A visit to the beaches, cemeteries, and battle sites of Normandy  pays tribute to the acts of bravery our heroes displayed on June 6, 1944.  It brings with it a greater understanding and appreciation of the events surrounding that fateful day.  Step in the sands at Utah and Omaha beaches to get the vantage point of the liberators when their landing-craft ramps dropped into the surf.  Visit enemy bunkers.  Stare down the cliffs scaled by the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc.  Walk through liberated villages still scarred by the ferocious fighting. Stand on the hallowed ground where “The Bedford Boys” sacrificed all they could as the first wave of invaders at Vierville Draw.  Track the footsteps of the Band of Brothers. Follow the paths of the Medal of Honor recipients whose acts of bravery and valor saved the day. See the beaches where "Saving Private Ryan" was based upon. Everyone experiences different emotions upon seeing the field of crosses and Stars of David at the American Cemetery, but be assured of this - the memory of your visit will not soon be forgotten.

Medal of Honor Recipients:  Walk in the footsteps of Brigadier General Teddy Roosevelt  Jr, 1st LT Jimmy Monteith, TSGT Frank Peregory, and PVT Charles de Glopper.  See exactly what it took for these warriors to be given our nation's highest military honor.  Pay tribute at their final resting places at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.  

Visit all Five Beaches:  To understand the story of D Day, it is important to visit all 5 beaches.  Visit Utah, Omaha, Gold & Sword (British), and Juno (Canadian) beaches to understand how the invasion unfolded and was successful. Only with a small group tour to Normandy are all of these sites available.

Museums:   Private tour of Hillman Bunker (based upon availablity).  American Cemetery Visitor Center. 

Other Sites and Memorials: Pegasus Bridge, Café Gondrée, Ranville Commonwealth Cemetery, Ouisterham Casino, Commandos memorial, Mulberry artificial reefs, La Fiére, St. Mere Eglise, Brecourt Manor, Easy Red beach, Vierville Draw, entrance to various bunkers, visits to various gun placements, American Cemetery at Collevile-sur-Mer, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Pointe du Hoc, Church of Angoville-Au-Plain, Le Cambe Germany war cemetery, plus many more memorials and sites of interest.  Let us know exactly what you want to see and we will do our best to put it on the itinerary.

Mont St-Michel:  Visit one of the wonders of the world, the "Castle in the Sea", the abbey of Mont St-Michel.  Private guided van transportation between our hotel with admission to the abbey.

This is a tour you have always wanted to take.  This is your opportunity to take it.

• We get right on the beaches, in the bunkers, and have special access to certain sites (Hillman Bunker and private entrance to other bunkers and battle sites) other tour groups cannot get to.  We move about quickly and efficiently. 

• Know of someone who served  in the Normandy campaign?  We can research and report on their  whereabouts and actions during the Normandy campaign.

• Solo travelers as well as those with travel partners welcome on this Paris to the Normandy beaches tour.

• Professional licensed guides are with us in Normandy.  They passionately tell the story of the events surrounding June 6, 1944.

• Personal Service: The Professor makes sure you are well-prepared for the tour. We advise on all aspects of the trip such as air itineraries, money matters, packing, passports, and what to expect on this tour.  We are here to help - call us (413.528.2125) or email us with your questions

Since each tour is planned with traveler input, your tour may be slightly different. We always add in “off the itinerary” sites of interest. Adjustments may be made for crowd management, weather, special events, or conditions beyond our control.

We travel with 8-12 people. This offers the opportunity to do what we want to do, on our own schedule. We have access to places those big bus tours simply cannot get to. We provide all local transportation as well as admission to those sites listed on the itinerary.

Breakfast is included each morning at all hotels. Every day we plan a relaxing lunch and dinner. Please join us or go out on your own - we are glad to offer our best recommendations.

Our guide is with us during the day. Tour leaders are with the group 24/7. Unless otherwise noted, we ask travelers to be ready to go at 8:30 a.m. for a full and active day of touring.

Did you know someone who participated in the D-Day invasion? Send us as much info as possible (name, company, state of residence) and we will do our best to research and report back to you.

Well before departure date, each traveler is supplied with a “final” detailed itinerary along with a complete and detailed information packet. It has advice on packing, money matters, passports, weather, etc. We make sure travelers are well-prepared.

Travelers depart from their home airport and join the group in Paris. Take some time to rest up, and let’s have a quick “meet and greet” and then go out for dinner in Paris.

After breakfast, depart Paris via private van to Bayeux. If time permits, make a stop in Giverny, the home and gardens of the famed Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Afterwards, we head towards Bayeux, headquarters for our Normandy Beaches stay at the historic Churchill Hotel. There is time to explore Bayeux and the famed Bayeux Tapestry.

This morning, we begin where it all started, Pegasus Bridge. Follow in the footsteps of the British attackers to walk across the bridge to Café Gondrée, the first structure liberated on D-Day. Madame Gondrée, who lived there as a 5-year-old girl, tends to customers to this day. We plan on visiting the nearby Commonwealth cemetery, Sword and Juno beaches, the site of Ouisterham Casino and the Commandos Memorial. Finish up at Arromanches and the Mulberry artificial harbor. Our professional tour guide tells the stories you’ve never heard before of the strategy, bravery, and leadership that made the invasion a success.

American paratroopers jumped into Normandy the night before the land invasion. Soon after, gliders crash landed into the countryside. We visit those sites and hear unbelievable stories of bravery by heroes like Private Charles DeGlopper at La Fiére and Major Dick Winters at Brecourt Manor. A visit to Sainte-MèreÉglise brings us up close and personal with the battle. It is on to Utah Beach to put our feet on the same sand the heroes did when the landing ramps dropped and they were given the orders to “go”. A visit to the new Utah Beach where General Teddy Roosevelt Jr., rallied his men with the quote, “We’ll start the war from here”. Go on to visit the bomb craters, pillboxes, and cliffs of Pointe du Hoc where Lt. Col. James Rudder and 225 Rangers overcame unbelievable resistance to take the enemy. No visit is complete without entering the Church of Angoville-au-Plain, still bearing the scars of war. Hear the tale of two American medics responsible for perhaps the greatest acts of mercy on that fateful day. If time permits, there is a visit to the German cemetery at La Cambe.

Our last and most memorable day on the beaches. Begin by visiting the gun emplacement at Longues-surMer. Then it is onto the sands of "Easy Red" at Omaha beach. If like the others who have visited, you will be frozen in stunned silence while facing the same landscape from the viewpoint our men faced when they exited the landing craft and hit the beach. Everyone always asks, “how did they do it?” Follow the path of Medal of Honor recipient Jimmy Monteith. See exactly why if it were not for his valor and bravery, the outcome of June 6, 1944 may well have gone the other way. Our professional guides tell us of the courage, incredible daring and risks taken to overcome what seemed like an impossible task. No description can be given of a visit to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. Words cannot express the emotions brought about when confronted with the monuments, crosses, and Stars of David honoring the fallen. Our last visit is to Vierville Draw, “Dog Green” sector. It was here that the National Guard unit from Bedford, Virginia landed and faced brutal resistance as the first wave of invaders. The “Bedford Boys” proportionately took the greatest sacrifice of any unit in the invasion. See the pillboxes, guns, and obstacles confronted on the way to victory. Hear the descriptions of courage and grit while standing on the hallowed ground where the fighting took place.

Mont St-Michel is truly one of the wonders of the world. Perched on a rocky islet about half a mile off the Norman coast, the ancient abbey rises above the clouds in a stunning setting. Our private vans provide round-trip transportation with a guide as well as admission to the abbey.

We are scheduled to take the train back to Paris St. Lazare station (2 ½ hour trip). Please schedule airline departure for after 2 pm. Options are available for those wishing to spend more time in Paris or Normandy.