In The Footsteps® has been arranging tours to the D-Day battlefields in Normandy for over sixteen years. They have led customers of many different nationalities to the battlefields of Normandy as well as many of the locations associated with the preparation for D-Day across the United Kingdom.
Our D-Day, 6 June 1944 Tour is based in Bayeux, and you will visit the most significant sites of the Allied invasion on that momentous day.
Join one of our team of battlefield historians on this four-day tour that leads you across the ground over which this epic battle was fought. They will recount the events that took place and tell you some of the true stories behind the epic films and television series that have been made about the invasion. You will visit the site of the real Brécourt Battery, of “Band of Brothers” fame; discuss the true story behind the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan”; and the many acts contained within the all-star film “The Longest Day”. You will hear about acts of valour performed by the men who took part in the Allied landings and remember the fallen who gave their lives so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. You will follow in the footsteps of the heroes that shaped the world in which we live and defined modern civilisation.
Our In The Footsteps® Four-Day D-Day, 6 June 1944 Tour begins at 09:00 hrs when we collect you from your agreed pick-up location in London and drive to Portsmouth to catch the 14:45 hrs afternoon sailing to Ouistreham. On arriving in Ouistreham, we head to Bayeux and check into our tour hotel. Dinner this evening can be purchased during our ferry crossing in the onboard self-service restaurant or a la carte restaurant, as you prefer.
Day two begins when we leave the reception of our hotel at 09:00 hrs to begin exploring the battlefields.
Our first stop of the day is Sainte-Mère-Église, the first town liberated. Here, your battlefield historian will discuss the exploits of the 82nd ‘All American’ and 101st ‘Screaming Eagles’ Airborne Divisions before taking you to the excellent Airborne Museum. It is then on to La Fière, the bridge and causeway that had been briefly in American hands on D-Day. That was changed by a moment of indecision and a three-day epic struggle to break out across the base of the Cotentin Peninsula ensued. Here we discuss the many actions that took place, including that of Private First Class Charles DeGlopper who posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
We then head to Picauville to pay our respects to the US 9th Air Force and remember those who flew the C—47 Skytrains that delivered the American Airborne to their drop zones.
We continue to Hiesville where the gliders of the 101st Airborne Division landed and Brigadier-General Don Pratt met his untimely end, before heading to the Brécourt Battery where Lieutenant Dick Winters and the men of ‘Easy’ Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the Band of Brothers, destroyed the German guns.
From Brécourt we head toward UTAH Beach where the US 4th Infantry Division came ashore, stopping off at the Richard Winters Leadership Memorial on the way. At UTAH Beach, we discuss the actions of Brigadier-General Theodore Roosevelt Jr whose personal valour, courage and leadership on D-Day led to the award of the Medal of Honor.
Our final stop of the day is at Le Cambé Germany Military Cemetery where, amongst others, the German Tank Ace Michael Wittmann is buried.
We then return to our hotel and the evening is spent at your leisure either in the hotel or the local area.
Day three begins when we leave the reception of our hotel at 09:00 hrs to continue exploring the battlefields.
The first stop of the day is at Pointe-du-Hoc, the cliff-top German Coastal Artillery Battery that was assaulted by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder’s 2nd Ranger Battalion.
We then head for the western end of OMAHA Beach at Vierville-sur-Mer where we discuss the landing by the US 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division and shed some light on the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. It is then on towards St Laurent-sur-Mer to discuss the landings of the US Rangers and tell you how they got their motto “Rangers lead the way”.
We continue to the eastern end of OMAHA Beach to discuss the landing by the US 16th Infantry Regiment of the 1st (Big Red One) Infantry Division. Here we explore the area where First Lieutenant Jimmie Monteith Jr of Company L, 16th Infantry Regiment carried out the actions that led to him being awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor before heading to the 1st Infantry Division’s Memorial. There we discuss the efforts of two more American soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor, Technician 5th Grade John J Pinder Jr and Private Carlton William Barrett, as well as discuss how the ‘Big Red One’ fought their way off the beach.
It is then on to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial where we visit the Memorial to remember those Americans who died and have no known grave and the Cemetery to pay our respects to the fallen.
Our next stop of the day is at the new British Normandy Memorial near Ver-sur-Mer where we pay our respects to the British and Commonwealth soldiers that died before heading to the German Coastal Artillery Battery at Longues-sur-Mer. There you will see the large naval guns still in their casements and the intact observation post looking out over the English Channel from the cliff top.
Longues-sur-Mer is the final stop of the day, and we return to our hotel where you spend the evening at your leisure either in the hotel or local area.
Day four begins when we check out of our hotel at 09:00 hrs to continue exploring the battlefields.
Our first stop is at the British landing beach at Ver-sur-Mer where we discuss the landings at GOLD Beach and the actions of Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis, the only person to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on D-Day.
We then head to the beach at Bernières-sur-Mer to discuss the Canadian landings at JUNO Beach before continuing to the beach at La Brèche to discuss the British landings at SWORD Beach.
From the British and Canadian beaches, we head to Bénouville, the site of the first action of D-Day, and its famous Pegasus Bridge. Here we discuss the glider-borne coup de main operation by Major John Howard’s D Company the 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry before giving you the option to take afternoon tea in the Café Gondrée, the very first house to be liberated, or visiting the nearby Mémorial Pegasus.
With our tour complete, we begin our return journey by heading to Calais to catch the 17:20 hrs Eurotunnel to Folkestone. On arrival in the UK, we return to London and drop you off at your agreed location at approximately 19:00 hrs.
Please note: Itineraries are subject to change due to operational reasons. Any changes will be advised closer to the time of departure.
* This price is based upon:
Costs may vary from those shown above due to the availability and selection of hotels, and other associated cost variations at the time of booking.
A supplement of £175.00 GBP applies where single occupancy is required.
An additional supplement may apply for anniversary dates to cover any increase in the associated costs.
A deposit of 30% or £200.00 per person, whichever is the greater, is payable on booking.
Booking indicates your acceptance of our Standard Terms and Conditions.
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In The Footsteps Tours Limited have 20 years’ experience in designing and providing top quality tours to destinations across the United Kingdom, Europe, and many other destinations around the world. Our award-winning service is second to none and our team of historians and guides are recognised for their excellence. On an In The Footsteps® tour you can be sure that your enjoyment and satisfaction are guaranteed.
In The Footsteps Tours Limited activities are bound by the Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018 and all monies paid to us are held in a Travel Trust Association holding account. Our tours are ATOL protected where a flight is included within your package and covered by the TTA's Standalone Safe Seat Plan Guarantee if your packages does not include a flight.
All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays supplied by In The Footsteps Tours Limited are financially protected by the ATOL scheme.
When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to www.caa.co.uk.
All packages that do not include a flight within them are protected by the TTA's Standalone Safe Seat Plan Guarantee.
Here’s how it works. The TTA set up a Trust Account on our behalf, where all your monies are held in trust and only used to pay for your holiday. This means that, if In The Footsteps Tours Limited became insolvent, the TTA will make sure that your holiday continues as planned, or that you are fully reimbursed. For more information visit The Travel Network Group.
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