One-day Normandy itinerary from Paris: D-Day beaches & more

Morning

• You will depart early from central Paris in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle.
  
• Enjoy a scenic drive through the French countryside as your guide shares the backstory of Operation Overlord and the D-Day invasion.
  
• Arrive at Omaha Beach, the most intense American landing zone. See the Les Braves memorial and remnants of German bunkers.

Midday

• Visit the Overlord Museum (included in some tour options). Here you’ll view a vast collection of WWII tanks, vehicles, weapons, and personal artifacts from both Allied and German troops.
  
• Continue to the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. 
  
• Pause at the Garden of the Missing, Memorial, and Chapel.

Afternoon

• Head to Arromanches, a seaside village with dramatic views over the remains of the Mulberry Harbor.
  
• Stop for an optional traditional 2-course Normandy lunch, complete with local cider, at a nearby coastal restaurant (included in upgrade).

Late afternoon

• Continue to Juno Beach, where Canadian troops landed on D-Day.
  
• Visit the Juno Beach Centre, the only museum in Normandy dedicated to Canada's role in WWII.
  
• Return drive to Paris.

Recommended experience:

• From Paris: WWII US D-Day Beaches Guided Tour with Optional Lunch

Morning

• Depart from central Paris in a comfortable, air-conditioned minibus with your small group (max 8 guests).
  
• During the scenic two-hour drive, your guide will explain the role Canadian forces played in Operation
  Overlord and why Juno Beach was critical to the success of D-Day.
  
• Arrive at Juno Beach, where 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed under heavy fire.

Midday

• Visit the Juno Beach Centre, the only museum in Normandy dedicated solely to Canada’s WWII contribution.
  
• Walk to Canada House, believed to be the first home liberated by Allied troops on D-Day. 
  
• Break for lunch at a nearby local restaurant.

Afternoon

• Visit the Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer, where over 2,000 Canadian soldiers are buried.
  
• Continue to Hell’s Corner, the furthest point inland reached by Canadian forces on D-Day. 

Late afternoon

• Conclude the day at Ardenne Abbey, the site of a tragic war crime where 20 captured Canadian soldiers were executed by the SS.
  
• Begin your return journey to Paris.

Recommended experience:

• From Paris: WWII Canadian D-Day Beaches Semi-Private Guided Tour
  
• Read more about Paris to Normandy private tour here.

Morning

• Depart from central Paris in a comfortable, air-conditioned minibus with a small group (max 8 guests).
  
• During the drive to the Somme region, your expert guide provides historical context on the Western Front, the scope of WWI trench warfare, and how the Battle of the Somme became one of the war’s deadliest campaigns.
  
• Begin your visit at Villers-Bretonneux, a moving memorial dedicated to the 10,738 Australian soldiers who died on the Western Front without a known grave. Learn about the Anzac Day ceremonies held here each year in remembrance.

Midday

• Stop at the Lochnagar Crater, a massive 100-meter-wide site created by a British mine explosion on July 1, 1916 — the first day of the Somme battle.
  
• Visit the village of Pozières, a key battlefield where Australian and British troops fought fiercely.
  
• Pause for a one-hour lunch break at a top-rated local restaurant in Pozières.

Afternoon

• Continue to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing, the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world.
  
• Next you’ll visit the Newfoundland Memorial, one of the best-preserved battlefields of the Western Front.
  
• Walk through original trench lines, cratered terrain, and preserved barbed wire.
  
• Begin your return journey to central Paris.

Recommended experience:

• From Paris: WWI Battlefields and Memorials in Normandy Full Day English Guided Tour