D-Day Special
a 1-day tour dedicated to D-Day
During this one-day tour, you will discover and enjoy the main sites of D-Day.
D-Day will be the only highlights of your tour: our guide born in Normandy will make you discover what they have learned from their grand-parents and parents who had lived D-Days as they were adults and young.
On weekdays
Stroll on Omaha Beaches
Pay respect at the US Cemetery of Colleville s/ mer
Return to Bayeux (train to Paris St Lazare)
Visit of Arromanches Museum
Discover Longues s/mer gun battery
Lunch in Port en Bessin
Visit of Arromanches Museum
The permanent exhibition on the Normandy Landings was officially opened on June 5th 1954 in Arromanches by Monsieur René COTY, then the President of the French Republic. It was the first museum to be built in commemoration of June 6th 1944 and the Normandy Campaign. The D-day Museum overlooks the very spot where one of the Mulberry Harbours was constructed and where its remains can still be seen today, just a few hundred metres from the shore.
In the gallery of working models, directly overlooking the remnants of Mulberry B, our guide will tell the remarkable story of this artificial port, from its design and construction to its subsequent use.
The combination of commentaries and practical demonstrations brings the whole operation to life and makes it easier to understand the role of each piece in this vast jigsaw puzzle.
Mulberry Harbor in 19444
Discover Longues s/mer gun battery
The German artillery battery at Longues-sur-Mer may not have been the most powerful in Normandy, but it was one of the best located to oppose the landings of 6 June 1944. Installed slightly back from the edge of a sixty-meter-high cliff, it was positioned directly opposite the Allied fleet and right between Omaha and Gold landing beaches.
The coastal battery at Longues-sur-Mer, part of the Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications, was built by the German navy in the first half of 1944 and completed in four months. It consisted of four 150 mm guns in concrete bunkers, and one 120 mm gun. In May 1944 the battery was operational, but the firing command post built on the edge of the cliff did not yet have all the equipment necessary for calculating effective fire against naval targets.
On D-Day, the Longues-sur-Mer battery delivered a protracted duel with the Allied fleet, forcing some of the vessels to retreat in order to avoid being hit. However, the five guns of the battery were gradually silenced, some being destroyed by direct hits. Finally, British troops landing at Gold Beach took over the position on 7 June, capturing the survivors of the garrison of 180 men.
Today, the site is one of the best preserved in France and the only onewhere you can still see some of the original cannon, capable, at the time, of firing shells weighing 45 kg at a distance of 22 km. The view from the firing command post, dug into the cliff, offers a vast panorama over the Bay of the Seine.
Lunch in Port en Bessin
“Sweeping views across the sea…”
The stunning backdrop is like a breath of fresh air…a place where culinary delights are served overlooking the inviting sea. Whether you are eating alone, as a couple, with friends and family or on business, each table is designed to be secluded and private. Come and enjoy a relaxing experience overlooking the sea!
On Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is one of the two American landing areas in Normandy. 5.9 kilometers long, this beach is 12 kilometers east of Utah Beach. It consists of the towns of Vierville-sur-Mer in the west, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer in the center and the villages of Colleville-sur-Mer and Le-Grand-Hameau in the east. This beach is originally called the Côte d’Or (golden coast). A plateau overlooks the shore and four valleys allow to reach the interior.
The 16th Regiment of the 1st US Infantry Division and the 116th Regiment of the 29th US Infantry Division are designated to attack this beach, divided into four major landing areas. They are named, from the west to the east: “Charlie”, “Dog”, “Easy” and “Fox”. Depending on the progress of the Pointe du Hoc attack programmed at the same time, these units can be reinforced by the 2nd and 5th battalions of Rangers. These military formations are under the command of Major General Leonard T. Gerow, commander of the 5th US Army Corps, and General Omar N. Bradley, commander of the 1st US Army.
Pay tribute at the US Cemetery of Colleville s/ mer
The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur- Mer is situated on the top of the cliff overlooking the famous Omaha Beach. The cemetery, 172 acres in extent, is one of fourteen American World War II Cemeteries constructed on foreign soil. Beyond the reception building, you will see a magnificent semi-circular memorial. Centered in the open arc of the memorial is a bronze statue which represents “The Spirit of American Youth rising from the waves”. In the extension of the ornamental lake there is a central path leading to the 10 grave plots where 9 387 soldiers are buried among which are 4 women and 307 unknown soldiers.