Normandy, France

I highly recommend the WWII museum in Bayeux. It's the best one imo. I also recommend Hotel D'Argouges in Bayeux. Hope you'll have time to walk around Bayeux, it's a charming town.

Don't know what your tour entails, but we enjoyed Longes sur Mer (sp) with all the huge guns still above the beach.

With a car, check out www.bandbnormandie.com. We stayed there 4 nights and it was delightful. The D Day beaches are about 20 miles, Bayeux is about 10 miles. Their farm is just outside Villers-Bocage. We also took a D Day tour but then returned with our car to spend more time, especially at the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach, then drifted along the back roads stopping to shop or eat lunch in the little villages along the coast. We also drove to Mont St. Michel, about 90 minutes from Baueux.

Traveling is always exciting. Half the fun is planning. I love reading everyones comments and recommentations. Thanks. We hope to take a day or at least an afternoon to drive along the coast and see the cliffs or drive inland and see apple trees, cows and visit a cheese factory. Any thoughts?

If you check out www.bandbnormandie.com and stay with Odile and Jacques and their sons, they make their own Calvados and their neighbors make their own cheeses. My favorite is Livaroe, kinda pungent, but oh so good on toasted bread or any sort of cracker. Driving along the roads between Bayeux through Tille sur Seles to Villers-Bocage or even further to other towns will enable you to sample the French countryside where they still remember that American boys gave them their freedom in 1944.

I was fascinated by the Bayeux Tapestry. Didn't know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. Highly recommend. (The rest of the town - meh. Not as impressed.) American Cemetery is definitely worth a lot of time. If you've seen "The Longest Day" it is fun to go to St. Mere Eglise and see the fake paratrooper hanging from the church. (Be sure to look at the stained glass windows in the church for the paratroopers.) Also enjoyed the little museum there. If you feel the need to add another city, Rouen is worth 1/2 a day. Really enjoyed the Rick Steves walk from the France book. And I've been silent on the boards for a long time regarding bandbnormandie. I think George is the one who keeps hyping it up. We stayed there and would NOT recommend it. The place is in need of some renovating. I don't think the owners have been able to keep up with the increase in traffic brought about by the inclusion in the RS guides. Towels were threadbare, bed horribly uncomfortable and the prices are too high for the area. You can do better.

Kathy, I stayed in La Madelaine (500 meters from Utah Beach) for a week and loved it. That's right in BoB country and that whole area is gorgeous, rolling countryside. I'm sure all those sites will be included in your tour. You might also think about driving up the coast, north from Utah Beach. Right on the coast, there's an interesting, modest-sized museum in Quineville dedicated to daily life in occupied France. (The Germans were there for 4 long years). Several little towns on the water to grab lunch - I hope you love seafood! And I would recommend going to Point du Hoc and the visitor center there. It's not too far from Omaha Beach (where the American Cemetery is located). Enjoy your trip!
Renee

We went to Point du Hoc.....while there is not a lot to see, it was amazing to stand in a place where so many gave their lives to capture guns that were not there. You won't spend a lot of time there, but standing in bombcraters and going into German bunkers . This was where the Rangers went straight up the cliffs to attack the batteries on top. As a side note, we also went on a chateau hunt when there and visited one owned by Stephen Forbes, he of Forbes magazine. Was neat to see how the other one per cent lives.
We based ourselves in Arromanches and also had a car. It was a great experience, moving and memorable.

Kathy, You might want to have a look at the Gun Batteries at Longues su Mer, which are about a 20-minute drive from Bayeux. The Command Bunker was used in the filming of The Longest Day. If you plan on having a look inside that Bunker, I'd suggest packing along a small Flashlight, as there's no lighting inside. As someone else mentioned, the Museum and Pegasus Bridge site are very interesting. The original Pegasus Bridge has now been located to the Museum site, and replaced with a newer bridge. As I recall, the Museum closes for a "siesta" in the afternoon, so plan your touring accordingly. Happy travels!