Normandy Day Tour from Paris

Visit the Caen Memorial and the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy

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From Our Customers…

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Caen Memorial D-Day Tour from Paris Itinerary

Begin your D-Day journey at the acclaimed Caen War Memorial, where exhibits and films provide crucial context for the afternoon ahead. After lunch at the museum (included), stand on Omaha Beach where 2,400 Americans fell on June 6th alone. Visit Pointe du Hoc‘s bomb-cratered cliffs, then end at the American Cemetery overlooking the beaches at Colleville-sur-Mer – ideally timed for the moving Taps ceremony when possible.

Your guide meets you right inside Caen station for this intimate tour (7 maximum). Return to Paris the same evening with a deeper understanding of the sacrifice and courage that changed history.

On the tour you’ll visit the following important Normandy D-Day sites:

The American Military Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer

The most important stop on our Normandy D-Day tour is the Normandy American Cemetery. Situated just above Omaha Beach, the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer honors the more than 9,000 servicemen and women who died on D-Day, and during the campaign to liberate Normandy throughout the summer of 1944.

The 172 acre site is not technically American property, but is owned and run by the American Battlefield Monument Commission. Graves are carefully noted on a grid map for visiting. Troops unaccounted for are honored on a Wall of the Missing. The opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan” was filmed here at the Normandy American Cemetery, while the fighting scenes were shot in the village of Curracloe in southeastern Ireland due to its geographic similarity to western France.

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was the code name for the main U.S. landing beach during the Normandy D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. It has been nicknamed “Bloody Omaha” and for good reason. 2,400 American soldiers were killed here on June 6th alone.

Securing the five mile stretch of Omaha was crucial in order to link up the British landings to the east at Gold Beach, with the American landing to the west at Utah Beach. The Allies were up against the Germany 352nd infantry division, a mix of green troops who had never seen combat and experienced men who had served on the Eastern Front.

It took a full day on June 6th, with heavy loss of life to secure just two footholds off the beach along that 5 mile stretch. By night fall over 34,000 Allied troops landed at Omaha Beach.

The Caen Memorial Museum

The Caen Memorial stands as France’s premier World War II museum, built in 1988 above a German command bunker. Your guided tour begins with exhibits tracing the path to war, then moves through D-Day preparations and the Battle of Normandy. Personal accounts, authentic artifacts, and archival footage bring individual stories to life – you’ll understand not just what happened, but why it mattered to the soldiers, resistance fighters, and civilians caught in history’s largest amphibious invasion.

The museum’s location is no accident. Caen endured 44 days of Allied bombing and street-by-street fighting after D-Day, losing 2,000 civilians and most of its medieval center. Today’s memorial honors all who suffered while providing essential context before you stand on the actual beaches where these events unfolded.

The Pointe du Hoc

Strategically located between the American landing beaches Omaha and Utah farther west, the Pointe du Hoc remains virtually unchanged from the day American Army Rangers scaled its sheer cliffs under deadly fire to knock out huge coastal guns that Allied intelligence had tragically been unaware of.

Pocked by huge craters left by naval bombardment, most of the German bunkers remain. The cliff-side battlefield also offers a scenic view of the French coastline that saw some of the war’s fiercest fighting.

Read a personal and informative article about our Normandy Day Trip.

Customer Photo Gallery

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Normandy Day Tour from Paris – How To Prepare

If available, bringing along a folding umbrella or a light raincoat is recommended. Comfortable shoes for walking that resist water and keep out sand will make your day a lot easier. Unless it’s full summer, wearing layers to keep out the wind is a great plan. A small backpack with your extras is perfectly acceptable in the van.

Tour Accessibility

Folding wheelchairs and strollers can be stored on the van. Some sites require walking to fully appreciate, such as seeing the German gun emplacement, but most sites are reached via easy van ride. Just let us know when booking if you’ll be traveling with a wheelchair.

Restroom stops are available at lunch and select museums at the key sites, and at the American Cemetery visitor center. Both classes on the train to Normandy and back offer restrooms.

Is photography respectful at these sites?

Photography is permitted and common at all locations. At the cemetery, maintain respectful behavior—no posing with graves or selfies that could appear disrespectful. Your guide will advise on appropriate conduct. Many visitors find photos help process the experience later.

Cancellation and Refund Policies

Due to the small group aspect of all of our tours, our cancellation policy is as follows. More than 7 days before tour date – 100% refundable; from 7 to 3 days before tour date – 50% refundable; less than 3 days – non-refundable. If cancelling please contact us as soon as possible to ensure we can credit you properly.

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