Normandy American D-Day Beaches Full Day Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Omaha Beach, the longest of the five designated landing sectors, extended six miles along the Normandy coast from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville-sur-Mer. The task of securing this critical sector was assigned to the U.S. First Army’s V Corps, with amphibious support provided by the U.S. Navy and elements of the Royal Navy. The assault, led primarily by the U.S. 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions, faced formidable German defenses and is widely regarded as the most harrowing engagement of the D-Day operations.

   1.5 h

2. Perched between Utah and Omaha Beaches, the cliff top—sometimes referred to as Pointe du Hoe—rises sharply over 100 feet above the English Channel. In the meticulous planning leading up to the Normandy invasion, Allied commanders identified several key objectives that demanded precise execution, and the capture of Pointe du Hoc was among the most vital. Due to its elevated position and heavy fortifications, it was considered one of the most dangerous German defensive strongholds along the Norman coast.

   45 min

3. On the night of June 5, 1944, 13,400 American paratroopers boarded C-47 transport aircraft to take part in the largest airborne operation in history. Their mission: to secure key terrain behind enemy lines in advance of the seaborne invasion. However, problems emerged as the aircraft crossed into French airspace. A thick cloud bank over the Cotentin Peninsula forced many pilots to climb or dive unexpectedly, and intense German antiaircraft fire further scattered the formation. In the resulting confusion, paratroopers were often dropped far from their designated drop zones, leading to widespread disarray in the opening hours of the operation.

   45 min

4. Utah Beach, a three-mile stretch of coastline on the Cotentin Peninsula, was one of the five designated landing areas for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Assigned to the U.S. First Army’s VII Corps under the command of Major General J. Lawton Collins, the objective at Utah Beach was to secure a beachhead on the western flank of the invasion front and facilitate a rapid advance toward the vital port city of Cherbourg. Despite strong German fortifications and the inherent risks of amphibious assault, the landings at Utah Beach were remarkably successful, aided in part by a serendipitous shift in landing zones caused by strong currents, which inadvertently placed American forces in a less heavily defended sector. By the end of the day, over 20,000 troops had come ashore with comparatively light casualties, marking the operation as one of the most effective of the D-Day landings and a critical first step in the liberation of Western Europe.

   1.5 h

5. Orglandes War Cemetery is a German World War II burial site located on the northern edge of the village of Orglandes, in Normandy, France. It is the second smallest of the six German war cemeteries in the region, with just over 10,000 graves. Most of the soldiers buried here died during the summer of 1944, following the D-Day landings and the fierce fighting of the Battle of Normandy.

   30 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 1 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Bayeux

• Its from-price is 30% above the median of the 92 day trips we list in Bayeux.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 78 of 92.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Bayeux

Bayeux is a small Norman town of medieval lanes and a Gothic cathedral, home to a famous embroidery of the Norman conquest and close to the D-Day beaches.

A strip of embroidered linen almost seventy metres long, made in the eleventh century, tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and hangs in its own museum in town. The cathedral, whose crossing spire towers over the rooftops, was consecrated in 1077 with William the Conqueror present. Bayeux escaped bombing in 1944, so its old centre of half-timbered and stone houses along the River Aure is largely intact.

Top-ranked sights in Bayeux: Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

See all 168 experiences in Bayeux