Battlebus - Tours of the D-Day Beaches - American Highlights Tour

This tour visits both U.S. beaches, Utah and Omaha in one day, and covers the most well known American D - Day tourist sites. You visit the Airborne Museum in Sainte Mere Eglise , the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc , explore Omaha Beach and have time for reflection at the American Cemetery in Colleville. It does not cover the Airborne sector in detail, and does not visit as many varied and “hard to find” sites as our Two-Day Tour. A good tour to take in addition to the this would be the Band of Brothers Tour or British Highlights Tour.

8.30am - 5.30pm
Price
per person
85 Euro

The Tour in greater detail
Sainte Mère Eglise - Officially the first town liberated by
U.S. troops, see the famous church tower, where PFC John Steele landed during the night of the 5th/6th June - the sequence made famous in The Longest Day film, and hear other stories of the fighting for this vital crossroads town . On our tour you will hear the “real” version of events, not the Hollywood version and we show you photos of the real heroes.

Airborne museum , one of the most impressive museums in Normandy, housing a D-Day C-47 Skytrain and Waco glider in two halls of displays and rare artefacts. There is also a well stocked book, DVD and souvenir shop.

Airborne Drop zones - Drive through the lanes and “bocage” hedgerow country where the Airborne troops paved the way for the Utah Beach landings. Airborne buffs should consider our American Experience and/or Band of Brothers Tours to visit this area in more detail.

Utah Beach - Preserved German positions, stately monuments and WWII vehicles dominate the beautiful sand dunes of Utah . The Utah landings were a success, but hear how fate and great command decisions made it happen. The 4th "Ivy" Division were the first Division ashore here.

Lunch - snacks and drinks are usually bought either from a B&B café behind Utah beach or from a snackbar nearby.

Pointe du Hoc - The infamous German gun position that threatened the Allied ships off Utah and Omaha . Attacked by the elite 2nd U.S. Rangers , under the command of LTC James Earl Rudder who had to scale the cliffs to get there. The moon like bomb craters and ruined fortifications and bunkers make this a hugely popular stop of many of our clients.

Omaha Beach - stop 1 - Dog Green where GIs of the 29th Division fought and died, as portrayed in “Saving Private Ryan” . This was the bloodiest of the beaches and where the landings very nearly failed but for the bravery of the Greatest Generation . Our tour examines the problems and errors that contributed to the horror of the landings. We consider the experiences of the first wave including the “Bedford Boys” and hear real-life tales of survivors.

Omaha Beach - stop 2 - A second stop along the beach usually in the 1st Division “Big Red One” sector. We look at the breakthrough and battles beyond the beachhead. Don’t put up with a tour that simply offers a drive-by / photo-op of the beach, time is needed there to begin to understand the tragic events that unfolded. It’s also 5 miles long , you can’t take in the events that took place in 15 minutes.

Colleville U.S. Cemetery - The resting place of 9387 U.S. service personnel. An experience you’ll never forget. As seen in “Saving Private Ryan”. Acres of beautifully kept grounds and the resting place of Privates and Generals, Sons and Husbands, Men and Women, The Named and the Unknown, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen.

Other stops - Depending on the time of year, how many people in the group, the weather etc. There are other stops
we often include if we have spare time. It’s the little “extra stops ”, that make a Battlebus Tour truly special.

Download a PDF document describing this tour

Customer comments about this tour
see more testimonials here

Our guide was so knowledgeable and provided so much extra information that was just wonderful. The day went so fast, and we truly enjoyed our tour.

My parents were only in Europe for about 12 days and without hesitation their favorite day of the trip was this tour. The guide is the best I have ever had.

While the sites were interesting and historic, what really made it all come alive was the guide.

What a great time we had on the tour, the guide was positively fabulous with such a refreshing brand of enthusiasm and intelligence - we went with another tour company the next day and though they were pleasant and competent - it was no match for the Battlebus experience!

As former teachers we have sometimes found tours like this to be a disappointmentto the leaders lack of knowledge and/or skills in conveying it. This was NOT the case with Battlebus. Obviously the guide had researched, studied, interviewed veterans and other eye witnesses, and had created great visual aids with which he portrayed, with feeling, these events in history. It was the highlight of our wonderful two week trip to France.

My wife and daughters felt that they learned a lot about the D-Day landings and America's sacrifices there. I want you to know how much I appreciate Battlebus' decision to go with quality over 'speed'.

We reserve the right to alter tour itineraries as necessary and without prior notice. This can be because of traffic delays, museum closures or bad weather etc

Please note that 12 years is the minimum age to take this tour

There is a moderate amount of walking and a considerable amount of standing on this tour

Book this tour now