Diane

Since your son is very interested in WW2, I highly recommend visiting the Memorial Museum in Caen as part of your Normandy visit: http://normandy.memorial-caen.com/

Although not exclusively focused on WW2, the Memorial Museum is easily done in half a day (or a couple of hours) and has one of the best WW2/D-Day exhibits anywhere IMO. You can book and take a D-Day tour directly from the museum. You'll see different package tours available on the museum website. I've never taken a tour so I can't recommend one, unfortunately.

Normandy is a beautiful region and a nice change of pace from Paris. Enjoy your trip!

Diane

apersuader65

A third for the Peace Museum in Caen. Since your son is 25, I suspect he could do much of the research himself, since he knows what interests him. If it is to have the dialogue, a tour is obviously required. If it is to just see the sights, much of it can be researched ahead of time and then viewed.

I'd suggest he read the Ambrose book Band of Brothers if he is American, as it follows Easy Company of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. Since there are so many aspects of D-day, your son's interests should drive the tour. For example, the Band of Brothers has nothing to do with Omaha beach, they dropped in behind Utah, then moved south and east from there.

PalenQ

Yes - rent a car in Caen after taking the train there for a few days - hit the Peace Memorial Museum on the way out of Caen - like I did - as it gives you a great orientation to the lay of the land here - a huge relief map shows you everything - great orientation but on the outskirts of Caen so hard to get to I think those buses must run there - hard to get to sans car.

ljmartin2801

You all are great!
Thank you for all the inside info!
I'm trying to make this SO memorable for him, I just wish he had more time (don't we all!).
I will check out Normandy Battle Tours....we will book a private tour so no problem with issues with a group.
Right now I've contacted Overlord tours and Bayeux Shuttle that are available and awaiting Dale Booth.
Anyone have experience with them?
We'll arrive Bayeux the day before if I can find a hotel room, we want to be in town ( as nice as Chateu Sully looks, perhaps not this time).
Thanks everyone! More info always appreciated!!

Sue_xx_yy

"looks like D Day historian tours is booked so am awaiting word from over lord Robert
I'd like to get something arranged before going instead of "winging it" since we'll be there during such a busy time and definitely want to stay in Bayeux after reading up."

if stuck, get a copy of "major and mrs. holt's guide to the..."

i've seen it on sale in places like the bayeux tapestry gift shop. a lot of tour guides base their commentary on material filched from this guidebook.

we spent 7 nights in normandy like this:

two nights in les andelys (giverny, prehistoric monolith hunt)
1 night in honfleur (laundry, explore les andelys, honfleur)
1 night near m s michel stopping in at bayeux tapestry on the way, then touring the mont with dinner there)
3 n in bayeux. (you can arrange to meet son at bayeux train station per his schedule): 1st day juno centre at juno beach near bayeux
2nd day guided tour of british sector near cannes, in pm guided tour did more canadian sites
3rd day using major/mrs holt guide (our bnb lent us a copy) - a laundry, then we drove out to pointe du hoc, omaha beach, and some other places not normally visited by guided tours but mentioned in guidebook)
last a.m explored a bit of bayeux, then drove back to paris

laurie_ann

We had a wonder day around Bayeux with Overlord (Alain Chesnel) in 2004. He was very good to adapt to the interest of our group (me, my husband and my parents).

waterdog

ljm - If you are still looking for a hotel, try the Hotel Churchill or the Villa Lara. They are both well located in town. The Tapestry and the Cathedral are a short walk away and many of the D-Day tours leave very nearby the hotels.

Sue_xx_yy

oops forgot to mention on third day we toured museum in arromanches

http://www.musee-arromanches.fr/accueil/?lang=uk

our guided tour of british sector incl admission to pegasus bridge museum which features detail on the (british) airborne drops the night before the beach assaults.

http://www.memorial-pegasus.org/mmp/...ement/?lang=uk

if you have time to get up as far as utah beach you will be close to the american airborne landing area and museums.

the d day area is huge; have you son try hard to find two full days min.

PalenQ

And have your son think of other 25 year olds who landed on the beach, few of whom survivied and now lay in the Colville/s/Mer military cemetery - I did this about that age and thanked the likes of those who died for their sacrifice, knowing that in different times it could have been me!

A sobering site from the cemetery - seeing the beaches far below - visualizing that many now laying here where shot down from vantage points like this.

Gretchen

How about the friend of ours who returned with us on a trip==he was 18 when he landed at Omaha.

Gretchen

I will add that we spent 3 days in Bayeux doing our own touring of the beaches using the Michelin Green Guide to Normandy. We went up to St.Mere Eglise for a start. Do not miss Arromanches--an engineering marvel to float an entire harbor across the English Channel. We had seen Pegasus Bridge on our way to Bayeux.
I felt we had a wonderful tour of the major beaches=and the cemetery of course without a guide. and did some other things like eating mussels at the quayside. Don't neglect the Tapestry and be sure to eat at Le Petite Bistro in Bayeux.