Region
in Normandy & Paris
WWI & WWII Battlefields
Heritage & History

If you are interested in WWII history and/or have a family member who fought in the Battle of Normandy, this tour is just for you.

We can plan a general itinerary based on what we think you would be most interested in, or you can tell us. For example, North Americans may like to visit the American and Canadian beaches of Omaha, Utah and Juno, and the American and Canadian war cemeteries.

If you have a family connection, we will plan an itinerary that follows the route your family member took with their battalion during the Battle of Normandy.

 

WWII Family History Tour

What is truly unique about this tour is that if you have an ancestor who fought in the war, we can carry out some research on your behalf and plan a tour of the exact places they would have been during their time in Normandy.

These soldiers played a crucial role in the liberation of France, so it is an immense honor for us to help travelers walk in their ancestors’ footsteps. We charge no extra fee for personalizing the tour in this way.

Just tell us everything you can about your ancestor, and we will take care of the research and the planning. 

Includes

4 nights in premium B&Bs & boutique-hotel that we personally selected for you
A rental car with automatic transmission & full insurance coverage, for 4 days
The assurance that you can contact us at any time, for any reason, while you're in France
A guidebook made for you and all road maps with recommended itineraries, activities & visits
FJFY App all your trip, contacts, GPS destinations, weather… in your smartphone
5.0
Natalie & Family
My husband was born in France and moved to Australia in 1970 when he was just 5. He went back for the last time in 1980 and had not returned since. In January 2017 I started to …
Duration
4 days
Price
US$ 2 220
Per traveler, including taxes,
based on double occupancy.

Your accommodations

Pictures of the specially selected accommodations

Step by step

Paris Normandy

Private Tour of the WWII Battle Sites and places of interest

Our preferred private guides in Normandy know the region very well and are experts in WWII history. One day is normally enough to visit the landing beaches.

Then you’ll need a day to visit the places of interest that are further inland, and a day for Bayeux and Caen (key cities in the region).

We also include a day in Paris so that you can enjoy a walking tour of key places in the city during the Liberation of Paris and a visit to the war museum. This tour gives travelers an excellent overview of the great military operation of Operation Overlord.

 

Paris Normandy

Day 1: Bayeux - Caen area

  • From Paris or a Paris airport, we will organize the car rental pick up at the most convenient location.
  • You will begin your tour in the lovely town of Bayeux, which was not damaged by the WWII bombing. You will visit the Battle of Normandy Museum to gain some insight into the events of the war and learn about the places you will be visiting on your private tour.
  • Your Bayeux itinerary will include a self-guided walking tour through the town so you will learn more about what happened during the liberation of Bayeux. We’ll also recommend some very nice shops and restaurants. Even if not part of the WWII history, you will also enjoy visiting Bayeux Cathedral and famous Tapestry. 
  • In the afternoon, you will visit Caen, a city that suffered serious damage during the bombing of WWII. You will see the Caen Memorial and experience the 360° movie theater, where you will feel how it was to be in Caen during the bombing.

Accommodation near Bayeux

  • Your first B&B for 3 nights is a peaceful countryside house, conveniently located between Bayeux's old town and the Landing BeachesFrom here, you are within reach of all the D-Day sites and museums: between Sainte Mère Eglise and Ouistreham, Isigny, Pointe du Hoc, the artificial port of Arromanches or the Caen Memorial. 

 

Paris Normandy

Day 2: Landing Beaches & War Cemeteries

  • The second day will be entirely on the Landing beaches of Normandy
  • Your expert private guide will meet you at your accommodation, and together you will drive to the Normandy landings beaches. If we have researched your WWII family history, this is where the most personalized part of your tour begins. If not, you will visit beaches where your nation’s troops landed, or those that are of greatest interest to you.
  • On the family history tour, you will travel to the beach where your relative landed with his battalion on June 6th 1944 (or later) – Gold Beach, Sword Beach, Utah Beach or Omaha Beach. Your guide will explain everything you see, leaving you with a clear understanding of exactly what happened on the day of the Allied operation.
  • You will also visit Arromanches-sur-Mer, where there is another 360° circular movie theater located on the remains of one of the two artificial Mulberry harbors set up by the Allies during the war. This short movie shows footage from around the world telling the story of the 100-day Battle of Normandy, and is a very moving experience.
  • After the beaches, you’ll visit the military cemeteries, either to visit a relative’s grave if he died in battle, or to see where those who gave their lives now rest.

There will also be time to visit other places of interest along the coast. For example, Dieppe in Upper Normandy will be of particular interest to Canadian travellers due to the failed landing there, during which many Canadian troops lost their lives. Many soldiers were buried in the military cemeteries in Dieppe and Rouen. As some of these places are a few hours’ drive from the main landings beaches, we may suggest adding an extra day to your itinerary. This way you can enjoy visiting each place as a comfortable pace. 

Paris Normandy

Day 3: Battle of Normandy - inland

  • The third day takes you inland to follow the progession of the Allied forces. You will following the route that your ancestor or a selected battalion took following their entry via the beaches of Normandy.
  • If you are exploring your own family history, we will prepare an itinerary that includes visits to places your relative would have passed through, such as the Pegasus Bridge or the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, which was taken during the first days of the Allied invasion. Your ancestor might have told you some stories about places they remembered from their time in Normandy, such as farms or manors where they stayed with their battalions. In this case, we will also try to include these in your itinerary.
  • Many of the buildings in these rural villages have changed very little since the war. You will move on to inland areas that were in key strategic positions as the Allied troops continued to push the German forces back. These may include Saint-Lô, where American bombardments destroyed 95% of the town during the Battle of Normandy, or Falaise, where two thirds of the town was destroyed, 10,000 German soldiers were killed and 50,000 taken as prisoners of war as the town was taken by Canadian and Polish troops in August 1944.
Paris Normandy

Last Day in Paris 

  • You will finish your WWII history tour in Paris, which was liberated from the German occupiers on 25 August 1944. We include a privately guided walking tour for a half-day in Paris.
  • This will include a walk along the Champs-Élysées avenue from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, following in the footsteps of the French 2nd Armored Division during their victory parade on 26 August 1944.
  • You will then visit the Musée de l'Armée - Invalides, which has an interesting section about World War II. This concludes your WWII history tour of France.
  • Spend you last night in a charming 4* boutique-hotel in the Latin Quarter, by the Luxembourg gardens & Sorbonne university, perfectly located to discover the French capital city.

 

This tour can also be incorporated into any of our itineraries that include Normandy and Northern France.

 

 

 

Activities included

WWII sites in Normandy

Private Guide on the WWII sites

Spend a full day with a private guide who will customize the itinerary to your wishes and interests. A must do to better understand what happened on D-Day. 

Paris liberation WWII

Paris Liberation Private Tour

For a half-day, follow a private guide in the heart of Paris to learn about how the city was liberated in August 1944. From the Arc de Triomphe to the Army Museum, follow on the footsteps of the 2nd Armored Division.

Let us craft your perfect Travel Plan

Get your Free Quote

Customize this tour

We are glad to customize this itinerary to include additionnal night stays, extra activities or any specific request you have.

YOUR Guide Book

100% customized to your itinerary, it is the perfect tool before, during & after your trip.

Explore the French regions

Brittany

Alsace

North

Lyon

Somme

Champagne

Verdun

Normandy

Provence

Dordogne

Loire Valley

Paris

Bordeaux

Our Travelers’ Reviews

Maureen
If I had to sum up our trip in one word it would just have to be WOW! But of course it is impossible to describe the trip of a lifetime in just one word. The detail and care that Emilie put into planning our trip was AMAZING. Every place we stayed, every outing she planned, every person that she put us in contact was wonderful. My husband and I …
Cynthia
On my second trip with France Just For You (FJFY) this October I drove through Normandy and Brittaney. It was a wonderful trip and FJFY is an amazing travel agency. Their customized and detailed guidebook covers everything you need to know about visiting France from practical information about traffic signs to insights about the French people and …
Carol & Don
For our journey in the Loire Valley, we could not have hoped for more gracious, firendly and hospitable hosts. They made us feel like long time friends. It has been wonderful sharing this time with this French family and we hope we may meet again. The guidebook was totally professional and indispensable ! Aurevoir et merci beaucoup

Our Travelers’ Photos

Teri, Kennedy & Chris from the US
in Paris !
Peter
from Canada
Truffle Hunting in Dordogne
Patty
from the US
In Villeneuve les Avignon, Provence
Leslie & Family
from the US
A la Tour Eiffel, Paris
Kate & Jake
from the US
On their honeymoon in front of Chenonceau castle
Fred
from Canada
Truffle hunting in Burgundy with Thierry
Stéphanie & Vania
from the US
on the Aiguille du Midi peak in the French Alps (Chamonix)
..& the Oyster Guy !
in Biarritz Food Market with Maureen & Roy
Greg, Laurie, Laura & Jeff
From the US
With their B&B host near Mont Saint Michel
Amy & Louise
Wine tasting....
Patty & Tim
from the US
In front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Carol from the US
Biking in the Luberon