I will be traveling to Normandy with 3 other adults in September and I think we would like to do a one day guided tour. I'm looking for recommendations regarding who to book a tour with. I know this has been discussed before, but the search function isn't very good.
Thanks in advance for your recommendations.
I think one that everyone liked was called Battlewagons or something like that but they went out of business. You didn't indicate where you want to start. You need to overnight in Bayeux or Caen. If you try to do it from Paris you will have more travel time than sightseeing time. First time I was there I was more than surprised at how massive the Normandy area is.
Sorry, I forgot to mention that we will be spending 3 nights in Bayeux. We arrive on a Friday (late afternoon or early evening) and I'd like to do the tour on Saturday. We will have a car so on Sunday we can see things we missed on Saturday.
Frank, were you referring to Battlebus?
We took a half day tour with Overlords two years ago and were very happy with it. They also offer full day tours. They pick up behind the Churchill hotel in Bayeux.
Andrea,
Some D-Day tour firms you could have a look at are......
I've travelled with the first two and both are outstanding! Some of the tours depart from the vicinity of the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux, so it's great that you'll be using Bayeux as your home base.
I'd highly recommend booking the tour as early as possible, as they can be busy even in September. Some of the tours may be a bit pricey, but IMO the cost is well worth it as the Guides have an incredible amount of knowledge.
Be sure to also see the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts a much earlier battle.
Hi Andrea
We spent three nights in Bayeux and really loved it. We had a private tour with Dale Booth and I can't recommend him enough. He is so personable and knowledgable that he made this tour way more than we ever expected. He added extra stops to our tour that we would have never know to even look for. He was great. Don't forget to visit Mont St Michel while you are in the area. The Hotel Lara has a tour from their hotel to the site. We want to go again in the future!
Andrea,
i think if you stick to the reviewed/vetted tour guides you will be okay. Also i second booking ASAP since they will fill up. If you can't find any, you can try the independent tour operators and they usually have prices for providing their car vs using yours.
just a note, for 1 full day, you will just scratch the surface of the WWII area in Normandy.
happy trails.
Thanks everyone. April, we will be going to Mont Saint Michel for a night after we leave Bayeux.
.....and remember to borrow my DVD of The Longest Day BEFORE you go!
.....and remember to borrow my DVD of The Longest Day BEFORE you go!
Thanks Kat. Will you be at the meeting this month? If so, maybe you could bring it with you?
My son and I took a full-day tour with Overlord in 2012 - Olivier was our guide and he was great! We took a morning train from Paris to Bayeaux, walked around town, saw the wonderful tapestry, had lunch at La Rapier (affordable and excellent!), stayed overnight in the town center and met the Overlord van at a closeby parking lot. The local people appreciate everything the Allies did for them. It's very humbling to see the beaches and cliffs and gun emplacements and cemeteries, etc.
Try Normandy Sightseeing Tours (http://www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com), they have a variety of 1-2 day options. We did a tour 2 weeks ago and enjoyed it very much.
I also recommend Dale Booth. I took a two day tour with him back when he was with Battlebus and it was outstanding.
