France was at the center of the both the First and the Second World War. Allied soldiers fought and died in her fields and streets to protect France’s democratic ideals of Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité. To walk along the beaches of Normandy where so many fell on D-Day, or to walk among the graves of those who fell in the trenches of the Vimy or Meuse-Argonne offensives of 1917/18, is reconnect to France’s and our own countries’ histories of self-sacrifice and heroism which allow us to live free today.
Go with Richard to avoid the big coach groups and personalize your visit to the battlefields of France.
normandy
A snapshot of the place the liberation of France began on 6th June 1944. Normandy is about a 2.5 hour drive out of Paris and there is so much to see. The cliffs of Pointe du Hoc (pictures 1 and 2), the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer (3,4), the beachfront villages of Vierville and St Laurent-sur-Mer (5,6,7), and the town of Saint Mère Eglise (8) are just the start of a tour to the landing beaches of Normandy.
A tour out here can be customized to suit each group’s needs. Some visitors want to follow in the footsteps of a specific regiment from their home states, or find a family member among the gravestones, others just want to soak up the atmosphere of the charming villages of some of the prettiest coastline in France. Whatever approach you might have, visiting Normandy is a brilliant day trip from Paris.
western front
