Discover the sites where the events of 1944 took place leading
to one of the defining moments of the Second World War,
D-Day. We also include a visit to lovely Honfleur and to the
Basilica of St Thérèse in Lisieux, one of France’s most important
pilgrimage sites.
TOUR INCLUDES
- Return ferry Rosslare-Pembroke with Irish Ferries
- Return overnight cruise ferry Portsmouth-Caen with en-suite
- cabins
- Luxury coach with fully qualified Driver/Escort
- 4 nights hotel accommodation with dinner, bed & breakfast
- Full day local guide to tour the Landing Beaches
- Visit Caen Memorial
- Visit Bayeux Memorial Museum & Bayeux Tapestry
- Visit the Landings Museum & Pegasus Memorial
- Excursion to Honfleur
- Visit to the Basilica of St Thérèse at Lisieux
HOTEL
Mercure Port de Plaisance, Caen
COST
€795 per person sharing
€205 single supplement
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ITINERARY
FRIDAY 29TH OCTOBER
Depart from your local pick up point, then we drive to Rosslare for the Irish Ferries crossing to Pembroke. After disembarking we travel east to Portsmouth, with ample rest stops en route, for the overnight cruise ferry to Caen with en-suite cabins on board.
SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER
We disembark this morning then it’s a short drive to Caen, our base for the next 4 nights. Our hotel is in the city centre close to the main sights. Caen was the birthplace of William the Conqueror and you may like to visit his burial place. The city has many splendid buildings and two famous abbeys. This afternoon we visit the famous Caen Memorial - a vast, interactive visitor centre dedicated to peace. The 20th century is brought to life, from the decline into war, through the dark days of occupation and the Battle of Normandy to the Cold War years that followed the end of World War 2. In addition to the many exhibits there are two powerful video presentations and a section devoted to other failures and triumphs of peace, such as September 11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Dinner, B&B)
SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER
Today we meet an expert local guide for a full day tour of the Landing Beaches. First we visit the Pegasus Memorial at Ranville, dedicated to the 6th British Airborne Division whose soldiers were the first to touch Norman soil on the night of 5th June 1944. We see the original Pegasus Bridge and a replica Horsa Glider. Then we drive along the Landing Beaches of Sword, Juno and Gold, with an opportunity to visit the Juno Centre, which relives the Canadian campaign in Normandy during the liberation and discovers the history of pre-war Canada and its way of life today. We continue to Arromanches, where the remains of the Mulberry Harbour are still visible, and visit the Landings Museum – a permanent exhibition in front of the remains of the artificial port, devoted to the advances of the British after the landings. We return to the hotel for dinner. (Dinner, B&B)
MONDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
We take a break from the wartime sites today and drive along the coast to the seaside resorts of Deauville and Trouville, then to Honfleur. Picturesque Honfleur was beloved of the Impressionist artists with its pretty port area and slate-fronted houses. St Catherine’s Church here is the oldest wooden church in France. We have time for lunch – there are many places to choose from by the harbourside – then head inland to Lisieux to visit the Basilica of St Thérèse, France’s second largest pilgrimage site after Lourdes. Construction of this vast basilica was started in 1929 and took 25 years. Its walls and those of the crypt are decorated with beautiful, brightly-coloured mosaics depicting the message of St Thérèse. On our way back to Caen we may have time to visit a Calvados distillery or a local cheese producer in the lovely countryside known as the Pays D’Auge. (Dinner, B&B)
TUESDAY 2ND NOVEMBER
This morning we drive to Sainte Mere Eglise where the US airborne troops first landed. The Airborne Troops Museum is housed in a parachute-shaped building, displaying an American glider, weapons, uniforms, photographs, authentic newspapers, flags and paratrooper zone cards. A second building houses a Douglas plane. Next we travel along Utah Beach to the impressive Pointe du Hoc, site of the Artillery Battery. One of the strongpoints of the German fortifications, the Pointe du Hoc was taken by storm on the morning of 6th June by Colonel Rudder’s Rangers. We visit the US Military Cemetery and Omaha Beach before heading to Bayeux whose Memorial Museum retraces the steps of the Battle of Normandy from 6th June to 22nd August 1944. See the Military Cemetery then the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the events of a much earlier campaign - the Battle of Hastings in 1066. (Dinner, B&B)
WEDNESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER
A leisurely day today including a visit to a local Hypermarket to stock up on wines and other goodies (there’s plenty of room to stow your purchases in our large luggage compartments). Later we drive to the port for the overnight ferry to Portsmouth with cabins on board.
THURSDAY 4TH NOVEMBER
After disembarkation this morning we continue to Pembroke for the ferry to Rosslare and onward transfers to original pick up points. |