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France
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Normandy
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Calvados
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Bayeux
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Tours & Activities
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Normandy Battlefields Tour - Sword Beach and the British Airborne Sector
5 h
About this activity
Begin your tour with a visit to the famous Pegasus Bridge, where General Gale’s 6th Airborne Division famously halted German attacks coming in from the east. Listen as your knowledgeable guide describes the strategic significance of this important landmark, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Continue onward to the Merville Gun Battery and Museum and discover the more of the history of this once war-torn part of northern France. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Otway, the men of the 6th British Airborne Division were tasked with the capture and destruction of the enemy guns firing on the Allied forces on Sword Beach. Hear how, against all odds, the courageous soldiers succeeded in their D-Day mission.
Visit Sword Beach, the most easterly of Normandy’s five landing beaches. Hear how 28,000 soldiers came ashore under heavy fire here, to begin the arduous task of liberating Western Europe. The city of Caen was their goal but the German resistance was strong.
Spend time exploring the Hillman Bunkers, a series of 18 underground concrete shelters linked by trenches. Hear your guide explain why the bunkers were built and gain an understanding of the strategic uses to which they were put during battle.
Continue onward to the Commonwealth Military Cemeteries. Wander among the graves and flowers, taking time to read a few of the touching epitaphs and letters left to fallen soldiers. The sense of history weighs heavy here, but the Commonwealth cemeteries are the perfect place for quiet reflection to heal old wounds.
After five hours exploring the sites and discovering the history of the Normandy battlefields, your tour will come to an end.
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Continue onward to the Merville Gun Battery and Museum and discover the more of the history of this once war-torn part of northern France. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Otway, the men of the 6th British Airborne Division were tasked with the capture and destruction of the enemy guns firing on the Allied forces on Sword Beach. Hear how, against all odds, the courageous soldiers succeeded in their D-Day mission.
Visit Sword Beach, the most easterly of Normandy’s five landing beaches. Hear how 28,000 soldiers came ashore under heavy fire here, to begin the arduous task of liberating Western Europe. The city of Caen was their goal but the German resistance was strong.
Spend time exploring the Hillman Bunkers, a series of 18 underground concrete shelters linked by trenches. Hear your guide explain why the bunkers were built and gain an understanding of the strategic uses to which they were put during battle.
Continue onward to the Commonwealth Military Cemeteries. Wander among the graves and flowers, taking time to read a few of the touching epitaphs and letters left to fallen soldiers. The sense of history weighs heavy here, but the Commonwealth cemeteries are the perfect place for quiet reflection to heal old wounds.
After five hours exploring the sites and discovering the history of the Normandy battlefields, your tour will come to an end.
Included
- Driver/guide
- Pickup from Bayeux train station or Place de Quebec in Bayeux only
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan (maximum 8 people)
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Please note that the tour departs from Bayeux - Normandy. There is no hotel pickup from Paris.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
Features
Cultural
85%
Tourism
80%
Reviews
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Beautiful cemetery.
Marvellous, brilliant guide. So glad we went on it, much better than just driving ourselves about and missing half of what we saw.
We were a bit disappointed with this tour. What we wanted to see most was Sword beach as we were very interested in the British landings, but there was very little time spent there. On the other hand we had too much time left to wander round a war cemetery. Our guide was very knowledgeable, but not very engaging. And he was hard to hear because the mike in the van was broken.
Good to see a more comprehensive perspective of the region and its history, as a companion to the American sector. Guide was accommodating but we left wanting more insight to such an important part of modern history.
Very knowledgeable guide. We were a little disappointed that we did not go to the Sword museum as this was the main reason for booking. However we enjoyed many aspects of the tour and we were pleased that after asking we actually went to the Sword beach and paid our respects to family.
Excellent tour, for a half day a lot was packed in, our guide was very informative.
The tour was excellent, but the British-French tour guide was condascending in attitude toward us when we had a question and was definitely very biased against the American perspective of Normandy D-Day. We did not appreciate that he constantly was telling us that the Americans should have listened to the Brits on strategy, etc. Other than that, we loved the British Sector Tour and respected all that the British did and the lives sacrificed on D-Day. It was sobering. One very nice part of this tour was being picked up and taken back to our bed and breakfast location.