We just came back from our trip to France which included 3 days in the Normandy area. We chose not to drive ourselves and wanted to see more than just the landing beaches so we booked a private tour guide. She was wonderful and extremely accomodating (including finding stores so that my wife could buy things that she forgot to pack). She was knowldegable, entertaining and very well organized. Her name is Danielle Duboscq and her website is http://www.normandyours.com We have booked private guides many times in the past and have always used the recommendations from fodors so I thought that I would return the favor to other fodorites

Thanks for the recommendation. I have friends wishing to make their first trip to Paris this coming Fall, and they have mentioned spending one or two days in Normandy. Just curious--what other services did you consider and how did you decide upon this one?

There are a bunch of battlefield tours (batobus seems to be the largest) which are discussed on this forum if you search under "Normandy tours". We decided that we did not want to rent a car in Normandy and stationed ourselves just outside of Bayeau. We have used private tour guides in many areas and prefer the flexibility over canned tours. The cost is not significantly greater and you can tailor it to your interests plus we were picked up and dropped off at our hotel so we didn't have to worry about a central meeting place. I found Danielle mentioned on this site. I have found in the past that fodorites tend to be pretty accurate in these matters and have never gone wrong with a suggested guide. Hope that helps, if not please ask more specific questions and I will be happy to respond.

Thanks, Joey.

Thanks for the suggestion. We will be in Normandy for three days in late November and are looking for a tour guide as well. I have noted the two mentioned in this topic and will be interested in any other ideas as well. Even though the original post was in 2007, I am wondering if the feelings are the same today

Try Stuart Robertson. He is a former Battlebus guide who now does custom tours on his own. We had him for the American Highlights Tour last September 09. The experiece was beyond words. Stu made the beaches come alive. A master of history. You can stay at his B&B also. We stayed in Bayeux at the Hotel d'Argouges. Train from Paris and rented car in Bayeux tor trip to Caan D-Day musuem, Arromanches, etc. http://www.normandybattletours.com/

Waterdog

Nothing has changed. We still ook back to a great time touring in Normandy.