My husband and I will be in Germany for a bit in the next week and are thinking of popping over to Normandy for the weekend. We are most interested in the WWII sights around the region. We were thinking of taking one of the history tours, but I wasn't even sure if they offered tours this time of year or how much was even open in January (museum wise). We will have a car for this trip, so if we need to do a tour on our own, it is possible. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
17 posts
Melissa, I haven't done the DDay beaches in January but I'm guessing some of the big tour companies still run. I went with Overload Tours and did two full days with them - one the American beaches, the other for the Canadian and British. It was a bit much - I recommend them but two full days in a van was a lot. I would opt for the one-day tour. Many of the bigger sights have very nice exhibition centers attached and you'll get plenty of information from them if you choose not to use a tour company. I recommend: the American Cemetery, Point du Hoc, and Utah Beach (brand new). These are all where American troops were. You'd need to check to see if they're open in January. Arromanches is a British beach. There is an exhibition center there and you can see the mulberry (fake habor) to this day. Beautiful little town. Juno is a Canadian beach and also has a brand new, beautiful museum. The WWII museum in Bayeaux would give you a good background for the whole thing. The Peace Museum in Caen is huge and encompasses all wars....not just WWII. That should keep you busy! As my friend said, 'this was the most profound vacation I ever took.'
Renee
Posted by
Cincinnati, OH, USA
13 posts
Melissa, We did the Normandy tour in Late December a couple of years ago - we went from Paris to Caen; booked a tour at The Peace Museum; we got a private tour and the guide was extremely knowledgeable. It was cold, rainy and wet out, but got to experience what we had gone out to experience - it was all good. It looks like the Peace Museum still offers the tours during winter months: http://www.memorial-caen.fr/portail/ Landing Beaches guided tours by minivan Alone, in family or with friends The Day Pass Full rate From 24/01/12 to 31/12/12 : € 77 per person Reduced rate From 24/01/12 to 31/12/12 : € 61 per person (between 3 and 18 years old, World War II veterans and from April to September when the departure for the tour of the D Day Landing beaches is at 9 am and not at 2 pm) It will be a great trip!
Rama
Posted by
Spring, Texas
635 posts
OMG -- Normandy in January. I'm pretty sure the tours will be running but you can certainly do Normandy yourself with a car. Be prepared for very short days and less than pleasant weather. Museums will generally operate on shortened hours so check their websites carefully.