2019 cruise stops in Cherbourg. We would like to take a day tour of Normandy beaches. Can anyone recommend a day tour ? Thanks

If no one comes back with a personal recommendation, you can find several companies from a google search. Viator, Overlord, Military Might, American D-Day Tours, Normandy Sightseeing Tours...

But does your cruise line offer this excursion? If so, I'd book through the company. Otherwise, if you're late returning to the ship for any reason and miss the sailing, you're in trouble. Where's the next port?

It is perfectly fine to go and see the Normandy war sites, but it ever it turns out to be inconvenient, there is the magnificent Cité de la Mer to be seen in Cherbourg itself.

Cherbourg: La Cité de la Mer | Any Port in a Storm

I noticed that many of the cruise ships coming into Cherbourg in 2019 will stay there 10-12 hours, which is plenty of time to take a non-ship offered excursion at least of the US landing beaches/American cemetery, etc. We have always tried to avoid the ship excursions and their larger buses, when possible, even with their extra safety net.

In October, while not on a cruise, we visited the US spots (the British and Canadian landing zones are to the east, farther away from Cherbourg) by car but had considered a private tour, fearing it may be difficult to do-it-yourself. But, as it turned out, it was very easy to do it by car. One tour company that came highly recommended to us was Military Might Day Tours, which was from Bayeux where we were staying. It is my understanding that you can arrange a pick-up with them at the cruise port in Cherbourg as well. https://www.militarymightd-daytours.com

Our trip report, again by car, may have some helpful info: Brittany/Normandy/D-Day 4 nights. October

The remarkable thing to us was the amount of barbed wire, gun stations, bomb craters, etc., that are still in place. So much of the area, to our astonishment, even with its beautiful waterfront, seems like it was left as it was in 1944. One other mention, 2019 will be the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which can be good and bad (more events and more people).

I took one with Normandy Sightseeing Tours and it was really good, but I have no idea if they go from Cherbourg. I suspect not, nor any others, but you can check. I thought all those left from Bayeux.

It will take you about 1.5 hours Cherbourg to Vierville (not a perfect place but a good example on the coast and the same back, I'd take the boat tour.

Tours - the ones I overheard knew less than I did. I'd do it on my own.

Thanks to everyone who replied. We have found a couple of non-ship tours that include about 15-20 people. I think the ship tours include a full bus. We found the tours on Cruise Critic that were well rated. Jean- Our cruise goes next to Brussels ( Zeebrugge ). Recommendations about activities there would be appreciated. Whitehall- Great trip report. Planning a return trip to stay a while in the area.

Bilboburglar- I haven't found a boat tour, but it sounds interesting.

sorry if i confused you, I assumed (duh) that the Ship would have a tour to this part of Normandy in their stay over. The roads in the area are not great so just beware. If time is an issue you might just visit St-Mere-Eglise which is where the gliders (USA) all landed (think John Wayne and the clicking frogs in the longest Day). The local museum is fascinating and shows how the village filled up with dead and dying as what was intended to be a distraction became a headache to the attack. NB the real distraction turned out to be the resistance under the control of the Brit SOE who rose up all over France at the same time and cut comms lines so the Panzer units to the south never new that they were required on the cliffs.

In Cherbourg you could visit the Museum of the Sea or go see the fortress that looms over the town (where the Germans sat waiting for the Royal Navy to turn up, when the allies instead sent in special services and took them from the back door some weeks later, lesson learnt from Singapore).