Normandy Battlefields Day Trip: Omaha, Sword and the British Airborne Sector

Retrace the main assaults undertaken by the British forces during the first days of the Battle of Normandy on a poignant battlefields tour you'll never forget. If you have a relative who fought in the war, or are at all interested in 20th-century history, you'll find this Normandy beaches tour a fascinating day trip from Bayeux. Your minivan holds a maximum of eight passengers, and a small group tour is the perfect way to get to out-of-the-way places in one day.

Your tour begins with a drive to Pointe du Hoc, where the German gun position threatened the Allied ships all the way to Utah and Omaha. The site remains as it was when the Rangers left it and looks like a lunar landscape.

Next, you'll drive along the coast to Omaha Beach where soldiers of the 29th and 1st Divisions landed, fought and died. Overlooking the bluff is the American Military Cemetery, where 9,387 service men rest in peace.

You will see Pegasus Bridge and its sister bridge which were sites for one of the most complete and successful operations carried out on D-Day. It was vital for these bridges to be captured intact in order to deny the Germans a crossing point over the Orne river and canal, which together run parallel to the sea from Caen. The paratroopers held their position despite numerous enemy counter-attacks until they were joined by British troops advancing south from Sword Beach just after midday on D-Day.

The Commonwealth Military Cemeteries are sadly present in numerous villages and towns in Normandy. They can be different in the size but the emotion stays the same, each grave has flowers, sometimes photographs and letters are laid down by relatives.

Your last stop for the day will be at Merville Battery Museum, where you will learn about the men of the 6th British Airborne. This small group of determined British soldiers managed to succeed in their D-Day mission to capture and destroy the guns strategically situated to fire on the landings taking place three miles further west on Sword Beach.

Please note: Due to special events taking place to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, this tour could be amended on 5, 6 and 7 June 2014. It may not be possible to access the beaches, in which case alternative sites will be included instead.

• Driver/guide
• Hotel pickup and drop off (selected hotels only)
• Transport by air-conditioned minivan (maximum 8 people)

• Gratuities (optional)
• Entrance fees
• Food and drinks, unless specified