We have one day to see Normandy Beach. Would like to find a tour which goes there... any suggestions?
Thanks

Which Normandy beach? Are you going to swim or to see the D-Day beaches (of which there are many)?

If you are asking about a tour for the DDay beaches, then I would recommend Battlebus. We did the one day tour with them last summer and it was excellent! The guide was extremely knowledgable and very personable. He juggled the ususal tour to try to work with the weather that day, as well as to avoid certain places at busy times. We were kicking ourselves for not booking the 2 day tour.

I like the beach up at Barfleur, the shrimping is excellent and lots of large rock pools to swim in with sandy bottoms ( the rock pools I mean)

It is the last place the White Ship touched the shore so I can understand the need to visit it but no tour you just turn up.

mms, I have the American Highlights tour booked with Battle Bus. You have me wondering if I should try to change to a 2-day tour. What tour did you take and what do you think you missed?

Thank you.

Celiaanne, we toured on our own for three days, but I've recommended the Battlebus tours to many people based entirely on the great reviews from Fodorites. I looked at the itineraries for the one- and two-day American tours. I think if you can spare the second day, you'll be happy you did. The one-day tour is very basic and seems a bit rushed. (As noted by mms, there can be uncontrollable factors such as weather and crowds.) The two-day tour will give you a much greater understanding of the events. I also highly recommend a few hours at the Peace Museum in Caen either before or after your Battlebus tour.

Thanks, Jean. We have 3 nights there, so we could do a 2-day tour, although at this late date (will be there April 13 - 16), I'm not sure if it will be available. I'll check.

Thank you for the information.

D Day Beaches... cemetary etc.

celiaanne--There is just so much history and our guide was so intriguing we wanted the tour to continue. We did not feel our day was rushed, but we did wish we could see more of the area. What we saw was excellent though! And I agree with Jean about the Peace Museum in Caen. Seeing the museum before taking the tour helps, IMO. We have been twice, and each time did the museum first. The Battlebus tour we did is the same that you have booked. If you can add that second day, I would do it.

The name of a GREAT private tour guide in Normandy is Ellwood von Siebold. www.ddaybattletours.com or [email protected].

Thanks to all. I always have so many plans till I actually get there, and I always find there is never enough time! I thought we could check out Bayeux the day/evening we arrive, do the one-day tour the next day, and have one day to just explore the area...

I will look into adding the additional tour -- might get more out of it than wondering around on our own...

1. Do not underestimate the value of wandering. (But do have a good map.)

2. Normandy is not just about the D-Day invasion.

3. There is no test at the end to judge what you covered/missed.

Jean makes three excellent points. I think that people sometimes forget or are unaware of the extent of the Battle of Normandy. The liberation of Normandy was no simple matter.

The beaches were cleared after 24 hours or so. The battle continued until the end of August, and over 600,000 on both sides were killed or wounded. These figures approach the severity of the Western Front in World War One.

I appreciate that many people only have time to visit one or two of the beaches and a nearby cemetery, but there are many other places throughout Normandy which are well worth visiting to get a more complete picture of the historical events. There are some tour companies such as Battlebus which do provide tours inland as well as the usual beach tours.

Laverendrye also makes good points, but what I really meant is that Normandy has more to offer than just World War II history. It's a beautiful region of France with villages of half-timbered buildings or thatched cottages, castles, chateaux, wonderful food (cheese, oysters, mussels, cider), classic seaside resort towns.

www.normandy-tourism.org

Quite right, Jean. I was focussing on the war, but of course there is much much more to see and enjoy in Normandy than just the battle sites.

For those who like to wander on their own and don't like bus tours, the Major and Mrs. Holt's Battlefield Guides series publishes an excellent guide to the Normandy battle sites, including the beaches, battlefields inland, and lots of cemeteries. It has multiple self-driving itineraries focused on different topics, and comes with a good map. You could spend a very satisfying one or two days in the area with this guide.

Thanks to everyone. We have a total of 8 days for Brittany/Nomandy. Because of accommodations availability, etc., we don't have the best itinerary.

Arrive April 8 and take the TGV to Rennes to recover from the overnight flight. Pick up car and ...

April 9 overnight (because of Tides schedule) MSM

April 13 - 16 (because of D-Day tour availability) in Bayeux

April 16 - Paris for 2 weeks.

April 10 - 13 is up in the air. I'd thought of spending those 3 days exploring Brittany... On a pevious thread Stu D said it should be possible to just wing it - accommodation wise.... I've been reading several guide books on both areas, so who knows where we'll end up.

Wandering is what I like best about vacations, but I just don't think this works so well (for me) in Europe. Two of my favorite trips were "wandering" all over Nova Scotia/New Brunswick and another trip wandering around the Gaspe Peninsula (thanks for your tips on those, laverendrye).

Thanks for all your comments -- what did we do before fodors.com!?