Overlord-Neptune

NormandyONtour

Tour Alpha 4-hr Tour: 9am & 2pm starts

Tour Description

Half Day PRIVATE Tour of The American D-Day Sector

The Advantages of choosing a half-day Private Tour

→ Our half-day 4-hr PRIVATE Tour Alpha comes as a fixed 4-hr itinerary, with two Bayeux departures (09:00 / 14:00), but is also available as an exceptionally flexible tour, with a plethora of extendable *options (*See Tour Alpha – Flexi for more info). On this page there is a ‘Book Now’ direct link to reserve either the morning or afternoon fixed 4-hr tour.

→ You will have your own dedicated guide in your own small PRIVATE group throughout the entire duration of the tour, who will go out of his / her way to make your day memorable and endeavour to answer your every question.

→ 4-hr fixed-itinerary PRIVATE Tour Alpha: Clients looking for a brief insight into the American campaign exprience often welcome the shorter fixed schedule. It picks up at 08:50 in the morning at client hotels (or Place de Québec) and returns to Place de Québec at 13:00. In the afternoon, it picks up at 13:50 from Place de Québec and at 18:00 sets clients down at either Place de Québec, at their Bayeux hotel or at *Bayeux Station (*suitable as a day-trip from Paris – with morning free-time sightseeing in Bayeux as a strongly recommended itinerary).

A quick look at the map below will give you an idea of this tour’s coverage (on a ‘fixed’ 4-hr tour).

NB: This tour is also suitable for:

1. Paris-based clients, who are travelling to Bayeux on board our [C5] Premium Transport Solutions service. On our [C5] service, this tour will operate from 14:00 – 18:00 [Mon-Fri]. Note: Paris-based clients can simply add it as an ‘extra’ when booking their [C5] Transport Solution service.

Travel in style, safely…

Our half-day D-Day Private ‘Tour Alpha’ is conducted in one of our spacious comfortable panoramic Tourers, with air-conditioning front and rear, drinks holders, a fridge to keep your water chilled, onboard WiFi. Our vehicles are also equipped with the latest in vehicle security & passenger safety technology.

Tour Schedule

The tour operates Tue & Thurs, throughout the Summer season, 2023. (NB: In 2024, this tourn wll operate Mon-Fri).

If your chosen dates aren’t available within our reservation system, please get in touch.

The D-Day Sites you will visit on this tour

The American D-Day Sector [4-hr tour]: *Pointe-du-Hoc, Omaha Beach at Vierville-sur-Mer (Saving Private Ryan film location) & National Guard Memorial, passing Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer & Monument ‘Les Braves’ on Omaha Beach, Colleville American Cemetery (optional *Visitor Centre instead of Pointe-du-Hoc). Note: If clients choose not to visit La Pointe-du-Hoc, then time-permitting, we will also venture down the bluff towards Omaha Beach, over-looking German Strongpoint WN#62.

Pick-up Times & Locations

→ We operate our 4-hr Half-Day D-Day Tours on a fixed schedule, with double daily departures from Bayeux at 09:00 & 14:00.

*Check-in is 10 minutes prior to departure.

Morning Departure: 4-hr tour

09:00 departure from Client Hotels or Place de Québec in Central Bayeux [Tue & Thur in 2023]. This service returns to Place de Québec at 13:00. Please see the ‘Helpful Info’ menu for pick-up location maps.

Afternoon Departure: 4-hr tour

14:00 departure from Place de Québec in Central Bayeux [Tue & Thur in 2023]. This service returns to Client Hotel or Place de Québec at appx. 18:00 (or drops at Bayeux Train Station upon request, in plenty of time to catch the train back to Paris).

From Caen: If you are based in Caen, then you might consider booking via our [C2] Transport Solutions service (*Please see the ‘Helpful Info’ menu).

Book Now

The Battle was WON…The Tour is ON

Overlord-Neptune

*Tip : Click the square logo upper left (before NormandyONtour) or click the numbers for more details…

Timeline

Half-Day D-Day Private Tours – Fixed Bayeux start times [Tue & Thur, 2023 / Mon – Fri, 2024, 09:00 & 14:00]

Welcome Aboard

Departs Bayeux at 09:00 & 14:00

Public toilets available

Place de Québec
Place de Québec is situated just around the corner from The Bayeux Tourist Information Office. We depart here at 09:00 & 14:00, Tue & Thur (2023) / Mon – Fri (2024), for a half-day D-Day PRIVATE Tour. There are toilet facilities here, as well as a cafe nearby – ‘La Garde Manger’ – perfect for passengers who wish a quick coffee prior to departure.

The 2nd & 5th Rangers - Rangers lead the way

50 minute visit - includes freetime

Public toilets available

1. Pointe-du-Hoc (*or opt for US Cemetery Visitor Centre - See below #4)
Pointe-du-Hoc, a 100ft promontory cliff overlooking the English Channel on the coast of Normandy in northern France was heavily fortified with concrete casemates and gun pits and protected by the German 352nd Infantry Division. On D-Day the United States Army Ranger Assault Group under lieutenant colonel James E. Rudder assaulted and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs. Disabling the six 155mm guns there was crucial to the successful completion of the Allied Land Invasion. There was however a cruel surprise in store for Colonel Rudder's men...

The 29th Infantry Division, 2nd & 5th Rangers

30 minute visit – includes freetime

2. Vierville-sur-Mer {‘Saving Private Ryan} – Omaha Beach
On D-Day at 06:30, the U.S. Army’s 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division, along with units of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions, landed on Omaha Beach, below Vierville-sur-Mer. The 29th Division & The Rangers suffered extremely heavy losses in the very first few minutes. On this stop you’ll find out how the courageous soldiers persevered on ‘Bloody Omaha’, and how in the face of all odds and at the prospect of certain death, they finally cut through the formidable German defenses.

US 1st Div. 116th RCT & 29th ID, 743rd Tank Batt.

Inside vehicle

3. Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer : ‘Les Braves’
The only monument in Normandy to stand on one of The Allied Invasion Beaches can be seen here in Sainte-Laurent, directly on Omaha Beach. Inaugurated on June 5, 2004, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the landing of Normandy, it is in tribute to the 35,000 Allied soldiers who landed in this place, on June 6, 1944, and to the 3,000 victims, dead, missing and wounded by the evening of D-Day. Here we will learn how a petition was required to revoke the fate of the temporary edifice in 2004, and we will take a look at the significance of its magnicicent design in relation to the events which transpired here on D-Day, and in the weeks and months that followed…

50 minute visit - includes freetime

Public toilets available

4. Normandy Colleville American Cemetery (*plus optional Visitor Centre - an additional 45 mins)
On June 8, 1944, the U.S. First Army established the temporary cemetery, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. After the war, the present-day cemetery was established a short distance to the east of the original site. Come and honour the graves of our fallen Heroes, discover the gold-embossed gravestones of the three Medal of Honour recipients - listen to some stories from their lives - and peruse the wall of the missing upon which are engraved the names of 1557 servicemen never recovered...

The Big Red One – ‘BRO’

No Mission Too Difficult. No Sacrifice Too Great. Duty First!

20 minute ‘guided’ or free-time visit

5. *Omaha Beach + WN 62 (*Time-permitting).
Omaha Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops of the First Division nicknamed ‘The Big Red One’. However faced with the 12,020 experienced combat troops of the German 352nd Infantry Division, the battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division had its work cut out. During this memorable visit you’ll find out why nothing here went according to plan on D-Day. Thus we shall discover how ‘Bloody Omaha’ earned its name…

Homeward-Bound

20-minute drive back to Bayeux

Return to Bayeux, Place-de-Québec, at 13:00 or 18:00
Following the 09:00 morning tour, we will return you to Bayeux Place de Québec at 13:00, in time for lunch. There are plenty of bistros, cafés and restaurants in the vicinity. At the end of the day, we always depart our last stop on schedule at 17:40 in order to ensure that we arrive back in Bayeux at 18:00. For clients returning to Paris or Caen, we can drop you at the Train Station in plenty of time to catch the Bayeux to Paris train (via Caen). During our relaxing drive back to Bayeux you will have 20 minutes to reflect on the half-day tour and have a casual chat with your Guide. We always appreciate feedback about your D-Day experience and welcome any last-minute questions. Please do not hesitate to let your driver know if we can be of any further assistance. Thank you for choosing NormandyONtour.