I'm looking for a tour guide for D-day beaches for my family (myself, husband, and 5 kids between 7-18). We speak English, will have our own car, and will be staying in Bayeux. A guide who can make it all come alive and keep my teenagers engaged is a must. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11778 posts
Rick mentions several in his book. Did you look at those recommendations?
Posted by
Battle Creek, Michigan
14 posts
We will be there in May and have reserved an all day tour with Bayeux Battlefield Tours.
Posted by
Oregon
8 posts
I did an extensive amount of research on tours of Normandy several years ago, and selected Overlord Tour at overlordtour.com. I highly recommend the Utah/Omaha option, with a full day tour to see all of the key landmarks. Our group was small (8-10 people). The guide was extremely knowledgeable and really made the locations and events come alive. Plan to stay in Bayeux the night before and after the full day tour.
Posted by
Greenville, SC
94 posts
Dale Booth gave my husband and I one of our most memorable travel days ever in 2005. He books very quickly and is not cheap, but we felt it was money very well spent.
https://dboothnormandytours.com/
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
I’ll second the recommendation of Dale Booth.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
eek,
What type of car will you be renting for seven people? One good possibility would have been to hire Chris Emery to accompany you in the car so you could get a running commentary during the whole tour. However I'm not sure you'll have room for him? You'd have to contact him for prices.
Another option you could consider would be to forget the car and take one of the excellent Overlord Tours. They use large vans and would be able to accommodate your group. If you decide on this option, pre-booking well in advance is highly advisable, especially as this is the 75th anniversary year.
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
Dale Booth is awesome but he is so popular you will have to schedule your visit around his availability. I think we booked with him about six months out, then purchased plane tickets etc.
Posted by
45 posts
We are scheduled for an all day tour with Overlord in June, due to recommendations on this forum as well as others. We initially started off with a private tour for 5 of us because it was not much more. We are also staying in Bayeux, and they would pick us up at our hotel. Our numbers dwindled to 4 and I cannot justify the private tour expense, but was able to easily adjust to the 4 of us. They refunded the difference, no problem. We now have to meet them in town, but it looks to be a 5 minute walk for us, so no big deal. We are really looking forward to it!
Posted by
Florida
509 posts
If the highly regarded Dale Booth isn't available, take a look at Bertrand Saundrais. http://www.executived-daytours.com/ (includes a button/link to TripAdvisor reviews.) A bit pricey, but I believe he charges by the "van-full", so it might work out for your family. He's very well informed, illustrates his commentary with photos and maps, and is otherwise a charming guide for the day. I'm certain he'd be great with the kids. Also, he will tailor your day to any specific interests that you may have. He'll probably end your tour at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in time for the very moving flag lowering/taps ceremony. (Having a guide with his/her own vehicle is also a great advantage: no navigation or parking issues.)