I have a dilemma of sorts. I am arriving in Bayeux early on a Friday morning and am leaving Saturday night, late. I have already booked a full day tour for Saturday through Overlord Tours. Friday is where the dilemma comes in. I am planning on seeing Bayeux in the morning - WWII museum, Bayeux Tapestry, etc. In the afternoon, I want to go to the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach, even though I will be taking a tour on Saturday. I may take a tour, but I have one concern. I really want to be able to take my time and really absorb my surroundings and take it all in. I am afraid I won't be able to do this on a tour. I may decide that I want to go sit on the beach for an hour or something. I just don't want to be rushed. I have been looking at an afternoon tour through Normandy Sightseeing Tours - anyone have any experience with them? Do they rush you? What do you think? Any advice would be great! Thank you!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32253 posts
Cody, Your plan sounds quite reasonable, and the full-day tour will cover a lot of the important sights. Which of the Overlord tours will you be taking? If your tour will include the Gun Batteries at Longues sur Mer, I'd suggest taking a small Flashlight along. You may decide to have a look inside the Command Bunker (overlooking the water - used in the filming of The Longest Day), and there's no lighting in there. I'd suggest seeing the Tapestry, as you'll be there anyway and it's a very historically interesting sight. It should only take an hour or so to cover the Tapestry. The main problem is how you'll get from Bayeux to the American Cemetery. I don't know of any public transport that operates to that area, so a one-day car rental would probably be necessary. That's certainly possible, as I've done that. You'll probably be visiting the Cemetery as part of the tour also. You might ask the Guide for the location of two of the four Niland Brothers. I believe they were the inspiration for the movie Saving Private Ryan. Happy travels!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10332 posts
I agree with Ken about not skipping the Tapestry. With Tim's bus timetable, you'll have time to do it all. By the way, we found the Overlord tour we took last summer very enlightening and complete.
Posted by
OP
Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
7 posts
Thanks for the replies. I would be happy to rent a car, but I am only 20 years old. Is there an age limit?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
On Monday-Friday you can take Busverts Calvados line 70 from Bayeux to Colleville-sur-Mer, departing at 12:25 and arriving at the American Cemetery at 12:57. See the timetables here. On Monday-Friday you can leave the American Cemetery at either 16:30 or 17:11. See the timetables here. If you take the 17:11 bus back to Bayeux, you'll have four hours to wander around on your own. You must be 21 to rent a car in France.
Posted by
Northridge, CA, USA
124 posts
I used Normandy sightseeing tours for a family of four and had a private driver. It was fantastic. We just indicated what we wanted to see and where to stop and they accomodated our requests. I would definately recommend them.
Posted by
OP
Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
7 posts
Thanks for all the replies everyone. Tim - do you happen to know where exactly to catch the bus in Bayeux?
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
You're welcome, Cody. The bus stops right by the train station (s.n.c.f. on the timetables).
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
www.toursbylocals.com is where we hired our DDay private guide. He was excellent and we did exactly what we wanted as quickly or as slowly as we wanted. I've never been a fan of organized tour buses.
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
Hello. My husband and I used Citirama tours. We booked the French tours while here in the US. at Gray Line Tours.com. They then sub it out to the tours with Citirama in Paris. We totally enjoyed our 1/2 day or full days tours with Gray Line/Citirama. We had rainy weather which added to the sad feeling of seeing the Normandy beaches.