Normandy D-Day sights-3 days

The tour company that we used - Battlebus - no longer exists. But several of its guides went to work for Overlord and that company gets consistently high reviews.

If I were going to Bayeux in 2019, I would take Tour #7 - Bradley's Tour for two days and Tour #4 - British/Canadian Sectors for one day.

Glad you're making time for the tapestry as well!

https://www.overlordtour.com/

suggest you chat with people at Rick Steves for suggestion for name of someone for your tour...visiting the beaches with someone who is well versed on the history is an unforgettable experience. We visited on our France tour with Rick a few years ago. Definitley the trip highlight. But don't miss Mont St. Michel, it too is unforgettable. Problem is if you aren't with a RS tour you will find Mont St. Michel very busy with tourists during the day. Go with Rick and you can stay all night and have the place to yourself!

I just did Normandy with Bayeux Shuttle. I give them 5 stars. Very knowledgeable guides and small group tour. Do the all day tour. You don't need multiple days. We were never rushed. Lloyd was our guide and he was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the invasion as an avid hobby. Nothing rote about the tour.

As you want somewhat of a custom multi-day tour, it would help to have some idea on what type of budget you're working with?

I'm sure you'd be able to arrange something with one of the established tour firms, but it won't be cheap. A few you could have a look at.....

• https://www.ddayhistorian.com/ (Paul Woodage)
• https://dboothnormandytours.com/ (Dale Booth)
• http://www.visitdday.com/ (Chris Emery)

There are others, but you can contact those ones first to get started. I don't have a current copy of the RS France guidebook, so not sure which tour firms are recommended there.

Although a private custom tour will be pricey, it will be good value and you'll learn far more than by wandering about on your own, especially if this is the only time you'll ever be in Normandy.

A friend and I did a 2-day private tour with Paul Woodadge that covered most of what you want to see. It was simply amazing. Many, many here say great things about the larger group tours, but I really liked having immediate access to a very knowledgeable guide. Obviously, the price would be higher for the 4 of you to do a private tour, but for me it was well worth the cost.

As an aside, if you search "D-Day private guide" in the search bar above you will find other private guides that come highly recommended by forum members. Dale Booth is another popular name.

I don't know your knowledge of D-Day, but I would encourage all 4 of you to read as much about it as possible before your trip. It makes your viewing of the sites much more meaningful. For a readable overview of the American experience of D-Day that has the well-known as well as less-known tales of bravery by US troops, I would recommend The Americans at D-Day by John McManus.

I agree, if you can afford and can get Paul Woodage, who used to be "Battlebus", by all means go for it.

https://www.ddayhistorian.com/tour-range-2018.html

I'll also recommend Alan Bryson of FirstNormandyBattlefieldtours.com
He's recommended in Steves' recent France book. We took his tour and he is great.
He normally takes 4-5 in his minibus, and I believe he would adjust a tour to your interests.

I would highly recommend Stuart Robertson (normandybattlefieldtours.com). We hired him several years ago for 2days for the American sector and then for 3 days last years for the Commonwealth. Stuart is recommended by Rick Steves. My husband is extremely knowledgeable about all of WWII and can’t say enough about how great Stuart is as a guide. I’m not all that into the in depth history and I enjoyed every minute.

However, he sells out usually a year in advance (as do many others). So what ever you’re going to do, you need to look into NOW.

Also, a lot of people will tell you that it’s easy to do a self-guided tour. And while it is true that the whole area is easily drveable, it really is so much more enriching to tour with a guide who knows the area and the history. It just makes it come alive. Anyone could just drive around and read the plaques.

ETA: while it IS pricey to get a personalized tour, that’s what we did. We went off the beaten track in a tour customized to my DH’s desires. But check Stuart’s normal tours and you might find one that fits the bill.

It does sound like a personalized tour might be better suited to your needs, but I just wanted to throw out another recommendation for Overlord--we did a full day D-Day tour with them last summer and it was one of the highlights of our entire 3-week trip to Europe.

My family had a wonderful experience with Dale Booth. As others have said a private tour can be expensive, but is soooo worth it.

Thank you, everyone, for the great information. We are open to doing a private/customized tour, but I will review the group options too. Appreciate it!

Marty, I am glad to see you enjoyed Dale Booth. We have him booked for a full day tour next May. We are really looking forward to this experience. I do have to say him and his wife Debbie respond very quick to their messages. That's great customer service !