The Normandy D-Day Tour from Paris

This is the day we’ve run more than any other since 2002: the morning train from Paris to Bayeux, a small van waiting with your guide, and the beaches and villages where the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 took place. Maximum eight guests. It’s a full day and a moving one — our guests tell us it’s the most meaningful day of their entire trip to France.

The Facts

What You Visit

• Sainte-Mère-Église — the pre-dawn airborne drops; John Steele’s parachute still hangs from the church tower
• Utah Beach — the western landing sector that joined the paratroopers to the sea
• Omaha Beach — five miles of “Bloody Omaha”: 2,400 American casualties, 34,000 ashore by nightfall
• Pointe du Hoc — the cratered clifftop the Rangers scaled, bunkers intact
• Arromanches — the remains of the Mulberry artificial harbor, still offshore
• The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer — 9,000+ graves above Omaha, timed for Taps when the schedule permits

Lunch is along the coast, not included — your guide knows the cafés and bakeries away from the coach stops.

The Day, In Order

The high-speed train makes the distance easy: about two hours twenty from St. Lazare, arriving Bayeux around 8:40 on weekdays, where your guide is waiting on the platform. The van goes first to Sainte-Mère-Église, where the 82nd and 101st Airborne dropped into the dark before the landings began, then to Utah Beach.

Omaha Beach is the heart of the morning. The beach today is wide, quiet, and peaceful, which is exactly why a guide matters: they bring the events of June 6th back to life where they happened. Pointe du Hoc follows — the place where you can still see the battle most clearly, craters and bunkers intact — then lunch, then Arromanches and the ingenious artificial harbor that supplied the entire invasion.

The day ends where it should: the American Cemetery, 172 acres administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the ranks the photographs cannot prepare you for. We keep this stop unhurried on purpose; it is the reason most of our guests came. The evening train returns you to Paris for a late dinner.

Why the Train, Why Small

• Big coach tours spend 9 hours driving round-trip with 50 people on the bus; we take the train and spend those hours at the sites
• Local expert guides — Francois, Julie, Matthew — who have guided these sites for years and know them personally
• Eight guests maximum, always
• Running since 2002 — longer than most competitors have existed

The Honest Notes

• A long day: 13 hours, with an alarm before 6 a.m. — and worth it
• Channel weather: folding umbrella or light raincoat any season; water-resistant shoes that keep out sand
• Powerful subject matter — children 10 and up generally do well
• Visiting a relative’s grave? Tell us at booking and the guide locates it in advance
• Folding wheelchairs and strollers stow on the van; most sites accessible via nearby parking; restrooms at lunch, museums, and the cemetery visitor center
• Sells out 3–4 weeks ahead in season — book early

Frequently Asked Questions

Is one day enough for the D-Day sites?

For the essential story, yes — the guide paces the day so each site gets real time. Wanting more, take our overnight in Bayeux, which can add Mont St. Michel.

What time do we get back to Paris?

The evening train has you in Paris in time for a late dinner — about 13 hours door to door.

First or second class rail?

Same trains, reserved non-smoking seats both ways; 1st class simply has fewer, roomier seats. The tour is identical — $347 with 2nd, $440 with 1st.

Can we do this privately?

Yes — our private Normandy tours tailor the itinerary entirely, including Paris hotel pick-up, and are the required format for weekend departures.

When is the best season?

The sites carry their weight year-round. Summer and fall bring the mildest weather; winter brings near-empty sites and a quieter coast that many guests find especially moving. The Channel supplies wind and rain on its own schedule in any month — pack accordingly.

Reserve Your Normandy D-Day Tour

Book in the calendar above, or talk to someone who has stood on Omaha Beach themselves: call or text 424-386-5222. We have been welcoming guests to Normandy since 2002, and we look forward to welcoming you.