About the D-Day, Normandy Beaches in Context Walk in Paris
In the early morning of June 6th 1944 almost 160,000 allied troops descending on the well-fortified Normandy beaches, setting in motion Operation Overlord, a key turning point in World War II. Today, the various commemorative sites along this now peaceful stretch of French coastline, are a powerful reminder of courage and sacrifice made to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. On this full day excursion, in the company of a WWII historian, we will travel along the D-Day beaches, stopping at the main sites, which will provide a powerful visual backdrop to understand this complex historical event.
Usually taking the train from Paris to the city of Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy which was heavily bombed during the war, we will meet our docent and driver at the station. Our route may change due to any special interests, however, we usually start with the far end of the American sector of Omaha beach, the Pointe du Hoc, en route our docent will lay out the background for the invasion.
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In the early morning of June 6th 1944 almost 160,000 allied troops descending on the well-fortified Normandy beaches, setting in motion Operation Overlord, a key turning point in World War II. Today, the various commemorative sites along this now peaceful stretch of French coastline, are a powerful reminder of courage and sacrifice made to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. On this full day excursion, in the company of a WWII historian, we will travel along the D-Day beaches, stopping at the main sites, which will provide a powerful visual backdrop to understand this complex historical event.
Usually taking the train from Paris to the city of Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy which was heavily bombed during the war, we will meet our docent and driver at the station. Our route may change due to any special interests, however, we usually start with the far end of the American sector of Omaha beach, the Pointe du Hoc, en route our docent will lay out the background for the invasion. This steep cliff, sitting 100 ft/30 m above the sea, a strategic location on the German defensive Atlantic wall, it was a point of attack of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and site of an intense two day battle. The rough terrain marked with shell holes and the remains of the machine gun battery takes us back to the day of the battle and sets the tone for our excursion.
After a break for lunch we will proceed to the Omaha beach situated at Colleville-sur-Mer, the location of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. At this moving site, we will learn about the important involvement of the American contingency in invasion. You will also have time to independently visit the cemetery and pay homage to any particular special graves or walk down to the expansive beach down below.
Driving eastwardly, we will reach Arromanches, the location of the invaluable artificial port. At this site we will learn about the careful preparations for Operation Overload and how the artificial port was installed and used to offload vehicles and supplies in the days following the invasion.
Time permitting, we may also visit a German cemetery. A sombre resting place, it provides a unique context of seeing the perspective of the individual German soldier.
Please Note: This is actually a full- day 12 hour excursion. Clients depart by themselves from the Paris St-Lazare station at 8:45 am and arrive in Caen around 11:00 am, where the docent will be waiting. Clients will return to the Caen station around 7 pm, arriving in Paris around 9pm. We can also arrange private excursions for clients desiring car transportation from Paris or for visitors staying in Normandy. Please contact us for a quote.
