Canadian Normandy D-Day Tour

On June 6, 1944, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division came ashore at Juno Beach — and by nightfall had pushed farther inland than any other Allied force. This is the day built around their story: Juno, the Juno Beach Centre, the liberation sites at Bernières-sur-Mer, and the Canadian cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, with a guide who tells Canada’s Normandy properly. By train from Paris, maximum eight guests.

The Facts

What You Visit

• Bernières-sur-Mer — the fortified strongpoint taken street by street by the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on June 6th
• Juno Beach — the principal Canadian landing zone, walked with the landing explained on the sand where it happened
• The Juno Beach Centre — Canada’s Normandy museum, founded by D-Day veteran Garth Webb
• Bény-sur-Mer/Reviers Canadian War Cemetery — the resting place of more than 2,000 Canadians of the Normandy campaign
• Abbaye d’Ardenne — the memorial to more than 160 Canadian prisoners executed there by German forces

The Day, In Order

Your guide meets the morning train at Bayeux station, and the drive to the Canadian sector begins the story: how Canada came to hold its own beach between the British sectors, what the 3rd Division faced in the water and the first streets, and why Juno’s D-Day is told too rarely outside Canada. Bernières-sur-Mer and Juno Beach come with the fighting mapped onto the ground in front of you.

The Juno Beach Centre gives the day its Canadian heart — built by veterans, led by Garth Webb, honoring everyone who served Canada in the Second World War. The afternoon holds the two sites of remembrance: the cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, where the maple leaf marks more than 2,000 graves, and the Abbaye d’Ardenne, where captured Canadian soldiers were executed in the days after the landings and where their memorial now stands. Your guide gives both the time and the quiet they ask for.

A lunch break lands midday in a coastal village — typically Courseulles-sur-Mer or Bernières-sur-Mer, fresh seafood and Norman cooking, meal on your own — and the day ends back at Bayeux station for the evening train to Paris.

Why the Train, Why Small

• The high-speed train replaces nine hours of round-trip coach driving
• Eight guests maximum — the register these sites deserve is impossible from a 50-seat bus
• A guide who knows the Canadian story specifically — not a footnote on an American itinerary
• Groups of four or more unlock any day of the week

The Honest Notes

• A 13-hour day on sand, grass, and uneven ground — layers, comfortable shoes, and rain gear; Normandy weather is famously changeable
• Tours run rain or shine — overcast suits these sites — and only severe weather warnings cancel
• Lunch is on your own in the village stop
• Scheduled Tuesdays in season; four or more travelers can book any day, and off-season runs by request
• Most sites are accessible with moderate walking — tell us about any mobility concerns when booking and we’ll plan for them

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Canadian tour weekly when the American tour is daily?

Demand — the American sector draws more visitors, so it runs daily while the Canadian day runs every Tuesday in season. Groups of four or more can book the Canadian tour any day, and any date can run as a private tour.

Can we join from Bayeux or Caen instead of Paris?

Yes — choose the tour-only option at checkout and we’ll send meeting instructions for Bayeux; from Caen it’s a short local train ride over.

What if we miss the morning train?

Call or text us immediately at 424-386-5222 — depending on timing, a later train can sometimes join the tour at one of its later stops.

Should we book our own rail?

We’re happy to include it ($347 2nd Class, $440 1st) — if you’d rather book your own, wait until we confirm the correct train times for your date.

Did a relative serve with the Canadian forces?

Tell us when booking — we locate graves at Bény-sur-Mer in advance, and your guide can research a unit’s path so the day follows it.

Reserve Your Canadian D-Day Tour

Book in the calendar above, or call or text 424-386-5222. Canada’s Normandy story is one of the great ones — come hear it where it happened.