Five ways to spend a day at the landing beaches, matched to the people who book them
We run five D-Day tours from Paris. Four go to the American sector and one goes to the Canadian sector. The differences are the museum, the starting station, the group size, and the pace. Pick by who is traveling, not by the name of the tour.
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The five tours
| Tour | Sites | Meets at | Group | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normandy D-Day Tour | Sainte-Mère-Église, Utah, Omaha, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches, American Cemetery | Bayeux station, 8:40 a.m. | 8 max | $225 plus rail |
| Caen Memorial and Normandy Tour | Guided Caen Memorial museum, lunch at the museum, Omaha, Pointe du Hoc, American Cemetery | Caen station | 7 max | $260 plus rail, lunch included |
| Canadian D-Day Tour | Bernières-sur-Mer, Juno Beach, Juno Beach Centre, Bény-sur-Mer cemetery, Abbaye d’Ardenne | Bayeux station | 8 max | $225 plus rail |
| Private Normandy D-Day Tour | Omaha, American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, plus any sites you choose | Your Paris hotel, 7:00 a.m. | Your party, up to 6 | $2,425 total |
| D-Day and Mont St. Michel Overnight | The full American sector day, a night in Bayeux, Mont Saint-Michel the next morning | Bayeux station | 8 max | $695 plus rail |
A family with children
Take the private van. Kids do better with a 7:00 a.m. hotel pickup than a 6:00 a.m. walk to Saint-Lazare, and a private guide adjusts the stops to attention spans: more time on the sand at Omaha, a shorter museum, a picnic instead of a sit-down lunch. Grandparents can rest in the van at a stop while the rest walk. If the private price does not fit, the standard train tour works from about age ten; the day is long, so bring snacks and a charged phone.
A veteran’s grandchild, or anyone with a name to find
Take the private van, or the private train version if you prefer rail. The shared tour reaches the American Cemetery late in the afternoon for the flag lowering, which leaves little time to search for a grave. A private guide can put the cemetery first, help you find the plot, and give you as long as you want there. The visiting a family grave page explains how to look up a burial before you go and what the cemetery staff can arrange.
A history buff
Take the Caen Memorial version if you want the context first. The museum covers the road to war, the occupation, and the Battle of Normandy, and lunch there is included. You give up Sainte-Mère-Église, Utah Beach, and Arromanches to make room for it. Take the standard tour if you already know the story and want the ground: six sites in the American sector with a guide who has walked them for years. A private tour adds Longues-sur-Mer, the German battery with its guns still in place, Brécourt Manor for Band of Brothers readers, and La Cambe, the German cemetery.
A Canadian family
Take the Canadian D-Day Tour. Juno Beach, the Juno Beach Centre, the Canadian cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, and the Abbaye d’Ardenne are in the British-Canadian sector east of the American beaches, and the American-sector tours do not reach them. The shared tour runs every Tuesday from April through October and any day for a group of four or more. The private Canadian tour runs daily from your Paris hotel.
One day only, both beaches and Mont Saint-Michel
Take the D-Day and Mont St. Michel day tour if you have a group of four or more. It is a 14-hour day: the abbey in the morning, Omaha, Pointe du Hoc, and the American Cemetery after lunch. Two or three people should choose one destination for the day or book the overnight.
Already staying in Bayeux or Caen
Skip the rail. The Normandy D-Day Tour from Bayeux starts at Bayeux station at 9:00 a.m., covers the same six sites, and drops you back in town at the end of the day for $225. The Caen Memorial tour has a meet-at-Caen option for the same reason.
Group size and pricing are compared on the small group or private page. For the timing of the flag lowering and the seasons, see best time of year.
Questions
Which tour sees the most D-Day sites?
The standard Normandy D-Day Tour and the tour from Bayeux: six sites in the American sector. The Caen Memorial version trades three of them for the museum and an included lunch.
Can the shared tour visit a specific grave?
The guide can point you to the plot from the cemetery map, but the visit comes late in the day and time is short. For a family grave, book a private tour and ask for the cemetery first.
Is there a tour that covers both the American and Canadian beaches?
Not as a shared tour. A private tour can combine Omaha and the American Cemetery with Juno Beach in one long day. Contact us with your priorities.
Which tour is best for a first visit?
The standard Normandy D-Day Tour. It is our best seller since 2002 for a reason: the most sites, a small van, and the cemetery at the end of the day.
Do any of the tours run on June 6?
No. The anniversary brings road closures and ceremonies that make touring impractical. The days around it run as normal.
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