Tour Normandy with one of our cruise excursions. Whether your ship docks in Le Havre, Cherbourg, Honfleur, or Rouen, you will be on the doorstep of the D-Day sites of World War II. Sites like Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, and other memorable places of Normandy interest are yours when you do a tour of the D-Day Beaches. So, if you’re planning a cruise that makes port in Le Havre or another Normandy port, A Paris Travel can simplify your travel planning for your cruise excursion.
The itinerary is flexible, but these are our suggested places to visit for your Normandy cruise excursion:
Sainte Mere Eglise – This little town is where units of the U.S. 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions landed early morning on December 6, 1944 and it became one of the first towns liberated in the Allied Invasion. You probably have watched the movie “The Longest Day” and will recall the wounded paratrooper who hung in great peril for several hours from the church in Ste. Mere Eglise. He feigned being dead until being taken prisoner by the Germans. This soldier was John Steele and is remembered today on the church in Ste. Mere Eglise with an effigy and parachute.
Utah Beach
Utah Beach: This beach is the western most D-Day landing beaches. The U.S. 4th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach on D-Day. Of particular interest is the fact that Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., assistant commander of the 4th Division, was the only general to land with the initial seaborne assault wave on D-Day, coming ashore in Schroeder’s LCVP. At age 57, he was the oldest soldier to land. General Roosevelt was the oldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and was a Medal of Honor recipient. He was a distinguished soldier who fought in both WWI and WWII and is buried at the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach.
Pointe du Hoc: This is where members of the United States 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the cliffs to attack a German gun battery.
Omaha Beach: This memorable place is the Normandy beach that was the scene of tremendous bloodshed on D-Day. Directly above Omaha Beach is the American Cemetery. At American Cemetery, you will want to see the Visitors Center and stroll the Cemetery.
Your Normandy cruise ship excursion could also stop at the German artillery battery at Longue-sur-Mer and continue to Arromanches, the location of Gold Beach to see the remains of Churchill’s Mulberry Harbor.
If you want to visit the Bayeux Tapestry, let us know and we’ll be sure to pass it along to the guide.
Entrances and meals aren’t included in the cost for the private tours.
Your Normandy cruise excursion will leave you with lasting impressions about the Allied Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.