Discover Normandie!

   Normandy is one of the great historic regions of France; in the Middle-Ages, Normandy was a great dukedom which, like Burgundy, rivaled in power and prestige with the kingdom of France. Indeed, the dukes of Normandy managed to achieve the same status as the kings of France, to whom they owed allegiance. Before he died, the king of England, Edward the Confessor, named his nephew William, duke of Normandy, as his successor. But after Harold, William's cousin, took the English crown for himself, William invaded England in 1066, to assert his claim to a royal crown. The story of Harold and William the Conqueror is magnificently told in the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which can be visited in Bayeux, a few miles to the west of Caen.

   With their historic links and their proximity, it is hardly surprising that the Normandy area has much in common with the south of England; the rolling countryside is not too different - fields and meadows bordered by hedges, even bluebell woods. Furthermore, the historic and vernacular styles of architecture are not too different either. Normandy is known for its fabulous cliffs (Etretat) and lovely cities (Honfleur, Deauville), painted by the impressionists, as well as Monet’s home (in Giverny), where he painted his world-famous ‘Nénuphars’. On an opposite note, the Normandy Beaches - the site of the D-Day Landings in World War 2 - Omaha Beach, Juno Beach, Utah Beach are visited a lot. The landings are commemorated in monuments, museums and the war graves of the thousands who gave their lives.

   Finally, Normandy specializes in dairy products and fruit (notably apples). The most famous regional products are the cheese Camembert, and two drinks, Cider and the spirit distilled from it, Calvados.

LANDING BEACHES US SECTOR - FROM CAEN & BAYEUX

Full day tour of the US sector of the Landing Beaches. Embark on a discovery tour of the history filled 1944 landing sites in Normandy. You will visit Sainte Mere Eglise, Utah Beach, the Pointe du Hoc, the Omaha Beach and the American cemetery established a short distance from the original site.

9.00 AM : Be met at your hotel in Caen or Bayeux.

   The tour starts at Sainte Mere Eglise: a typical Norman village, the early capture of which played a pivotal role in the outcome of June 6th, 1944. If you wish, your guide can slip in a stop to the “Biscuiterie” to sample their traditionally prepared cookies.

   A side road, cutting across the countryside toward the northwest zone of the invasion beaches, will bring you to Utah, one of the primary Allied invasion sites. From there you’ll proceed through Ste Marie du Mont, taking note of the picturesque church, before stopping in Angoville au Plain where Kenneth Moore and Robert Wight set up a military medical aid station helping both civilians and soldiers.

   After lunch, you’ll head to the Pointe du Hoc, a stunning place of natural beauty scarred by heavy aerial and naval bombardment. The resulting craters underscore the infamous feat carried out by US Rangers, who scaled the 100 foot cliffs to boot out the enemy, thus securing this imposing strong-point. Your tour visits Omaha beach, where the Americans lost so many, and finally concludes at the American cemetery in Colleville: a site of over 170 acres housing 9387 tombs and a wall of the missing. This unforgettable stop, inspiring respect and somber reflection, rounds out your trip of the D Day Beaches US sector.

6.00 PM: End of the tour.