D-Day beaches - recommendations for kid/teen

Ann-we too were there with kids 12 & 14. We did not do a guide but did use the Rick Steve's books (which I would read aloud in the car on the way to each site). The nice thing about the Normandy beaches is that they are beaches- so there were families, etc out just walking - it was a nice chAnge of pace to be able just to "explore" instead of being in a museum type space. Having said thAt the Caen museum was one our our favorites and we had to be kicked out at closing time without having seen it all. But they also liked walking (running) around the old bunkers etc at pont du hoc. And they were appropriately reverent at the american cemetery. My son was especially glad we went to the German cemetery as a comparison-there were so few people there even though it was the height of summer. We have done guides before but that mostly in cities, going through cathedrals, etc. but we did not miss having one here-again it wa nice to sort of go at our own pace, split up a bit and just contemplate what happened there. Also-I wish I had shown them Saving Private Ryan ahead of time. Even though it is R I think it would have been really good for them to see-at least your son should see it.

We were in Normandy last July with our 11 year old son and 7 year old daughter. We had 2 days. I've been quite a few times, so we did not hire a guide. We visited the Peace Memorial in Caen, Arromanches, the battery at Longues sur Mer, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, St. Mere Eglise, the Airborne museum and Utah Beach. Their highlights were the beaches, Pointe du Hoc, Longues sur Mer and the Airborne museum in St. Mere Eglise. Utah Beach was likely their favorite because there were no crowds and they ran on the beach and climbed on obstacles. At the American Cemetery they tried to find soldiers from our home state and we spent more time there than I thought we would. We ended each day on a beach at it was warm enough to swim. If they were a little older we would have spent more time at the Peace Memorial and the visitors center at the American Cemetery (nicely done) and stopped at the German Cemetery. We talked a lot about how each grave represents person who was someones child, sibling and perhaps parent. My son had seen "The Longest Day." to give some historical perspective. We stayed in Bayeux at Reine Mathilde in a quad. It was a nice place to stay.

I second Marks recommendation on the Reine Mathilde, it is also centrally located and has a good restaurant attached, near the tapestry and pick up point on guided tours. http://www.hotel-bayeux-reinemathilde.fr/

We stayed at Hotel d'Argouges in their quad. Loved it and stayed there twice. I would definitely have your kids watch "The Longest Day" (less violent than "saving Private Ryan") and maybe "Band of Brothers". that way they'll have a frame of reference. You could use the movies as a basis for your itinerary.

We went last year with kds 8, 10 & 12. Watched "The Longest Day" before hand, which really helped get them interested. We did a private guide, and while expensive, worked out really well. We hired Edward Robinson and he was good at keeping the kids engaged. He did a bit of "CSI" type explanations for how you could tell just what had happened at a certain area, which we really found interesting. We did a full tour, but at times I thought it could have been condensed. We visited the American Cemetery on our own, which gave us more time to see the other sights while on the tour. I'd also highly recommend the Bayeux tapestry for your family. My kids loved it. It doesn't take long to see if you skip most of the rest of the museum.

Thank you all so much for the very helpful advice! It's always such a plus to get ideas about what other kids this age enjoyed. I ordered the Longest Day and borrowed a great World War II documentary set. We were planning to see the Bayeux Tapestry too and will make sure we don't miss it based on the great reviews for kids/teens. We were able to book at the Hotel D'Argouges. So glad Patty was able to recommend. (I think I'm a little on the late side booking hotels in that area for greatest range of options.) We decided that we are going to hire a guide for 1 day and explore on our own the other day. So thanks for the recommendation for Edward Robinson, Dina! If anyone else has a recommendation for a private tour guide, I'd love to hear! Thanks again, everyone!!

I think hiring a guide one day, and going on your own the next day is the perfect way to do it. My son was 11 when we first went to Normandy and we have been going back every year or two since then (he's now 22). He loved everything... all the places already mentioned. My Dad landed at Omaha Beach and he and my son were very close until he passed away 2 yrs ago... so my son has a very personal connection to the area and the history of the invasion and has always been fascinated by all of it. I wanted to recommend the WWII museum in Bayeux... we liked it much better than the one in Caen. We thought it was better organized, easier to navigate, and presented the whole story really well... and it was less expensive and a lot less crowded. I also highly recommend Hotel d'Argouges where we've stayed many times... love it. The owner, Mme Ropartz and her staff are wonderful and the hotel is lovely.

We used Arromanches as our D-Day tour base this April and were pleased not to have even a small city like Bayeux to navigate, though we did spend a day there for the museum, the tapestry and church. Arromanches, a small town on the beach (Port Winston, Mulberry Harbor), looked very kid friendly, has several smaller WWII museums, a variety of restaurants, would expect lots of beach activities in July. Highly recommend La Gentilhommiere B&B in Manvieux just west of Arromanches. An excellent breakfast, spacious rooms, easy parking, More info if you want....contact me.

Bayeux is not a city. It's a small, charming town.

Ann, Regarding Guides for touring the D-Day sites in Normandy, here are a few suggestions for you to consider: > www.ddayhistorian.com > www.daleboothnormandytours.com > www.overlordtour.com > www.ddaybattletours.com It's possible you might be able to arrange a private tour with just your group for a reasonable price, although it would probably be cheaper to travel with a few others. I would highly recommend taking one of the tours, as they handle all the transportation, know the quickest routes between sites and really make the history interesting. If you think your kids could tolerate it, the full-day American Highlights tour offered by Dale Booth would be a good one to consider. Dale is an outstanding Guide!!! If you think their attention span might be an issue, have a look at some of the half-day tours with Overlord. As others have mentioned, some good movies to watch prior to the trip (you'll have to decide which ones your kids can handle): > The Longest Day (some parts of the movie cover the British landings at Pegasus Bridge - some tours may cover that - the original Bridge is now located at the Museum; the Gun Batteries at Longues sur Mer were also used in the movie - be sure to take a small Flashlight as the main Bunker has no lighting) > Saving Private Ryan (ask the Guide to give you the location of the graves of two of the Niland brothers in the American cemetery, who were the inspiration for the movie) > Band of Brothers (be sure to visit the small Church at Angoville au Plain - the Guide will explain the events that took place there) > The Big Red One (one part of the movie covers the Normandy landings) I'd suggest contacting the tour companies SOON to arrange something, as they often book up quickly. Happy travels!

Thank you all so very much for the additional information. The tentative plan is to visit the WW2 museum in Bayeux the afternoon we arrive. I booked Overlord tours for a full day the next day. (Unfortunately the private guides like Dale Booth were not available.) Then we'll have another day after that for the tapestry and whatever d-day area we may still want to see.
The Longest Day was on Memorial Day and the kids and I watched it. Great recommendation! May still get the other movies too.

Ann, I think your plan is perfect. I think you and your kids will love Normandy.

And definitely save some time for the Bayeux War Cemetery directly kitty-cornered from the War Museum!

Glad to hear you got everything arranged. Since your not leaving till July I highly recommend watching Band of Brothers, it's ten episodes but well worth the time. In my opinion it is the best thing that has ever been produced for television. You learn about the men who jumped into Normandy, follow their story from the beginning of training till they arrive in Austria, not only do you learn about them but you learn to care about them too, it was on TV this past Monday (Memorial Day). The 2nd episode Day of Days covers their jump into Normandy, what occured and it gives you a good perspective once you get to Normandy, the 3rd episode Carentan covers this village in Normandy and the battles Easy Company took part of there. The closing scene in this episode is one of the best and also most heart wrenching scenes ever produced, who would think just picking up laundry would cause so much emotion not only for the character in the film but for the person watching it. If anyone reading this hasn't seen it but wants to know more feel free to PM me and I'll do a spoiler for you. So doing a trip with a guide will really put everything into focus and make watching this and then seeing it in person that much more special.

It's probably too late for this recommendation, but here goes. My son, 18 at the time, and I spent a full day in July 2010 touring the D-Day sights with Roel Klinkhamer, one of the guides that Rick Steves recommends, and we were delighted. He was knowledgeable and engaging, got us to all the key places and didn't let us get too exhausted in the process. We met him in Bayeux and he returned us there at the end of the day. One of the highlights of our 3 weeks in Europe. Whatever you do, make sure to pause at the American cemetery above Omaha Beach. My dad went ashore at Utah Beach and was wounded, and I was very glad to go there, but I thought the cemetery was extremely moving.