U.S. D-Day Sites Half Day Tour From Bayeux

At first we will come and pick you up at a centrally located meeting point in Bayeux. Before the start of the tour, your guide will introduce you to the area and to the different sites that you will be seeing on this half day tour dedicated to the most significant US battlefield sites of D-Day. This tour is a perfect introduction to this period of time for those of you who have only but a short time in the area.

Departing from Bayeux, you will first reach the coastal battlefield area of Omaha Beach. Here, listen to your guide as you are taken back in time to hear the tale of one of the boldest and most successful large scale invasion in military history. Omaha was by far the toughest assignment in Overlord. was the most heavily defended of all the beaches; its bunkers, fighting positions, and obstacles were intended to repel any Allied landing. Though they exacted by far the heaviest toll of the attackers, its defenses delayed movement inland by only several hours. Here, you will have some time for photos and be sure not to miss the amazing memorial.

After a short drive, you will be taken to the Pointe du Hoc site; located between Utah & Omaha beaches, this prominent position along the coast of Normandy, was a focal point of the amphibious assault by U.S. forces during the early morning hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944. Here, Lt. Col. James E. Rudder, commanding the 2nd Ranger Battalion, received the mission to land at 6:30 a.m., scale the 100 foot cliffs, and disable the German positions. Lt. Col. Max F. Schneider’s 5th Ranger Battalion would follow and reinforce them. As you stop to visit the site, be sure not to miss the Ranger Memorial. The monument consists of a simple granite pylon positioned atop a German concrete bunker with tablets at its base inscribed in French and English. This battle-scarred area on the left flank of Omaha Beach remains much as the Rangers left it.

End the tour with a stop at the Normandy American Cemetery. Located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing large maps and narratives of the military operations. An orientation table overlooking the beach depicts the landings in Normandy. Here you will have some time to walk around and pay homage but also visit the Visitor Center that provides a fuller array of visitor services to put the D-Day landings in perspective as one of the greatest military achievements in history.

After the visit, return to Bayeux.