Advised tours : D-DAY LANDING BEACHES
These programs are given as an example, they can be modified depending on the pick up location and on your interests.
TOUR 1 : AMERICAN SECTORS
Sainte-Mère-Eglise / Utah Beach / Pointe du Hoc / Omaha Beach / American Cemetery
TOUR 3 : BRITISH AND CANADIAN SECTORS TOUR
Peace Museum in Caen / Pegasus Bridge / Commonwealth military Cemetery in Ranville / Sword Beach / Via Juno et Gold, the Artificial Harbour of Arromanches
TOUR 2 : BAND OF BROTHERS AND THE AMERICAN AIRBORNE DIVISIONS
La Fiere bridge / Beuzeville-au-Plain / Ravenoville and the Marmion’s Farm / Brecourt Manor / Sainte-Marie-du-Mont / Hiesville / Angoville-au-Plain / Dead Man’s Corner / Carentan
TOUR 4 : THE BREAK THROUGH OF AVRANCHES and MONT SAINT MICHEL
Saint-Lô / Avranches / Mont-Saint-Michel
NORMANDY : D-DAY LANDING BEACHES
On the 6th of June 1944 starting at 6:30am, Allied forces landed on the coast of Lower Normandy to start the liberation of Europe from the Germans. Re-live in one or more days the principal events and battles that made up the Battle of Normandy with a personal private tour of the sites that interest you. Follow, more than 60 years later, the same roads taken by the Allied armies in the summer of 1944. Our guides, passionate about the history and the region of Normandy, will take you to the landing beaches themselves, the inland battlefields, the cemeteries of all three principal armies, the museums and explain the stories and history behind each. “Bloody Omaha”, the Pointe du Hoc, Pegasus Bridge, the American cemetery at Colleville, the Norman Hedgerow countryside that gave the Allied armies so much trouble, the church steeple at Sainte Mere Eglise where John Steele got caught up, the massive artificial harbour at Arromanches, are just a few of the places to visit. Relive the film “The Longest Day” or the series “Band of Brothers” and follow the battles of the 101st airborne division, the famous “Screaming Eagles”. These emotional visits to the places where history was made will be something that you will never forget from your time here in Normandy.
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Advised tours : MONT-SAINT-MICHEL
These programs are given as an example, they can be modified depending on the pick up location and on your interests.
TOUR 1 : A medieval Day
Bayeux / Mont-Saint-Michel
TOUR 2 : Mont-Saint-Michel and the « Break through » of Avranches
Mont-Saint-Michel / Avranches / Saint-Lô
TOUR 3 : Normandy and Brittany on two days
Day 1 : Bayeux / Mont-Saint-Michel / Overnight in Dinard
Day 2 : Dinan / Saint-Malo / Return to any destination (Bayeux, Rennes, Paris, Loire)
MONT-SAINT-MICHEL
Mont Saint Michel : a miracle or a mirage? A day spent there will be a day that you will never forget. Follow the legends of the rock such as the two Gods fighting to the death on the Mont-Saint-Michel and the Mont Tombe, places that have been considered sacred by the inhabitants since the third century B.C. The first sanctuary, which turned the site into a Christian place of pilgrimage, was built by Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches in 708 A.D. This was done because the bishop had received visions from St Michael ordering him to build the sanctuary on the site, and to dedicate it to him. As the centuries went by, with increasing numbers of pilgrims coming to pay homage and leave an offering, the sanctuary grew rich and a monastery was founded. As well as this, the sanctuary was being continually expanded and made ever grander, following the different architectural styles of the times which turned the Mont Saint Michel into what it is today, an Abbey on the scale of which the world has no equal. From the ramparts of the medieval town walls, built to protect the town from invaders, you can admire the magnificent view of the bay and the surrounding salt marshes. The huge tide that used to cover the causeway leading to the island twice a day is the second highest rising tide in the world, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada. You can also just wander around the steep cobble stone streets of this town, exploring their narrow winding routes discovering new treasures around every corner, take a wander through the souvenir shops, try one of Mere Poulard’s famous omelettes, or, if you prefer, eat in one of the other restaurants or brasseries. With two and a half million visitors a year, Mont Saint Michel is without a shadow of a doubt Normandy’s most spectacular single spot to visit, considered by the Normans to be the Real 7th Wonder of the World !
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Advised tours : MONET
These programs are given as an example, they can be modified depending on the pick up location and on your interests.
TOUR 1 :
On the way to Normandy from Paris or vice versa : Visit to Giverny and Monet’s Gardens / Rouen or Honfleur.
TOUR 2 :
From Deauville or Honfleur : « Into the heart of Claude Monet » : Honfleur / Rouen / Trouville.
TOUR 3 :
Leaving from Bayeux or Honfleur : « Monet and the picturesque Auge area » :
Trouville / Honfleur / Pays d’Auge (Lisieux, Visit to a cider farm, Beuvron en Auge).
MONET
Claude Monet is a painter recognized today around the world as one of the most famous French impressionists. His work can be viewed in museums and art galleries found throughout the four corners of the world. However, you may not be aware that most of Monet’s work was inspired and painted here in Normandy. He grew up near the Norman Port of Le Havre and following the completion of his studies in Paris, he naturally returned to the place of his childhood. During his time in Paris, he met Eugene Boudin, a native of Honfleur who was to become his mentor and lifelong friend. Following the example of Boudin, Monet experimented with a new technique of painting in the open-air at a time when most painters worked indoors. He was inspired to do so by the scenery and light conditions found on the Norman coast. He completed most of his coastal scenes around Honfleur and the beaches of Trouville, a seaside resort since the 1860’s. The paintings he did in Rouen contained a series of the Cathedral showing how different outdoor lighting could affect the majestic subjects of his work. Monet spent more than half of his life in the little village of Giverny surrounded by beautiful country landscapes. It is possible today to visit the artist’s house to get an insight to the inspiration of this master painter. The gardens that he first landscaped, he then spent half of his life painting, notably the « Japanese bridge » over the « Water Lily Pond ».
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Advised tours : THE MIDDLE AGES IN NORMANDY
These programs are given as an example, they can be modified depending on the pick up location and on your interests.
TOUR 1 : WILLIAM AND THE MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE
Bayeux / Honfleur / Rouen
TOUR 2 : Coming from or going to Paris
Bayeux / Honfleur / Rouen
TOUR 3 : William the Conqueror TOUR GUILLAUME le CONQUERANT
Bayeux / Caen / Falaise
THE MIDDLE AGES IN NORMANDY
Following the founders of Normandy, the Vikings, William the Conqueror became the Duke of Normandy in the 11th Century. His thirst for fame and the military strength of his Kingdom allowed him to push his influence to the other side of the English Channel. The Battle of Hastings in 1066, one of the best-known and most historically consequential battles of the last millennium, was depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry which can still be seen to this day in the town from which it takes its name. This masterpiece is today classified by Unesco as aWorld Heritage Piece. The architecture of Normandy and the image of its prosperity are shown in the majestic buildings, churches and cathedrals to be found in even the smallest of villages. William the Conqueror founded and developed Caen, the Capital of lower Normandy, by the building of two abbeys where he and his wife, Matilda, are buried, as well as the castle found in the very centre of the town. His birthplace, as the illegitimate son of Robert the Magnificent, can still be seen in the castle of Falaise, twenty miles south of Caen. The Middle Ages were a turbulent time with various wars and conflicts being fought in the area, such as the Hundred Years War during which Joan of Arc was judged and condemned to burn to death in Rouen. The majority of the towns in Normandy still preserve their medieval character with winding, narrow streets bordered by ancient timber-framed houses, as can still be seen in Bayeux, Honfleur, Rouen and other towns in the area.
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Private Tours 
