5 Star Hotel - 4 Day Normandy Experience

ARRIVAL IN BAYEUX / PRIVATE TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL Pick up at Bayeux train station and transfer to your hotel for check in. Discover Bayeux on your own.

Depending on your time of arrival and after your hotel check-in, discover the historic town of Bayeux on your own. Take some time to wander through the city and admire the Gothic Cathedral and medieval town. Bayeux is also home to the world famous UNESCO listed tapestry and time permitting a visit to the museum that houses the precious item will certainly be a highlight of your stay.

NORMANDY LANDING BEACHES & D-DAY SITES SHARED DAY TRIP FROM BAYEUX Breakfast at your hotel. 9.00am Pick up at a centrally located meeting point in Bayeux

A full day visit to the Key Beaches, sites & museums linked to D-Day.

Today, depart for a full day tour starting in Bayeux and dedicated to the most important sites linked to D-Day. Our shared tours from Bayeux all depart from Place du Quebec meeting point and all our normandy d-day landing beaches guided tours take place on board premium air conditioned vehicles.

First stop will be in Sainte Mere Eglise On the morning of June 6, 1944, also known as the longest day, thousands of soldiers from the Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in an attempt to liberate France and the continent from the German occupation. This marked the beginning of a fierce and deadly battle against surprised but well-trained Nazi troops. Among the allied troops, the Americans landed on two different beaches, later named Utah and Omaha. First, head towards Sainte Mère Eglise, heart of the drop zone for the 82nd Airborne U.S. forces. Indeed, the D-Day landings did not only happen from the sea! Airborne divisions and paratroopers rained on this village, and one of them famously got caught in the tower of the church. The village is also home to the airborne museum that can be visited during one of our private tours from Bayeux.

Reach the Utah beach landing area Then, your Normandy battlefield tour will take you to Utah beach, the second beach where the American troops landed. Again, listen to your guide as he reveals the historical facts of the landings and how the troops were able to storm the beaches in this area. It is here that the 101st airborne pathfinders were dropped the night before d day invasion. Your guide will also take you to the US military cemetery where you can pay your respects to the ones who fell during D-Day and the Battle of Normandy that followed.

Visit stunning Pointe du Hoc Also located in the American sector, head to the Pointe du Hoc, a breathtaking cliff offering lunar landscapes, stunning bomb craters and a magnificent viewpoint over the English Channel. Given the toughness of the operation, the Pointe du Hoc was given to Rangers to land upon. The battle site, dotted with German bunkers was rough, as the Pointe du Hoc had been built as a key point of the Atlantic Wall. It was the highest point between Utah beach and Omaha beach and provided a great observation spot to notice any unfriendly arrivals from the sea. You can still see an artillery gun battery there and feel as if it was still 1944.

Followed by Omaha landing beach This Normandy battlefield tour will also take you to Omaha beach, where the deadliest of the landings took place. Even though bombings occurred before the landing itself, they failed to neutralise the German positions in that sector. In addition, troops and amphibian vehicles were disembarked too far from the shore, leading to an absolute failure and thousands of men being killed under heat German fire. The assault on this beach was perfectly depicted in the opening scenes of the Saving Private Ryan movie. Learn more about the landing and the following days as your tour guide explains all the events that took place on the beach and how the battle raged and evolved inland.

End the tour at the Normandy American Cemetery of Colleville sur Mer

If time permits, your guide will also make a stop at the Omaha Beach American Cemetery and memorial in Colleville sur mer where you will have some time to pay homage to the fallen. Depending on the timing of the day you might also have the opportunity to enter the visitor center. This shared tour will have you picked up in the morning in a central location in Bayeux. At lunch time, your English-speaking guide will point out the best places to eat depending on the location you are at.

After a complete day of visiting the most important sites linked with D-Day, return to your hotel in Bayeux.

5.00pm return to Bayeux. Overnight at your hotel.

MONT SAINT MICHEL SHARED DAY TRIP FROM BAYEUX Breakfast at your hotel. 8.30am Pick up at a centrally located point in Bayeux.

A trip to one of France’s most iconic monuments. The Unesco World Heritage Listed, Remarkable Gothic Jewel Mont Saint Michel is an island off the coast of Normandy, in the English Channel, and is one of the best Normandy tours you can choose. It is located about 1 kilometer from the shore and sits in a bay that sees some of the biggest tides in Europe. A few years ago, it was linked to the mainland by a bridge that gets flooded during high tides a few times a year only. The first church was built on the mount in 709 at the request of Archange Michael. A couple of hundred years later, a small group of Benedictines settled there permanently and the church was enlarged. The first monastery was carved in the rock in the 11th century and gradually got bigger and bigger over the following centuries. In the medieval time, it quickly became an important destination for pilgrims, just like Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Visit the Benedictine Abbey with your guide The construction of the mont saint michel abbey as we know it nowadays was finished in the 13th and 14th centuries, and the grand chancel was replaced in the 15th century. Those hundreds of years of architectural prowesses have left us with a magnificent monument, now referred to as the “Wonder of the Western World”. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. During your day trip to Mont St Michel, our friendly English-speaking driver / guide will take you from Bayeux to the Mont Saint Michel, which you will access via a shuttle and the bridge in accordance with local requirements. While on the road, make sure to take it all in and observe the beauty of the Normandy coastline. Our Mont Saint Michel tour will then take you to the abbey itself, at the very top of the mount. Follow your guide on a walking tour. The history of its construction will be explained in detail and while you are there, make sure to snap some pictures of the amazing views on the surrounding bay!

Mont Saint Michel is also a lively small town After the visit of the abbey, enjoy some free time to explore the town at your own pace and bring back some souvenirs for friends and family. Your guide will also suggest some great restaurants for lunch, suitable for all budgets. If you want to indulge, the Mère Poulard restaurant is probably the most famous on the mount. It gained its reputation thanks to its unique omelette soufflée recipe. It is well worth a visit and a must-try when on a Mont Saint Michel day tour but keep in mind you will need a large amount of time as the restaurant is so popular with visitors.

4.30pm return to Bayeux. Overnight at your hotel.

DEPARTURE TRANSFER FROM HOTEL TO BAYEUX TRAIN STATION Breakfast at your hotel and return transfer from your hotel in Bayeux to Bayeux train station.

Please note that the order of visits can vary depending on traffic, weather conditions or other factors. Your driver/guide will adapt the tour so as to make it the most comfortable possible for you.