Are visitors to these sites required to take some organized tour or hire a private tour guide? Or can folks just visit and wander on their own? I realize that going with a guide will likely enrich the experience, but I'm balancing the cost with just free lancing it.
Is there any prohibition against bicycles on most or all of the grounds of the various WWII sites?
I did my own tour, taking the limited bus service from Bayeux train station that goes out to American Cemetery and Omaha Beach. There is also one that goes to Mulberry Harbour and Point du Hoc You can just wander on your own.
I did not see a place to put a bike on the grounds maybe outside.
Ideally, in my view, use a rental car and manage your own tour of the area. You can certainly wander on your own. Consider to include the Juno Beach area (Canadian landing site), where there is a fabulous museum (https://www.junobeach.org/) about the D-Day landings. After that, we stopped briefly at Arromanches (British landing site) to see the remains of Port Winston out in the water. Then to the American Cemetery, Omaha Beach and Pointes du Hoc. We stayed at Honfleur and it was a full day of touring around at our own pace.
I thought my full-day Overlord Tour was very much worth the price. I'm happy visiting museums by myself (went to three on my own), but without the driver/guide I'd have wondered why I was staring at a bunch of sand and chunks of concrete.
David,
Visitors to the area are free to tour as they like. There's no requirement to hire a guide, although I would highly recommend doing that. You'll get much more out of your visit and learn more of the history with one of the excellent guides in the area and it will be a much more memorable visit. The most cost effective option will be a small group tour with firms such as Overlord Tour. I've toured that area on my own and with a guide, so I've seen the benefits of both types of travel.
Of course a bike is not useful on an actual beach. We had a rental car, and I do recall that many (but not all) of the paths we drove on were gravel or partly paved. Certainly the really major sites and formal museums have paved roads and automobile parking lots. There are a number of guide books, as well as our host's France book, for making the most of an independent visit. It is essential to have some kind of, at least in the library if you don't want to buy the books, advance reading. You won't even know which of the many sites you want to see without that.
From my planning, I guess I can add the following:
Public transport is great for getting to Caen and Bayeux, from there to the beaches is limited, a few buses here and there. I am not the conspiratorial type, but it seems a sight so popular has such a limited public transport option in Europe, just odd.
The region of the landings is lengthy, some 50 miles, so bikes are possible, but not for the entire length easily. You could pick a town to get to, then cycle over a couple days. Since I have not been there yet, I can't say whether the roads support bicycles and cars, or if there are bike racks along the way.
Hitting museums and a couple cemeteries can easily be done on your own. If you know a good amount about the beaches and the invasion, those you can do as well. If you have less background, then most of the beaches are just that, beaches with some bunkers or items on the beach. Stories from a guide may help in that case.
My assessment, I will be renting a car, hitting most of the beaches and museums over two days, might do a tour part of one day, but probably not.
I think one thing many people miss in planning their visit to these sights is to think the battle for Normandy was just about beaches. Much of the action happened well behind the beach-head, and there are many sights to see well inland—particularly when considering the actions of the airborne troops, and the battles that happened post D-day. The battle for Normandy was not just the beaches on June 6th, but from then on to the liberation of Paris in September. Regardless, the best thing you an do to plan a trip to this area is to learn the history as much as you can beforehand. Fortunately, this can be done fairly cheaply, and without wasting valuable vacation days by just doing a little bit of reading, web-surfing, movie viewing, and homework.
The guided or solo tour query has been answered. Thanks to all!
The second question (the key word being "prohibition") is simply: Is there any prohibition against bicycles on most or all of the grounds of the various WWII sites?
This may help:
I will be on a self-planned, four-week bicycle tour of the Loire Valley, Brittany and Normandy. My plan is to stay a few nights in a town or three (Caen, Bayeux, etc.) near the WWII sites, bike to them from my B&B (but not along the beaches, of course), lock the bike wherever I can find a secure fence, pole or whatever's available and then see the sites on foot. Or, partially by bike if feasible.
I'm quite familiar with the history of Overloard and the ensuing struggle to advance inland. I've just never been to that part of France.
