Getting There: The Basics of Travel to Normandy The best part? None of these options are tied to a specific date. Finally, Viator combines the ease of online booking with the reviewing power of TripAdvisor. Bayeux Shuttle organizes similar D-Day tours, further delineating them to focus on American, British, and Canadian sites of interest. In addition to providing excursions to Mont-Saint-Michel, they can meet you in Paris or at cruise ports. You’ll even find inexpensive or self-guided options.įor instance, Overlordtour offers tours ranging from half-day to 2-day outings. There are plenty of companies that offer special D-Day tours throughout the year. Though Normandy’s official program and the date-specific tours only last through June, visitors who can’t make it during the summer months shouldn’t lose heart. “But What If I Can’t Make It for the Anniversary Itself?” Hoping for a little help in navigating everything going on around the official D-Day anniversary? Specific groups such as Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, Smithsonian Journeys, Explorica, and even The National WWII Museum in New Orleans have organized date-specific tours. Normandy has published a 34 page guide positively packed with activities, so give it a gander to discover even more options. Indeed, this article can only scratch the surface of the official offerings. Watch a historical reenactment in Merville-Franceville of the Battle of Merville Gun Battery, in which a skeletal force of 150 men successfully captured long-range German guns.Meet on Gold Beach to follow in the footsteps of the British 47 Royal Marine Commando battalion.View 250 historic military vehicles on Arromanches’ beach, followed by a parade and a concert featuring 40’s era music.Here are some of the events taking place the day of the anniversary: June 6 itself takes on a decidedly martial flavor. Listen to war correspondents dramatize D-Day as part of the On N’aime Guère Que La Liberté (We Only Love Liberty) lecture concert (June 5).Watch paratroopers make historic parachute jumps at la Fière (June 5).See historic D-Day sights via air, courtesy of HéliEvénements (May 30 through June 2).Take a guided tour of the Musee de Radar, a museum specializing in World War II technology (May 25 through June 16).
The battle became a crucial victory, one that turned the tide of World War II. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” He said, “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. Eisenhower gave a stirring speech the morning of the Normandy landings, and his opening lines proved prophetic. Instead, 156,000 soldiers stormed the shores of Normandy.Īmerican President Dwight D. Misinformation, dummy equipment, and fake radio chatter led German forces to believe that the Allied assault would strike at Pas-de-Calais. On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces began one of the largest naval assaults ever conducted in the history of mankind an assault across 50 miles of Nazi-held, heavily fortified French beach. “The Great Crusade”: A Short History of D-Day Following you’ll find our guide to visiting Normandy for the 75th D-Day anniversary.
Indeed, France is truly pulling out all stops to celebrate, and you won’t want to miss it. “I think this will be the last time there will be a large number of veterans. “The importance of the 75th anniversary has given extra bite this year,” Michael Dodds, director of Normandy Tourism, told the Guardian.
But a recent millennial-focused travel guide surprises because it focuses on a very familiar historical event in a very familiar setting: the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France.ĭoes it seem strange for a guide focused on a World War II event to select a younger generation as its target audience? Perhaps, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider the significance of this particular remembrance. Given the generation’s penchant for exotic and overlooked sights, it makes perfect sense. In recent years, millennials have turned out-of-the way destinations into tourism hot spots.