Le Havre to Normandy- private tour

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private tour guidethat willpick us up in Le Havre us and take us to Normandy for the day?

A search will see the common recommendation for Overlord dot com. Great operation.

A search will see the common recommendation for Overlord dot com. Great operation.

You beat me to it. We had a great day with them from Le Havre.

OP: They book up early, so act quickly. (And they are very pricey; you'll likely want to put a group together on your Roll Call.)

Unsolicited advice: watch (or re-watch) "The Longest Day" before you go. A little cheesy by today's filmmaking standards, but great history,and you'll enjoy your visit even more.

When you step off the ship you are already in Normandy. ;)

It's a fair guess that you mean the D-Day beaches and associated places, but best to refer to your intentions as such because there's a lot more to Normandy than D-Day.

A number of operators offer small-group battlefield tours to cruisers porting at Cherbourg and Le Havre, in vans for approx. 12 to 16 people.

Overlord Tours, mentioned by Bruce, has perhaps the best reputation on this forum, and prices to match. But others are also highly-regarded by those who've used them, though their prices aren't far behind.

Despite the cost, the general consensus is that the tours are excellent, and that guides are both knowledgeable and approachable, and they bring the campaign to life.

All-in-all their clients reckon that it was money well-spent.

All the battlefield tour operators book-out early, so don't delay.

I'm not aware of any battlefield tour operator that sells seat-on-bus for tours from Le Havre (or Cherbourg) - you need to book a van and find sharers, or check on your RollCall for fellow-cruisers who have booked and are seeking sharers.

Be aware that the landing beaches were split into five different sectors - from east (nearest Le Havre) to west they were Sword (British & Free French) Juno (Canadian), Gold (British), Omaha (US) & Utah (US). There were also objectives a few miles inland targeted by airborne troops. It's impossible to visit more than a few sights on a port-of-call visit, so bear in mind when looking for a shared tour that different fellow-cruisers (particularly Canadians or Brits) will want to visit different beaches & sights.

The alternatives are

Ship's tours. Over-priced of course, and the size of vehicle / passenger numbers mean that they're not as personal or flexible or comprehensive as a private tour. But ship's tours have their place & plenty will be taking them.

Pre-book a rented car. The most flexible option, and the most economical if there are four or more sharing. Navigation & driving on both the main road & the coastal lanes are none-too-difficult, the main road is fast (other than the Caen ring road at the wrong time of day), the coastal lanes a little twisty & slow but generally not too crowded, and parking at the sites is very easy. Plenty of signage, literature and staff at the sites, and language is not a problem. But you do need to research & plan carefully to get the best out of your day, to avoid wasted time, and to be back at your ship in good time.

Be sure to specify an automatic if that's what you need - if you don't specify, shift-stick is the norm.

Pre-booked car+driver. Avoids the driving & navigation issues. The driver will know his way round the sites, but it's pot-luck how much background he knows - or even whether he has a passable command of English.

Jump in a taxi at the pier. Not for D-Day sights, unless you want to re-mortgage your house.:eek:

There's no suitable public transport

JB :)

You beat me to it. We had a great day with them from Le Havre.

 

OP: They book up early, so act quickly. (And they are very pricey; you'll likely want to put a group together on your Roll Call.)

 

Unsolicited advice: watch (or re-watch) "The Longest Day" before you go. A little cheesy by today's filmmaking standards, but great history,and you'll enjoy your visit even more.

I think I will book it right away. I am very confident that I will find sharers on my roll call. My understanding is that the cancellation fee kicks in 14 days before sailing, so I have a long time to find people.

Did you give them specific instructions or did you trust them to cover what you wanted to see?

I think I will book it right away. I am very confident that I will find sharers on my roll call. My understanding is that the cancellation fee kicks in 14 days before sailing, so I have a long time to find people.

Did you give them specific instructions or did you trust them to cover what you wanted to see?

We did not give them specific instructions; we picked their tour that included Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc (a must see imho), as well as Sainte Mere Eglise and of course the American Cemetery.

It was an incredibly moving day.

did not give them eurospecific instructiobens; we picked their tour that included Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc (a must see imho), as well as Sainte Mere Eglise and of course the American Cemetery.

 

It was an incredibly moving day.

We were in le Havre this August and did a private tour for four with Colin McGarry, visited Bayeux first, then the American Sector/Omaha Beach and ended the day at Honfleur. Colin was absolutely brilliant and made everything come alive for us, he has lived and worked as a guide in Normandy for 30+ years and comes highly recommended. It was a long day but we didn't regret a single moment. Cost about 550 euros I think, split four ways. (cpmac61@gmail.com)

I also looked at Overlord but I was keen on Bayeux and couldn't find enough people to fill the tour, everyone seemed to want to do only the DDay beaches. BTW, Overlord did tell me they had a coach tour for 16 which they filled up with people from the various ships.

We did La Havre to the Canadian Sectors this past August with https://www.label-west.com/ Was just my wife and I. Had a great experience, they really tailored the tour to what I wanted to see. Keep in mind many tour companies--including overlord....use smaller vans....They say they can take 8..but u are a cramped 8....2 rows of 3 people in the rear and then 2 up front..... Not knocking them, as many love them, but I talked with a few and they stated they were cramped! Just something to keep in mind. There are a great # of companies/tour guides, but you need to book well advance as they book up very fast. Lot of great reviews on trip adviser!

A search will see the common recommendation for Overlord dot com. Great operation.

Now at http://www.overlordtour.com/

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private tour guidethat willpick us up in Le Havre us and take us to Normandy for the day?

Or you could just grab a car and take short ride over the Pont de Normandie and take in Honfleur. One of the prettiest towns near to le Havre. One of my favourite spots in Normandy . . . however there are hundreds of them :D