Arrive in Paris today and make your way to your 4-star hotel, located in the heart of the city. Later this afternoon you'll meet your traveling companions and tour leader and walk to a nearby restaurant for an amazing dinner. French cuisine is known worldwide, and tonight you'll be introduced to some regional classics. From rustic country fare to the most technical haute cuisine, French gastronomy is considered to be some of the best on the planet. And after dinner, stroll along a bistro-lined street is the perfect end to your day.

This morning we'll board an early train for the scenic ride through the French countryside to Caen, where we'll be met to start our tour of Normandy. Boarding our private vehicle, we'll head to the far western area of the invasion. Our first stop will be the quaint but famous town of St. Mere Eglise, epicenter of one of the nighttime airborne landings that preceded the coastal landings. Then you’ll have time to visit the fascinating Airborne Museum in St. Mere Eglise, which chronicles the largest airborne assault in history as 14,000 troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions parachuted into Normandy on the night of June 5-6, 1944, to start the invasion. The museum has an astounding array of equipment on display including a C-47 aircraft and a Waco glider. Many interactive displays highlight the operation and the men who pulled it off. Then we'll visit Utah beach and get a chance to walk its shores and imagine the events that occurred there.

 By now it will be lunchtime, so we’ll take a quick break to have a bite at a local brassiere.

After lunch we'll visit the amazing Museum of the Landing, right on Utah beach. The museum recounts the story of D-Day from the preparation of the landing to the final outcome and success. This journey immerses visitors in the history of the day through a rich collection of objects, vehicles, materials, and oral histories. The museum’s star is an authentic B-26 medium bomber.

We’ll head a bit farther east and if time permits, we’ll make a stop at the German War Cemetery at Le Cambe, where over 21,200 German military personnel are interred. Its somber architecture and unique design are unlike any other and presents a striking contrast. 

This evening we'll head to our hotel in the historic town of Bayeux, our home for the next two nights.  Tonight we'll enjoy a group meal at one of our favorite local restaurants, then linger over drinks to discuss the days events.

After a delicious French country breakfast, we'll board our private coach and head to the central area of the invasion.

Our day starts with a short drive to Arromanches, the site of the massive temporary port built to handle the vast influx of troops and material to support the invasion. Next you’ll visit the infamous Longues sur Mer battery. A German coastal fortification, it formed a key part of Germany’s Atlantic Wall and was designed to dominate the landing sectors of Omaha Beach and Gold Beach, assaulted by the British. It shelled Allied naval forces off both Omaha and Gold beach and was in turn bombarded by Allied warships before it was captured by British ground forces. The battery is the only one in Normandy to retain several of its original massive guns.

We’ll have lunch in this area, then go to the nearby coastline to visit the notorious rocks and bunkers of Pointe du Hoc, the fortified German artillery position situated on the cliffs between Utah and Omaha beaches. Its position dominated the landing beaches and was a major obstacle to the invasion. The US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs under the huge guns and assaulted the position in the pre-dawn darkness of June 6.

As the afternoon shadows lengthen we’ll journey to nearby Saint Laurent to visit Bloody Omaha beach. 34,250 Americans landed here, but in the first wave over 1,000 men were killed, nearly 50% of the assaulting troops. We'll have time to walk the beach and try to imagine what it must have been like for the men coming ashore under intense fire.

As a fitting final stop on our invasion tour, we'll spend time at the nearby American Cemetery of Normandy. Located on the coast, between Arromanches and Grandcamp Maisy, this vast site overlooks Omaha beach. It reunites the graves of 9,387 soldiers fallen in combat. The chapel, Memorial, and the Walls of the Missing complete the site. The Visitor Center pays homage to the courage and the skill that were required to conduct Operation Overlord and to ensure Europe's liberation, together with the ultimate sacrifice made by those who are laid to rest within this site. We’ll attend the Taps ceremony as the flags are lowered at the end of the day. Truly a moving experience.

After a full day experiencing this historic area, you'll have the evening free to relax and explore the town for dinner.

Early morning pickup by private coach for a direct transfer to Paris Montparnasse railway station. You’ll have time to grab your own lunch at the railway station. A little past noon you’ll board your high-speed train.  If your destination is Bordeaux, you'll arrive about 2.5 hours later. If your destination is Lyon, you'll arrive about 2 hours later. You’ll be met at the station and transferred to your hotel, arriving in the late afternoon.  Later this evening you'll meet again for the beginning of your next tour. 

NOTE: If you're not continuing on after Paris your tour will end at the railway station in Paris.