as a hopeful for future tours you can hear him on Rick’s radio show:

https://www.ddaybattletours.com/

https://m.soundcloud.com/rick-steves-audio-europe/normandy-d-day-sites-audio

I haven't used a private guide there (or much of anywhere), but if no one here comes up with the name of someone who is available, you could Google for names of companies providing tours and email to ask whether they can provide a guide for a private tour during the period you will be in Bayeux. I know at least some of those companies do run private tours. My guess is that demand for groups tours is still down from the pre-COVID level, so I'd think the companies would be delighted to have you as customers--as long as their guides are based in Normandy, so they don't have to bring someone in from England just to do one tour.

You can check Overlord Tours and Dale Booth Tours. Those are the companies most often mentioned here.

I took the Paris and heart of France tour in 2007. Elwood was our guide and made the battlefields come alive. He did amazing research and was in contact with German soldiers that were on the beaches that day defending the shore. His stories are amazing, and he lives in the house from the movie the longest day where the man crashed through the greenhouse when parachuting into town. I would recommend him so highly! He is one of the DDay tours listed in the links.
https://www.ddaybattletours.com/

I am in the "private tours are spectacular" camp. I did a 2-day tour of Normandy with a private guide a few years ago -- an Englishman who was great but is no longer doing tours. In April, I am taking a 19-year-old to Normandy and wanted another 2-day private tour to give him a really good experience there. I chose Mathias Leclere (a Frenchman whose grandparents billeted German troops!) on the recommendation of another forum member. He has great TripAdvisor reviews. He has been very easy with which to work (but I started talking to him about 3 months ago). I'm not sure what his availability is at this point. http://ddayguidedtours.com/normandy/

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I have listened to a podcast on Rick's site with Ellwood. Sounds like just what we need. I will reach out and check availability.

You might get on the Bayeux forum on tripadvisor.com for more local tips and advice.

If you’re still in search of a private guide check with Dominique at destination-normandy.
She was our guide when she was with Overlord and is now on her own. We were very pleased with the job she did.

Don't forget to check out the amazingness that is Caen ouside of the war monuments. The Abbaye des homme & des femmes are simply amazing.

The OP departed from Normandy on May 5th according to the original information provided.

Thank you all for the great information. We are back from our trip and had a lovely time exploring. Our Normandy visit was incredible. We stayed in Bayeaux at chateau st Gilles and while it wasn’t in the center of town it made getting around by car very easy. Beautiful property. Parking in Bayeaux was free after 7 pm so that was nice for going in for dinner. We used overlord tours for a full day private tour. It was great. We were able to customize some. We did museums on our own - airborne and the one at Utah beach. Visited the American cemetery and the Canadian. Loved the serenity of the Canadian.

Thanks again for all the helpful recommendations.