Overlord-Neptune

NormandyONtour

Tour Alpha – Flexi (4-hr / 7-hr / 9-hr)

Tour Description

4-hr Half Day ‘fixed’ (or full day ‘flexi’) Private Tour of The American D-Day Sector

The Advantages of choosing a ‘fixed’ half-day Private Tour

→ Our Half-Day Tour Alpha (4-hrs) is an exceptionally easy-going tour, ideal for those clients looking for a brief insight into the American campaign experience.

A quick look at the map below will give you an idea of this tour’s coverage when booked as a ‘fixed’ 4-hr Half-Day PRIVATE Tour, with a Bayeux Hotel pick-up & Place de Québec drop-off [Mon / Wed / Fri].

Hotel check-in: 07:50 (in hotel entrance lobby) / Hotel departure: 08:00 / Central Bayeux.

Drop-off: Place de Québec 12:15 (just in time for lunch!).

*For our ‘extended’ flexible options, please scroll futher down the page.

Travel in style, safely…

Our half-day D-Day Private ‘Tour Alpha’ is conducted in one of our spacious comfortable 8-seat 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 ‘fixed’ 4-hr tour runs throughout the summer season [Mon / Wed / Fri, 2023]. This tour can be booked directly within this page (‘Book Now’). The extended ‘flexible’ version of this tour – which operates on-demand – can be booked via either our [C1] or [C2] transport solutions (just below).

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

→ Via this booking page, we operate our 4-hr Half-Day D-Day Tours on a fixed schedule (as per the 08:00 – 12:15 Mon / Wed / Fri itinerary below).

Please see the ‘Helpful Info’ menu for pick-up location maps.

NB: Clients wishing to book the aforementioned standalone, unmodified tour (as it appears on this page) are invited to just skip the next section.

The Advantages of choosing a half-day Private Tour via our ‘Transport Solutions’ services

→ Tour Alpha Options: Both a 4 to 6-hr customizable tour and 7 to 9-hr customizable tour are available:

4 to 6-hr customizable tour [via our C1 Transport Solutions service]

7 to 9-hr customizable tour [via our C2 Transport Solutions service]

→ This Includes: Tour customization, Hotel or station pick-up & drop-off services.

→ Ideal for flexible custom-created ’boutique’ tours and for visiting those *rare sites and tourist attractions found ‘off the beaten track’ (*Airborne Tours! Tour ‘Delta‘ – US Airborne Sector Tour & Tour ‘Echo‘ – British Airborne Sector 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.

NB: By adding this tour as an ‘extra’ to our [C1] or [C2] Transport Solutions, our Bayeux and Caen-based clients may benefit from extended visiting time options, including a choice from the following: [+45 mins] The Colleville US Cemetery’s stunning visitor centre (not visited on well-known major group-tour circuits, mostly due to time constraints); [+45 mins] the incredible Overlord Museum (situated right outside the US Cemetery); [+25 mins] Calvados Tasting (a visit to a nearby local orchard); [+60 mins] extended Omaha Beach options – visit the entire beach including: The German strongpoint WN#62 / St. Laurent-sur-Mer – monument ‘Les Braves’ / Vierville – National Guard monument (saving Private Ryan shooting location) and [+45 mins] finish the day at the German anti-naval gun battery at Longues-sur-Mer, sat atop the cliffs overlooking Gold Beach.

From Caen: If you are based in Caen, then you might consider taking the Caen > Bayeux morning train [appx 09:00] and choosing a free Bayeux Station 09:45 morning pick-up. Alternatively, simply add a Caen hotel pick-up / drop-off ‘extra’ (supplement) at checkout when booking [C2].

NB: The scheduled Paris > Bayeux train (via Caen – on the Cherbourg line) arrives in Bayeux betweeen 09:00 and 09:35 [Mon – Fri] and we will be waiting for you directly outside the tiny Bayeux Station at 09:35 for a 09:45 departure. (Please be sure to check all train schedules ahead of travelling).

*The extended [C1] 4-6-hr and [C2] 7-9-hr transport-solution tours, pick up at Bayeux hotels or train station or from central Bayeux from 09:45 onwards, and come with completely customizable drop-off options. Note: The latest finish time is 18:30. *Pick-up / drop-off from Caen (and nearby costal towns) is available via our 7-9-hr [C2] service.

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 Tour ‘Alpha – Flexi’ (via our ‘Transport Solutions) OR with the Fixed Bayeux start times below [Mon / Wed / Fri]

Welcome Aboard

Departs Bayeux at 08:00

Public toilets available

Place de Québec
Place de Québec is situated just around the corner from The Bayeux Tourist Information Office. We either pick up clients at their hotels, or pick up here at 07:50 [Mon / Wed / Fri], for a half-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. We can also accomodate 07:50 Bayeux hotel pick-up requests. However, please note: This service terminates at 12:15 in central Bayeux, Place de Québec.

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}
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 12:15
Following the 08:00 to 12:15 morning tour, we will return you to Bayeux Place de Québec at 12:15, 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 11:50 in order to ensure that we arrive back in Bayeux at 12:15. 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.

END OF THE TOUR

12:15