I know this has probably been asked many times but we need advice on how to best use our time. We will be spending three nights in Bayeux, we will have a car. My husband was thinking we should explore the museums and cemeteries on our own for the first two days and then hire a private guide to take us to the D- Day beaches. Any thoughts/suggestions?
Thank you
I’d do a guide the first day then you can narrow down what you’d like to see on your other day.
Three nights, right? That really only gives you 2 full days to tour plus perhaps some partial days on either end.
The guide I liked best was one I had on a RS tour. It’s Dale Booth and he was stellar.
I agree with Pam. It would likely be more efficient to have your guided tour first, then use the rest of the time for places you didn't see or wanted more time at. I've seen Dale Booth recommended many times here. Overlord Tours is another company that is frequently mentioned.
I went on an Overlord tour in Sept 2022 and it was fantastic and highly recommended. They have a wide variety of tours from which to choose. The van picked us up near the Churchill Hotel and took our small group of about 8 people around. If was very informative and made me want to learn more about history.
Thank you everyone for your replies. If anyone has more to add, please do.
What time will you arrive in Bayeux?
You’ll want a full day tour and those typically start early am, so will probably have to do on second day. We only had 2 nights, wish it had been 3!
We used our afternoon arrival to visit the tapestry, walked to British? Cemetery and wandered around town. There was a wedding at cathedral so we had to save that for departure am
Also stopped in the lace shop and watched lace making for a bit
We did the full day tour with Bayeux Shuttle and were very happy with that-includes lunch
Be sure to make dinner reservations especially if it’s a Sunday or Monday
The invasion museum in Bayeux is very good and not included in the basic one-day tours.
kc,
The best D-Day private tour guides are pricey, but IMHO well worth the cost. If you'd prefer a more budget approach, you could take one of the full day group tours with Overlord Tour or one of the other firms.
If you'd rather have a private guide to tailor the sightseeing to your specific preferences, as few suggestions.....
As you'll have a car, you might contact Chris Emery as he's an exceptional guide and will be able to show you the sights you want with an efficient itinerary - http://www.visitdday.com/home.html .
As mentioned earlier, you could also contact Dale Booth, another exceptional guide - https://www.dboothnormandytours.com/ .
The Bayeux Museum is worth a visit, and while there you may also want to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which describes a much earlier battle.
Bayeux is the best home base location for touring that area (IMO). There are lots of good hotels and restaurants.
We spent three nights in Bayeux too. We stayed at the historic Hotel Lion d’Or. They got us a guide for the American beaches. The other day we independently toured the British and Canadian beaches.
Don’t miss visiting the historic Bayeaux Tapestry!
Did you have a private guide?
1000% if you have your own car, book Chris Emery at Visit D-Day. We have done two full days with him over two different trips. Drove from Paris for the day the last time just so our son in law could tour with him. He says it was the best day of our trip. Great guy, and you can personalize for what you are interested in.
Thank you. We have booked Chris.
