Breakfast at your hotel.
Normandy, famed for its dairy products and Calvados, and just a short hop across the Channel from England, was the sight of some of the most severe fighting during WWII.
This morning, depart for a visit of the D-Day landing beaches of Normandy, including Arromanches and Omaha Beach.
Visit the town of Arromanches, renowned for its artificial "Mulberry" harbour, known as "Port Winston". The impressive remains continue to remind visitors of the remarkable technical feat of taking 600,000 tonnes of concrete and equipment across the Channel in wartime to serve as a base for Allied troops. It's hard to imagine this quiet, seaside town filled with soldiers and tanks landing on D-Day.
Visit Arromanches D‐Day Museum. This museum was the first museum built to commemorate June 6, 1944 and the Battle of Normandy.
Built opposite the still visible remains of the Mulberry artificial harbour, and inaugurated by French President René Coty, the museum told the story of the Allied forces’ arrival, known as Operation Overlord, and described how Arromanches harbour worked.
Enjoy lunch as a group at a local auberge.
After lunch, continue to the American Cemetery at St Laurent-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach. The full horror of the Omaha landings can barely be imagined. Naval gunfire and pre-landing air bombardment had not softened German defences or resistance, and the first wave of troops, landing at 6.30am, were met with heavy machine gun fire and explosives. By midday, a bleak picture was emerging of landing conditions, and the US First Commander even considered pulling back. But bravery and force of numbers ensured that by the end of D-Day, the Allies had a had a toehold on this section of the Normandy coast.
Re-board your coach and head back to your hotel.
Dinner as a group.
OVERNIGHT: CAEN