D-Day beaches

Salt on the wind at Omaha, a tang of rust in the air, and the Pointe du Hoc bunkers staring out to sea—nothing abstract here. From Bayeux, liberated on June 7, 1944, it’s a 20–25 minute hop to Omaha and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, then about 15 minutes to the Rangers’ cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. In Arromanches, the Phoenix caissons still shape the tide line, proof of the Mulberry harbor’s logistics genius. With maps in hand and tidal times noted, the assault corridors and command decisions come into sharper focus.

Your driver meets you at your Bayeux hotel in a Mercedes, then keeps the day flexible: longer pauses where it matters, a quick detour to a 1944 milestone, or a stop at Longues-sur-Mer. You explore while they handle the roads and parking—and, if you wish, pick up a local brut cider between sites. Short transfers keep the pace smooth: 10 minutes to La Cambe’s German cemetery, about 12 to the intact Longues battery, 8 to Arromanches. Onboard water and period maps help fine-tune the route to the tide and the light.