World War Battlefields
This June 6th marked the 60th anniversary of World War Two's D-Day landings in Normandy. This summer was the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. Both wars engulfed Europe for years and traces of the battles can still be found. What evocative European sights have you discovered that bring these two conflicts to life?
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EdRobinson@BattleofNormandyTours.com
A friend and I decided that we wanted to tour the battlefields in Normandy following a recent trip to London and engaged the services of Ed Robinson of Battle of Normandy Tours as a guide. Best decision we could have made! Not only was Ed a knowledgeable, thoughtful, energetic, and accommodating guide; he also provided detailed instructions on the best way to get from London to Bayeux. We had a day-and-a-half for the tour and Ed managed to fill every minute. He brought the battlefields to life with stories and anecdotes that go beyond what history books typically provide. Ed anticipated our needs, answered all questions, set a pace that worked for us, and was in all ways a terrific host. I would highly recommend his services to anyone contemplating a tour of the area.
Kit
Portland, OR USA 01/29/2012
Dale Booth Normandy Tours
I was fortunate to have booked Dale Booth Normandy Tours for late November 2011. Stunning, mezmerizing and unforgettable. Dale's Brit-Commando background provides him knowledge and depth of understanding that are truly unique. He is a gifted presenter, bringing to life the trials and tribulations my father endured in the fight for Normandy. I have also determined his presentation is not duplicated by other tour guides; ie: period maps, pictures, displays. Another example, as we walked Point du Hoc (and Utah for that matter) other tour operators arrived after us, and departed before us, and were often left on their own in finding their way around museums or battlefield monuments. He also displayed great interest in helping wife understand, in as much as I have been a student of D-Day for years. T
Pat Ebert
Bainbridge Island, WA USA 01/22/2012
Dale Booth Tours
In July 2011, my family and I had a battlefield tour of the Canadian sector with Dale Booth Normandy Tours. Our tour with Dale was the highlight of our European trip. Dale has an intricate knowledge of the Normandy campaign and would also be an excellent guide for the American and British battlefields. He combines a contextual account of the Normandy campaign with personal histories of veterans and Normandy residents. Dale makes history come alive using visual aids to show how current Normandy landscapes and buildings looked in 1944. My family would highly recommend Dale Booth Tours and we hope to have a chance to one day tour the American and British sectors with Dale.
Lauren
Kingston, ON Canada 01/19/2012
Normandy
My tour last week was wonderful! Olivier is a wealth of information, and his enthusiasm for the history of Normandy is quite apparent. I learned a great deal and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I especially appreciated his photos, maps, and detailed descriptions of the events that occurred at each site. They brought to life the tragedy, bravery, and honor of those who served. Hopefully, I'll return to see all of the many things that my short schedule prevented on this trip.
Alan Flory
Frankfort, MI USA 12/13/2011
Overlord Tours
November 2, 2011. My wife, my 12 year old daughter and myself took the full day American sector tour with Oliver as our guide. We were picked up in Bayeux in a spacious van and comfortable van. We were the last of the tours for the season so we had Oliver all to ourselves. What a day! Having not had the best of luck with "guides" in the past I was not sure what the day was going to entail. Every aspect of our day was grand. The weather even cooperated. I have a strong background in the Normandy invasions but my wife and daughter had very little. My concern was that my wife and daughter were going to be board but nothing could be further from the case. Oliver was a master. Once he knew I had some background he filled the time with extra facts and details for me but made every effort to include info and details in a way that made my daughter and wife comfortable and entertained for the entire day. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed the day. The command of the knowledge and facts were amazing. Even when prompted with additional questions, Oliver always delivered. The use of additional visual aids was unexpected but very well thought out. Almost every stop (and often in route from stop to stop) there was a visual presentation of images, maps, and historic pictures to go along with the story and location. Thank you Overlord Tours and Oliver for a fantastic trip. We will definitely be back.
Wayne Heim
Chesterland, OH USA 12/01/2011
Over Lord tours
Over Lord Tours,
My wife and I took Over Lord Tour #2 on October 19, 2011. We were picked up in Bayeux and embarked on a tour that was terrific. My wife and I and another couple were taken on a tour of Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Sainte-Mère-Eglise, and all of the other sites on the tour. During our conversations with Oliver, our guide we found that we had a mutual acquaintance. My wife and I had the pleasure of knowing Forest Guth, one of the Band of Brothers. Our guide had met Forest during his visits since the war and we enjoyed trading stories. We found our guide to be extremely knowledgeable and his understanding of the military operations and the geographic implications was superb. The maps, photographs, and explanations that he provided to augment the tour were very detailed and showed a level of preparation that is hard to find. A real highlight of our tour was the visit to the Norman Church in Angoville-au-plain with the story of one of the hero's on a Rick Steve's tour and the circumstances around the visit. Since returning home, we have discussed our tour with several friends who have been on similar tours. Without a doubt we experienced more on our tour than the rest of them combined. My wife and I have traveled extensively and have used the services of private guides throughout Europe, Southwest Asia, and the Middle East. This tour service is equal to the best of them, and I want to thank them for the wonderful experience. I would recommend Over Lord Tours to anyone interested in visiting the Over Lord Sites and will book with them again when we return.
Sincerely,
David Jay Kamison
Wilmington, Delaware
David Kamison
Wilmington, Delawa USA 11/19/2011
Overlord Tours
I took the Tour # 2: Omaha / Utah Full Day Tour and what a wonderful tour hosted by Sean. It was such a unique experience and he is just fantastic. Not only is he a knowledgeable historian but he has such depth of emotion regarding the historical event. It is an experience that I will never forget and it has made such an impression on me.
Susan S
Westchester, NY USA 11/10/2011
Bastogne - I Was 20 in 1945
If you are going to be near Bastogne, do not miss the "I Was 20 in 1945" (J'ai 20 ans a 1945) exhibit at the local museum in Bastogne. In addition to many artificacts from the war, including anonymous letters denouncing neighbors, are many video interviews of people who were children or teenagers in the Bastogne area during WWII. This is informative and deeply moving, giving a human face to the civilians faced with the horrors of the war and the German occupation.
David
San Diego, CA USA 11/01/2011
Overlord Tour Company Band of Brothers Tour
We just returned from a trip to Europe to visit our son who is studying abroad. The highlight of our trip was a day with the Overlord Tour Company on their Band of Brothers Tour. Without a doubt, it was the highlight of our trip to Europe. Stephane was an exceptional guide, his knowledge of Operation Overlord was amazing. He was absolutely delightful, easy to listen to and welcomed our questions. He made it very personal for me and made sure to point out any areas my Uncles would have been in. The details he shared about the invasion and Easy Company made it all very real. Our time at the American Cemetery was profoundly moving, especially catching the ceremony honoring actual D-day Veterans. It was an experience we will never forget.
We went on to do many other tours while we were in Europe...but not one even came close to being as good as Stephane and Overlord Tour Company's Band of Brothers Tour. I just can't say enough about how great it was. My son, said it was the best thing he has done so far. To put that in perspective, the Band of Brothers Tour beat canyoning in Switzerland and being at the first day of Oktoberfest. That's pretty high praise from a twenty year old. I plan on going back with my other children, as this is an unforgettable experience.
MK Milewski
Medina, OH USA 10/20/2011
Overlord D-Day Bradley Tour - Awesome
We did the Overlord Bradley Tour with Sean, and it met all expectations and then some. During the two day tour of Omaha, Utah Beaches and Pointe du Hoc and Airborne participation, we got to see not only some of the more famous places portrayed in "The Longest Day", "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Band of Brothers" but also some not so familiar places that were on private property. Sean's knowledge was amazing. Coupled with his great visual aids of actual photos and maps taken at the time brought each place to life. He allowed us many opportunities to stand where our heros stood and be photographed holding the original photo of the spot. The experience immensely added to our interest in this part of WWII history. We highly recommend Sean as a guide and also to take the Overlord Bradley Tour.
Jane and Randolph Woolley
Lookout Mountain, TN USA 10/20/2011
Victory Tours
Roel Klinkhamer-Victory Tours-was the high point of our month long vacation thru Europe. His knowledge of the D-Day invasion is extensive and his explanations of the various invasion sites as he takes you around are outstanding. We highly recommend this tour. Thank You Roel for a wonderful tour!
Vincent Furtado
Newport, RI USA 10/20/2011
Roel Klinkhamer - Victory Tours
My husband adores history, and I always like the story-telling talents of Dutch guys, so we chose to spend our day with Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours. Roel made the stories come alive and we had one of the best days of any vacation we've ever taken spending the time in his van with other couples and on the beach hearing the stories and understanding about the amazing plans, challenges and historic importance of Normandy from the American, French and German perspectives. You won't regret a moment ... enjoy!
Amy Peltekian
San Diego, CA USA 10/19/2011
Normandy tour
My wife and I took a full day tour with Roel at Victory Tours this September, and found it to be a truly superlative experience. We learned so much, and Roel added a lot of storied history to our day.
Larry
St. Simons Island, GA USA 10/19/2011
Overlord D-Day Tours
We recently toured with Overlord completing the two day Bradley tour. Since this was our first D-Day tour and we have only toured with one company I can only compare our experience to my own expectations. Well Overlord went far and beyond! They did not disappoint! We saw everything I expected and so much more. Our guide, Sean, was fantastic – enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and respectful. Overlord lived up to their five star reputation and I would highly recommend them.
R. Erdman
Bloomsburg, PA USA 10/18/2011
World War Battlefields
We recently traveled to France and enjoyed a day's tour of the Normandy beaches with Dale Booth. Dale made the experience come alive with explanations, pictures and moving stories concerning D-Day. We highly recommend Dale as a guide when traveling to the Normandy area of France.
Kenneth and Laurie Koosmann
Kent, WA USA 10/16/2011
Overlord Tours are G R E A T !
We did the Overlord Tour with Julien, and it was Over-the-Top terrific. There wasn't a question Julien couldn't answer (correctly) and his sense of humor and demeanor were terrific. That says something after being with someone for 10 hours! Highest recommendation.
Bruce W
Chicago, IL USA 10/15/2011
Overlord Tours- Normandy
Did the Band of Brothers tour on October 1 with Oliver. His knowledge and passion of the history of the sites were truly amazing. We enjoyed the full day tour, which covered a wide stretch of Omaha and Utah beaches , and a lot in between. His use of maps, charts, photos, and his ability to weave in human stories made it especially enjoyable. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to explore the WWII sites in Normandy.
Joseph Z
Westchester, NY USA 10/13/2011
DDay Tours
Just wanted to add more favorable comments to the Overlord Tour. Our guide Oliver was wonderful. He was very informative and knowledgable as well as accomodating to our questions and places we wanted to see. This tour was the highlight of our 2 week visit to Europe
Jane M
Cedar Rapids, IA USA 10/06/2011
Overlord D-Day Tours
We were on a recent Jewel of the Seas Transatlantic cruise. We also had Oliver for 2 days exploring the D-Day sites. We did the beaches the first day, along with seeing Pont du Hoc, and the Colleville cemetary. The second day we did more of an emphasis on the Band of Brothers sites. Oliver was there bright an early each day and provided us a lot of info on what happened on D-day and used a lot of pictures and maps to help us paint a visual picture in our minds of what it was like on that day. On the way back to the port we had stops at Bayeaux for lunch and to view the Bayeaux tapestry, a nice little French village for a break for wine and beer, and a second stop for a quick viewing of Honfleur. We were too tired to stop and walk around. On the second day we had people who had visited some sites we had planned to visit on the previous day. They felt Oliver was more informative and brought a different prospective to what they saw and heard the previous day. Both groups felt the tours were excellent. I will definitely go with Overlord tours again to cover other areas of D-Day that we didn't have time to see on this trip and I would request Oliver.
Kathy Odle
Saint Charles, MO USA 10/06/2011
WW III Normany beaches tour
Highest recommendation for Overlord Tours based in Bayeux, France for their all day Tour #3- Omaha/Utah and Band of Brothers tour of the D-Day Normandy beaches and environs. Go to their website for itineraries, etc. Oliver, our tour guide, was most informative and his maps and pictures were terrific. Overlord Tours has special access into private property where key Band of Brothers actions took place. Very comfortable and clean 8 person van...a trip you will not forget!
L. Crogan
San Diego, CA USA 10/03/2011
D-Day Tours (Victory Tour)
Thank you so much for including Roel's Victory Tours in your list of recommended tours of the Normandy D-Day beaches. His passion for and knowledge of this historic event, presented in an engaging and informative format were most impressive, and the day went much too quickly! Again, thank you for the recommendation.
Ron and Sandra Langhals
Ottawa Hills, Ohio USA 10/01/2011
Allied Bombing of Staufen, Germany
Visiting Staufen, Germany, we learned from Rick's guide and from small displays around town that the town was bombed by the Allies on 8 Feb. 1945, but nothing of the reason. I learned from another travel site that there were two main targets here: the railroad bridge across the river and retreating German mechanized columns.
Staufen is wonderful! We would not have found it without Rick's guidebook. Thank you!
David Sakrison
Ripon, WI USA 09/29/2011
Overlord Tours made this the trip of a lifetime. We did the Band of Brothers tour with Stephane who was absolutely amazing and knowledgeable. My father landed on Easy Red section of Omaha Beach on the 1st wave DDay. Stephane made this very real for us and memories I will never forget. Highly recommend Overlord Tours
Susan Davis
Clearwater, Fl USA 09/18/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
If you go to Normandy, do not miss the learning opportunity provided by Overlord Tours. You can have either a half day or full day look at the major sites of the Allied Invasion. The guide we had, Laura, was wonderfu, both informative, interesting, and engaging. As a historian, I really wanted something substantive, and she did not disappoint. Even though the range of the invasion beaches is 90 miles, she managed to take us to the key points. Further, I had a serious probken with a knee injury that kept me from taking the full day tour my husband and I had originally planned. The staff at Normandy Tours was understanding, and kind. We appreciated how it was handled. We highly recommend this organization.
Rachel Y. Thompson
Haymarket, VA USA 09/09/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
If you are in Europe (especially if you are in France) this will be an unforgettable experience! You will not regret the time or money spent and I am sure it will end up being the highlight of your vacation! Stuart is the guide - it is obvious that this is not just a job for him, it is his passion.We have been living in France for 3 years and our two trips to Normandy with Stuart as our guide are still in one of our top experiences if not the top. Stuart makes the history come alive. He would make all those who fought for our freedom and the freedom of Europe very proud. I expect we will return for another tour with him before we return stateside.
Lynne Foss
Wichita, KS USA 09/07/2011
Overlord Tours
We just returned from France and spent two days touring the WWII Normandy Area. We engaged Overlord Tours , our guide was Stephane Kraus, and it was truly exceptional. Stephane was really knowledgable of the area, the history, and all of the important places you would want to see on a tour like this. I highly recommend Overlord Tours, its well worth it.
Steve Stangl
Omaha, Ne USA 09/07/2011
Normandy Tours-Overlord
Overlord Tours gives a detailed and personal touch to a tour of the Normandy Beaches. Our guide was knowledgeable, easy to talk with and showed us some little sites as well as all the well known ones. Suggest the long tour of all the American beaches and Airborne areas if you ahve a whole day.
doug baxter
vancouver, bc canada 08/15/2011
Normandy Overlord Tours
In July I took a one day "Band of Brothers" tour conducted by Overlord Tours. Our guide, Sean, was amazing in his knowledge, professionalism, kindness and patience (as I was always the last one back to the van!). His sincere interest in the subject was obvious, and he brought history alive for each of us lucky enough to be in his van. Thank you!
Jan
San Francisco, CA USA 08/14/2011
Overlord Tours
Took a tour called Omaha/band of Brothers with a guide by the name of Julian who was incredible. I am 22 and during my 3 months stay in Europe I needed to get to Normandy, I refused to leave Europe with out going. It was an incredible tour, only 8 people in the small tour bus. Our leader was named Julian and he was absolutely incredible, he took everyones knowledge of the battlefield in account, going into more detail for the buffs and explaining general themes and actions for those who aren't (my girlfriend lol). Would highly reccomend them and esp Julian, couldn't have asked for a better day (even tho it rained a little!)
George
Philadelphia, PA USA 08/09/2011
american tour
just returned from france and we did the tour with stephon, on the american tour . what a wonderful tour and his knowledge of the landings was great . i highly reccomend him . plus we are both marines , he with the french and me with usmc semper fi travis new jersey usa
travis
nj USA 08/08/2011
Hamm American Cemetery
I recently was in Luxembourg and visited the American Cemetery in Hamm. I had old information about how to take the bus.
Bus 8 no longer goes to Hamm.
Correct bus information is to take bus 15 from Hotel Alfa across from Gare Centrale. Take it to the Kaschtewee stop. From there is about a 1.5km / 20 minute walk to the cemetary. The patch is occassionally marked with white cemetery signs guiding you in the right direction.
Bus runs every 15 minutes but there is no longer one that goes directly to the cemetery.
Charles
Jacksonville, FL USA 08/06/2011
Normandy Day Trip with Dale Booth
Superfantastic! Look for no other guide! Dale's love and passion for everything associated with D Day and Normandy will certainly astound you as he takes you back to June 6th 1944 through his dramatic and captivating stories. On our most recent trip to Northern France with our two boys, 12 and 16, we decided to venture out of Paris for a few day trips. See Rick Steves' France 2011. Feeling adventitious we decided to check out Normandy. We contacted Dale via e-mail; he and his wife Debbie assisted us with the booking (he offers American, British, Canadian sector tours) and recommended a wonderful hotel in Bayeux, the Churchill. Arriving the day before by train, highly recommend a day in Bayeux, Dale picked us up at the hotel lobby to begin our adventure! Starting the day in a small church, Dale quickly drew us into his world and captured us with his very first story of heroism. At some point during each of his accounts, your imagination will capture the vividness of the events in a church, a marsh, a field, or beach on D Day. So much so, that at the end of the day you will be humbled by beauty of the American Cemetery as you look upon the sea of crosses and stars of heroes whom you've spent your day meeting. Dale provides a fantastic balance between his commentary and the time he allots for personal exploration. The private time we had to explore Utah Beach (great museum), Pointe du Hoc, and the cemetery added to our family experience. He even recognized when it was time to burn off some energy....Pointe du Hoc. Our boys loved our lunch in an old farm house used as a German command post, exploring bomb craters, and Dale's sand drawings. Dale's tour was the highlight of our stay in France.
Dale is originally from England, which made communications seamless; he is very personable and great with our boys...captivating them for the whole day! Between stops we talked about our travels, living in France and the foundation for the passion he shares in his tours. Would we recommend a day with Dale to our family and friends? Absolutely!
Thanks for the Tip Rick!
Charlie, Jennifer, Tony and Rick
Bristow, VA USA 08/02/2011
Normandy Tours by Overlord Tours
We recently took a two day tour of the WW2 Normandy Invasion beaches given by Overlord Tours. Our guide was Sean and he was very knowledgeable and informative! Overlord Tours did a very good job.
Bill Roubinek
San Diego, Ca USA 08/02/2011
Overlord Tours -- Normandy
We took the D-Day/Band of Brothers tour from Overlord Tours with their guide Julian. The tour was tremendous. We packed ten great stops into a full day, and saw other interesting sites along the way. Julian has great enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, the subject matter. He gave us excellent background and context, and ample time to explore on our own. We would not have learned nearly as much exploring on our own, even though I read quite a bit about the subject matter. I am re-reading Ambrose's D-Day history with my newly found rich sense of time and place. You cannot go wrong with Overlord Tours or Julian.
Alan
Cincinnati, OH USA 08/01/2011
Overlord Tours
Hello and thank you for providing us with an outstanding D Day tour with our WONDERFUL guide Sean. Due to my extreme interest in D Day and the invasion , I convinced 6 travelling friends that we had to make a stop in Normandy to see the actual sights of the invasion. All of my friends who trusted me to choose a tour group were greatly surprised and pleased with our Overlord tour. Sean's explanations and descriptions at each of the sights we visited made us feel as though we were following our fellow Americans footsteps as they battled their way through France. Sean was great to travel with and answered every question we asked. His stories of individual soldiers made it all so heartwarming and sad at the same time. Sean was always accomodating to our needs and gave us plenty of time to experience the beaches, bunkers, churches, bridges, cemetery, etc. He was careful to explain each viewpoint of the war, the German side, the French side, the invasion forces side. Although we had spent the entire day exploring, we were sad to have the day end. Thank you for instilling such a great sense of pride in being an American that day, Sean, we left with a better appreciation of what our fathers and grandfathers, uncles and cousins experienced in fighting for freedom in the world. If I ever get back to France, I definitely want to do a tour with Overlord again. It was most definitely the highlight of our trip!
Sean will remember that I was the one who stepped in the hole near the bridge and fell down!! Thanks again and good wishes to Overlord Tours! Terry Allison
Terry Allison
Elmira, NY USA 08/01/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
Stuart Robertson was our guide for the day as we toured and learned (or re-learned) about D-Day. His stories made the history come alive for all of us including our two teenage sons who soaked it all in.
It was a beautiful day and we walked the beaches where it all happened and toured two of the cemeteries.
Stuart picked us up in his very comfortable van at the train station, and we started right in talking about the planning and strategies of D-Day.
We also enjoyed the maps and old photos Stuart brought along to compare and add to his lessons.
The mix of walking and driving was great, and I felt we were able to see a lot of important history given with a friendly and personal touch.
Joy
Beaverton, OR USA 08/01/2011
The Band of Turchis
My 2 sons and I just completed our second trip to Normandy using Overlord Tours. We came April 2010 and April 2011. I cannot express the excellence of detail with Overlord. Both Stephane and Olivier were more than knowledeable and even with our depth of reading it was AWESOME! I would highly recommend any travelers to use Overlord. A professional approach but a fun and exciting one. We can never give enough thanks to them. They brought history alive and what a humbling experience
Dr. Lewis Turchi
Palos Verdes Estates, CA USA 07/31/2011
D-Day Tour
If you want to experience the tour of a lifetime, book Dale Booth! My teenage son is extremely knowledgeable with WW II history as is my husband. My son was interested in seeing sites from the movie, Band of Brothers, therefore, Dale customized our American tour to include something for all. The 9 hour tour flew by and we were disappointed for it to be over. I don't think we looked at our watches, not even once.
The way in which Dale incorporates his knowledge, his own military experience, his correspondence with veterans and his obvious passion to keep the soldiers' actions and bravery alive, made this tour our favorite. He is a gifted teacher with a passion for history! Our tour of Normandy was an awesome experience we will never forget!
www.dboothnormandytours.com
LeBlanc
Atlanta, GA USA 07/31/2011
Normandy - Overlord Tours
We recently had the opportunity to take a formal D-day tour of Normandy with Overlord Tours out of Bayeux. Through the couse of a two week stay in France and Belgium, this tour was a special experience. Our tour guide, Julian (Great Britain), is an educated historian who was very well versed in the U.S., British, French and German roles associated with the invasion of Normandy during WWII. Julian's knowledge of the events surrounding June 6, 1944 was tremendous. His ability to share his passion for history and understanding of the region were second to none. Making your tour special and personalized were key elements in our experience with Overlord. There cusotmer service was great. Highly recommended for anyone with a casual or significant interest in WWII.
Scott P.
Green Bay, WI USA 07/31/2011
www.normandybattletours.com
We recently returned from a 5 day, 4 night Residential tour of Normandy with Stuart Robertson. It was the highlight of our European vacation. Stuart and his wife Jenny picked us up at our Paris hotel and transported us out to Normandy in their comfortable, modern mini-bus. On the way, we toured the Abbey at Mont St. Michel. We found the accomodations at 1 Le Port charming, comfortable and very peaceful. Jenny was a most congenial hostess and served a hearty breakfast daily. Stuart was an excellent guide whose encyclopedic knowledge of the Normandy campaign is humanized by his passion for this history and his genuine reverence for the servicemen who fought here. The accuracy and detail of his descriptions satisfied those in our party who already knew a great deal of this history, while his depiction of the human drama of the fight captivated those who came with less knowledge. Both the adults and the teenagers in our group were enthralled. He has had the opportunity to meet a lot of the veterans of this campaign and is able to relate their stories as he has learned them first-hand. Stuart tailored the itinerary to meet our specific areas of interest. The pace of our tour was brisk, but even with the amount of time we had, we left wishing we could have spent more time.
Each evening our hosts made reservations at a local restaurant for us and transported us to and from the establishment. We were able to experience some wonderful (and some exotic) authentic French cuisine. On return to 1 Le Port, we capped off our evening with coffee and Calvados. Our rooms were comfortable, quiet and immaculately clean. At the end of our stay, we were again transported back to Paris for our flight home from Charles De Gaulle.
Considering all that we received in terms of transportation, accomodation, food and an extremely knowledgeable and personable guide, we feel the cost of the entire package to be a very good value. With all there is to see, we would definitely recommend spending at least several days in Normandy and couldn't think of a better way to do this than with Stuart and Jenny at Normandy Battle Tours.
Melanie
Hutchinson, MN USA 07/22/2011
D-Day Tours
I really didn't want to take a tour of the D-Day sites, but because my husband did, we signed up with Overlord Tours. I have to say it was one of the best days of our vacation in France. Stefan, our French guide, spoke English very well, was extremely knowledgeable, and answered many of our questions, including the more technical ones about ammunition, guns, and war history posed by my husband. He has served many years in the French army. I can strongly recommend him. We actually had some folks on the tour who had just traveled with the Rick Steves group in Europe too, and we all enjoyed ourselves.
Brennans
Orange, CA USA 07/12/2011
Bastogne Army Museum and Headquarters
A little known site that we found in the Ardennes in Belgium was the Belgium Army Museum and Barracks in Bastogne. It is the site where General McAuliffe refused the German commanders request to surrender with his famous "nuts" reply. We had a tour by a very knowledgeable member of the Belgium army who spoke perfect English. Worth the visit if you are in the area, and can drop by. It is free and Very informative
Rob
Irvine, CA USA 07/12/2011
edrobinson@battleofnormandytours.com
Our 1 day tour with Ed on May 30 was excellent on many levels. My husband's historical knowledge and interest was greater than mine, but Ed's wide ranging knowledge made the whole
D-Day experience come alive. My interest was as the daughter of a soldier in the 66th division who came into Normandy from Cherbourg after Christmas 1944. They came on similar paths as the D=Day soldiers, as support for the Bulge. I had my fathers memoir of the experience, some of which didn't mean much to family members. Ed's knowledge of the 66th movements helped him decipher some of this commentary and he went out of his way to personalize our tour re: my father's rank, orders and troop movements. It was all the more meaningful, as my father died 6 days after our tour. Our tour of St. Mere Eglise and Pointe du Hoc were highlighted because of Ed's particular interest in "ordinance forensics" ...sort of like "CSI-Normandy"!!! He even found a tie-in for my husband's interest in restoring Buicks (found a 'wildcat tank destroyer with a Buick engine being restored) His knowledge was much wider than we had allowed time for, but the personalized aspect could not have meant more. Sue and Dave
Sue & Dave Chabot
Danbury, Ct USA 07/02/2011
www.normandybattletours.com
From the Beaches of Normandy, to Point Du Hoc, St Mere Egilse and the Cemetaries of the US and German soldiers-it made my understanding complete; reading and seeing pictures of this far away place in France is much different than standing at the blown up German fortification at Point Du Hoc looking down on the beach at low tide....truly an amazing feat of our liberating soldiers.
Stuart from Normandy Battle Tours was the guide for our tour thru Normandy. Stu is a story teller; he had the entire group captivated with his intimate knowledge and sharing of personal stores pertaining to the key points on our tour. I will tell you-with every story Stu relayed to the group-there was not a DRY eye in our group...he moved us to tears with the details and his ability to make the moment live to us....If your interests are in the Normandy events-be sure to book Stu. He was Astounding.
David
Phillips Ranch, CA USA 06/29/2011
Overlord Tours
Overlord tours out of Bayeux is outstanding. I highly recommend the tour for anyone interested. The group is always small (8 people max) and the guide (Sean) was exceptional. It wasn't just visit the site and maybe get the same old information heard on the History channel. He really had indepth knowledge and passion for the subject. We did the Overlord 3 tour and found it to be of great value.
John
Ballwin, MO USA 06/26/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
On June 3/11, a group of eight friends took Stuart Robertson's tour of Juno Beach and the Canadian involvement there. We all agreed it was the highlight of our trip to France. Stuart was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, as well as being very respectful of and sensitive to the great sacrifice made by all the Allied soldiers on June 6, 1944. He made that day come alive for us. We would highly recommend his services.
Kathy Barnes
Burlington, Ont Canada 06/23/2011
Overlord Tours Omaha/Utah
My wife and I along with my 11 year old son took the Omaha/Utah tour on 6/15. The tour group size was perfect. Overlord only takes 8 people at a time. There was good discussions among the group. Olliver proved to be passionate and a keen student of the DDay battles. We appreciated the various maps, diagrams, and photos that complimented the tour. While it is true that you can tour the beaches and sites "on your own" and without a guide, the invaluable insight of a guide brings all the pieces of the puzzle together. My opinion, Overlord Tours is the way to go!!
Davis
Fort Worth, Texas USA 06/20/2011
OverlordTour.com
I took the one day tour of Omaha and Utah beaches in mid May and have nothing but positive things to say about Overlord Tours and its staff. I reserved my spot in advance through their web site and the process was smooth and easy. My tour guide (Stephane) was knowledgeable, insightful and a very personable guy, to boot. As a result, the day was just about perfect and the experience far exceeded my expectations. They are true professionals and I highly recommend them.
Jim Bowers
Trabuco Canyon, CA USA 06/16/2011
Overlord Tours of Normandy
Two days of scholarly information provided in a most friendly and pleasant manner. Our guide, Stephane, was always informative, courteous, pleasant and punctual. Great overview interspersed with interesting insight and locale perspective. The tour was all, and more, than what we expected.
Dennis Murphy
Indianapolis, IN USA 06/09/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
My husband and I stayed with Stew and Jen at Normandy Battle Tours. Picked up from CDG airport with tour to Mont St. Michel. Had 2 lovely nights at their B&B and wonderful tours by Stew. Learned so much about all history in the area. Stew is very knowledgable with history. Would highly recommend this group to anyone visiting Normandy! 1st class all the way.
Cathinka Chandler
Charlotte, NC USA 06/09/2011
Overlord Tours D-Day Tours
I took Mr. Chesnel's "Band of Brothers" tour in September, 2010.
The 8 hours I spent with Alain were some of the most rewarding and educational of my life.
Mr. Chesnel's professional presentation of D-Day taught me more than I had learned by reading numerous historical texts.
The "Band of Brothers" tour takes you to the places where the world-changing events actually occured. Mr. Chesnel help you understand what happend.
Also, Alain is a real nice guy.
James Jagger Juknialis
Cleveland, OH USA 06/07/2011
OVERLORD TOURS - Oliver
Oliver of Overlord Tours gave us a superb tour of the Normandy Battlefield when we were in LeHavre in May. He was knowlegeable, had clearly prepared well with pictures and diagrams and spokle perfect English. There were 8 of us on the tour, and we each felt it was one of the best tours that we ahve had in our travel experiences. Kudos to Overlord Tours. We heartedly recommend them.
Ruth-Ann
White Plains, ny USA 06/03/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
Eight of us recently toured the Normandy Beaches with Overlord Tours. Highly recommended! Guide-driver, Stephane, was friendly and highly knowledgeable. Can't go wrong.
James W. Smith
Phoenix, AZ USA 05/28/2011
Normandy Battle Tours
The Overlord Tour by Oliver was so enjoyable and informative. It was a delightful day for me and my three friends. We learned more than we imagined. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in WWII.
Carol Ann Kilburn
Atlanta, GA USA 05/28/2011
Normandy D Day Tour
Stephane was our guide on our 2 day Normandy D Day Tour. We had a wonderful time, the family were all very focused (especially amazing for our children). It was a huge historical, geographical, military, political, and educational trip for us (we live in Hong Kong) and our children can now put into perspective the history of Europe in the first half of the 20th century - thanks to Stephane for that who was hugely knowledgeable and very patient. He gave a real balanced view of Europe at that time including the Eastern Front. Have already recommended Overlord to our friends.
Martin
Hong Kong, Hong Kong 05/28/2011
overlordtour
For Overlordtour
My name is Christopher Ridge and last month I had the pleasure of going on one of your tours as per the email below. I just wanted to write to you to let you know how pleased and amazed I was by the tour. The knowledge, depth of detail and the locations are breathtaking. You have obviously accumulated a great deal of knowledge over time and have put together such an amazing tour of the area you are blessed to live in and of the activities that occured there.
I was quite excited to do the tour, I was lucky enough that my wife allowed me to go and she even decided go with me despite thinking she would spend the whole day bored, but in actual fact she quite enjoyed it as well. Personally I felt like I was in heaven. I don't want the actions that occured at Normandy to be glorified or to become a tourist attraction and I did not want to be a tourist making light of the events of D-Day. But your tour is tasteful and delivers everything in the correct manner.
Our guide on the day was Olivier and we travelled with 3x American couples. His manner in how he deals with people, from a hospitality point of view, was friendly and very interactive. He got to know us and managed to bring in our own family's histories and our inquiries into the tour. He went out of his way to show me some special sites such as where Lt Meehan of Easy Company died in the C-47 crash as well as Brecourt Manor and many other places.
I first became interested in WW2 history when I watched Band of Brothers, after that I was always reading books and watching documentaries etc. I am only 25 years old but I love the history that is there and you and your company showed it to me in a way that is so much better than a photograph or a book.
Thank you and Olivier so very very much for showing me and my wife such an amazing piece of history and such a beautiful place. I assure you if ever get the chance to return to France I will be going on another Overlord tour, I would love to see the same places again and again in the company of you and your tour guides.
Kind Regards,
Christopher Ridge
Christopher Ridge
Perth, Australia 05/26/2011
Normandy Battlefields
A group of 16 of us recently toured Normandy with Dale Booth.A number were Veterans were in the group; Dale's presentations were quite outstanding His knowledge of the historic events and his visual renderings, made this a most memorable tour. Can recommend this for the seriously-minded military historians.
Peter Greyling
Cambridge, UK 05/23/2011
D-Day / Band of Brothers Tour
If you have a full day available and are interested in WWII history, then this is the tour for you. Available from Overlord Tours in Bayeux, Normandy, the tour is comprehensive and thought provoking. The Band of Brothers tour alone is worth the investment, both tours combined give you a sense of being there for some of the most momentous events of the entire war. The tour guide, Olivier, knows it all but tells the story in a very easy to understand way. Great memories from this tour.
Bruce Sparber
Langhorne, PA USA 05/22/2011
D-Day Battlefield tour, Normandy
May 2011: I just returned from an 'Overlord' tour, I went on the 2 days Neptune tour of both the American & British D-Day sectors and covered all the beaches, bridges, batterfields and other very interesting sites. I can't rate this company and tour more highly, I left Normandy with amazing memories. This is a very interesting and educational experience. Go with OVERLORD, you will not be disappointed, their knowledge is incredible. Thanks Stephane!
Alex Dolata
London, UK 05/20/2011
Normandy D-Day Tours --Overlord Tours
In May of 2011 we had a wonderful D-Day tour conducted by Overlord Tours. The guide knew his stuff and made for a truly wonderful experience. I highly recommend this tour.
COL D.
Tampa, FL USA 05/16/2011
www.normandybattletours.com
Stuart has fantastic knowledge of the battles and battlefields. We appreciated his dedication to getting the stories straight about the battles. He has gotten first hand accounts from many of the men who fought in the key battles of Normandy, and is able to relate their stories better than many of the books that are available. I can't imagine anyone giving a better tour of this area, or giving a more accurate and touching account of greatest battle in history.
Steven McPherson
Hamilton, MT USA 05/09/2011
Normandy Battle Tours with Stuart Robertson
Our daughter was studying abroad in Paris and we decided to visit her over Easter. I contacted Stuart about a week and half prior to our arrival to see if by chance he would be available for a tour to the Normandy area. He was extremely accommodating and agreed to provide us with a tour on Easter Sunday since that was the only time that fit into our schedule. Also there was a problem with transferring funds for the tour ahead of time and Stuart suggested that he be paid at the time of the tour. I cannot say enough about Stuart's knowledge and passion of the whole Normandy region. Beginning with him picking us up at our hotel at 9:00 AM and dropping us off at the train station at 5:30 PM, there was never a dull moment. Even during the rides to the various locations, Stuart was a wealth of information not only about the Battles that took place but also of the local areas. My son just finished watching the movie "Saving Private Ryan" in his history class and was enthralled as to how Stuart brought everything to life. This was an experience that was enjoyed by the entire family and was definitely a highlight of our visit to Paris. We are recommending him to all of our friends and to anyone who wishes an experience of a lifetime.
Joseph Sundra
Northfield, NJ USA 05/09/2011
Normandy tour with Stuart Robertson
My father was a paratrooper in Item Company of the 506th paratroop infantry regiment. I asked Stuart Robertson if he could put together a one day tour so I could get a better understanding of what my dad did during the invasion. Stuart drove us out through the hedgerows to the drop zone, showed us the command posts for the 506th, told me what Item Co's objectives and roles in the invasion were. He brought it all to life for me, and gave me a real appreciation for the scope of the effort and the extreme heroism that took place by many of the soldiers. Stuart was a historian for the British military, lives in Normandy, has exchanged information with hundreds of vets that were there, so he really knows his stuff. Touring Normandy with Stuart will change you.
Dick Nye
Laguna Beach, CA USA 05/02/2011
Overlord Tour
Alain
We have just arrived back from our tours and must write to thank you and Sean for an excellent couple of days. The whole experience was very informative and moving, especially with the personal information about various combatants and was much more than we expected. We particularly liked the way it included a lot of background information, the various photographs of the operation at the actual locations and visits to not so well known places. We definitely would not have seen or understood as much of the whole Invasion operation by trying to visit the beaches and the famous areas independently.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the couple of day and would highly recommend your Tours to anyone contemplating visiting the 'Beaches'.
A very professional service from enquiry to booking and delivery.
Good luck to you and your company for the future.
On our way home we completed the Battle for Normandy by visiting the Falaise Gap and the memorial at Montormel. Another experience we would recommend to anyone visiting the area.
Apr 2011
Colin Towler
West Malling, UK 05/02/2011
Normandy D-Day Tour
My family and I just returned home from a six day tour of Normandy. We stayed with Stuart and Jennifer Robertson of Normandy Battletours in their wonderful B&B just outside the village of St Mere Englise. Words are hard to find in describing how comfortable our stay was and how outstanding the daily tours of the entire area were. Stuart's knowledge and passion for the events of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy made this trip an "once in a lifetime memory". Each day included visits to sites in the area not seen on the more commercial tours. Without reservation, Stuart and Jennifer will give any group an outstanding experience while visiting the historic sites of Normandy.
Jim Hammond
New York, NY USA 04/27/2011
Normandy Tour
My wife, daughter and myself recently returned from a week in Normandy seeing the D-Day beaches and [INVALID] zones. What a great experience. We hired a guide for one day which I would absolutely recommend. His name was Roel Klinkhamer and he took us to the American beaches, [INVALID] zones and American cemetary at Omaha Beach.
My entire family was impressed with the knowledge and professionalism of Roel. He did a great job of giving an overall impression of the campaign with individual, personal stories of those soldiers who participated; many of whom Roel has met and interviewed.
Roel is a one man operation which means you know that you are not getting a guide who will just drive you around trying to keep you occupied. When you hire Roel, you're hiring the best. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me.
Bill McElrath
West Long Branch, NJ USA 04/13/2011
WWI in Flanders
We just returned from 9 days in Belgium and Holland. Our day-long tour of the WWI battlefields in Flanders, Belgium was the highlight of the trip. Our guide was Nathan Ghysbrecht, who works out of Brugge. He is excellent! He is currently active in recovering relics from WWI, and he shows them and explains what they are. Nathan is professional, courteous, knowledgeable, witty, and pleasant to be with for a day. One of the best day tours I've ever had in Europe. We used the Rick Steves guidebook with great success (again.)
David Brandt
Mechanicsburg, PA USA 04/09/2011
Normandie
As a traveler, I have discovered frequently the best memories are unplanned, unscripted.
On 3 June 2009 I bicycled into the American Cemetery at Courville-Sur-Mer at Omaha Beach, the culmination of several years of research, study and pursuit of a long held avocation. My plan to cycle 500-plus kilometers solo along the Norman Coast from Le Havre and Honfleur to the Normandie Beaches then inland into Basse-Normandie along Voie de la Liberte retracing where my father, a Combat Medic with the 24th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron was sixty-five years earlier.
As I unsaddled, I heard the final refrain of the United States national anthem followed by Taps. Three days prior to the arrival of Presidents Sarkozy, Obama and other dignitaries, I stood upon the red-carpeted stage and listened to a thirty piece orchestra in dress rehearsal. It was emotional before I viewed the first white cross and was grateful to be a free American cycling in a liberated France.
My journey began similar to my father's, training in the southern UK, staying in Portsmouth with day trips to Rowland's Castle, Goodwood, Chichester and Bognor Regis where he trained and bivouacked from December 1943 until just after D-Day. Portsmouth has an excellent D-Day Museum that houses the Overlord Tapestry. There I found on display a letter with the return address from a soldier in my father's troop.
Val
Pagosah, CO USA 04/02/2011
Overlord Tours
Alain,
Just returned from France late last night! I wanted to email you to let you know what a valuable, stirring and valuable experience my wife and I had with Sean on our two days this last week! I am aware of the changes in your former chief competitor's business and let me say that their loss was your gain in your employment of Sean. What a knowledgeable and great tour guide you have in him. He made the entire experience for us frankly. His knowledge, and particularly his knowledge of the subject of the invasion was truly outstanding. In particular, his stories of the individual experiences of specific invasion veterans were especially moving and served to animate the tour in a wonderful way. In many ways the tour was the fulfillment of a life's dream for me and a surprisingly wonderful experience for my wife who at the beginning was agreeing to the tour with the promise of a few days in Paris after the tour, her favorite city in Europe!
Your tour was absolutely the best money we've spent in a very long time! Thanks and give my regards to Sean. If I can help with tour recommendations with any potential customers I am happy to do what I can.
Marty Sorensen
Marty Sorensen
Portland, Oregon USA 03/30/2011
Stuart Robertson Normandy BattleTours
My husband and I recently spent the day with Stuart Robertson of Normandy Battletours and what an unforgettable day we enjoyed! Our tour hit the American highlights of St. Mere-Eglise, the beaches and the American Cemetery, so sad yet peaceful. When Stuart was told of my father-in-law's role in the D-Day invasion, he was determined to get us as close as possible to those areas. His knowledge along with his passion for telling the story of our veterans made an already much anticipated visit beyond our expectations. With his maps and photos, along with personal stories of the many vets and families he's met makes for a fascinating tour. We would recommend Stuart as your personal guide, you won't be disappointed. And check out his B&B. Thank you Stuart for keeping history alive, you do it so well!
Mary Kay Alleman
Camp Hill, PA USA 03/30/2011
Normandy Overlord Tours
OVERLORD TOURS.
Our D-Day tour was Awesome! Sean our guide kept the day interesting for our 11 and 7 year old sons as well as us!
Zach
Florence (currently), Tuscan Italy 03/29/2011
DDay Battle Tours
My girlfriend and I recently did the DDay Battle Tours with Ellwood. Ellwood is extremely knowledgeable about the Invasion of Normandy, as well as World War I. During the 8.5 hour tour we were picked up from Carentan, taken to Ellwood's house (which has its own history) in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, provided a tremendously detailed contextual backdrop of the invasion, visited Utah and Omaha beaches, as well as Point-Du-Hoc and the American Cemetery. For someone who really enjoys World War II history, I can wholeheartedly endorse a day with Ellwood.
Brendan McCabe
Hoboken, NJ USA 03/14/2011
Overlordtour of Normancy
After watching Band of Brothers, we signed up for Alain Chesnel's Overlordtour of Normandy. I had toured Normandy with another guide but my husband had not been there.
We we so pleased with the tour. Alain is incredibly well informed and passionate about this remarkable event. All the photos he showed from 1944 and then taking us to the exact location made it come alive. He is personable and the tour was one of the best tours I've ever had anywhere - and that's from a very seasoned traveler. I have told many of our friends about this tour and given it an A+++ rating.
Dedee Bowers
Dedham, MA USA 02/25/2011
WWII Normandy Tour
We throughly enjoyed our tour of WW II Normandy area with the Overlord Tour Company. Alain Chesnel was a very passionate, informed guide and spent time to anwser in detail any questions. We definitely recommend this tour group.
Mike and Jen Williams
Alpharetta, GA. USA 01/25/2011
France - Overlord Tours (Oliver)
We have the highest praise for Overlord Tours and the guide we were blessed to have, Oliver.
We book Overlord Tours and Oliver picked us up at our Hotel in Bayeux.
We were a party of 6, including our elderly parents fromm the United States. Both were teenagers during the War, and this trip held special meaning for them. This was my wife's and my 3 visit to France and 2nd to the Normandy region. Our first trip included a tour with another company and my wife and I knew more than the guide. But that is neither here nor there now.
We booked an all day tour and asked Oliver to take to to places that most people weren't privy to. He basically designed a tour for us on the spot. And it was wonderful. Pick Oliver if you have a choice, we will again.
Suffice to say, Oliver was funny, very informative and took us to places we hadn't seen before. Many of those places were related to the Band of Brothers and brought the series more to life after seeing the actual locations.
Oliver took us down winding small unpaved roads to areas where specific battles took place that you had heard of but never dreampt you would visit.
Oliver took into account our parents' walking restrictions and put us in areas that were easy for them and informative for us. Oliver had jackets and rain gear for those of us that didn't bring anything.
We went from Port Winston to Omaha and Utah beaches, The American Cemetary, Ste Mere E'glise to small locations that an average person would never find.
This tour and Oliver's ability to make the information real to us really was great.
At the end of the tour, which was the German Cemetaty, our Parents told us that this was the best tour they had ever been on and how much it meant to see what they lived through during WW2.
Thank you Oliver for all your kindness and the lateness of this post. We look forward to returning for the 70th Aniversary of D-Day.
The Damon Family (from US to Singapore)
RJ Damon
Singapore, Singapore 01/21/2011
D-Day beaches tours
For many years I have wanted to tour the D-day landing beaches in Normandy( I had an uncle there).My wife was less enthousiastic.We were fortunate in going on a tour with Dale Booth(www.daleboothnormandytours.com).Not only is he a fountain of all knowledge of the technical military strategy of the various battles but he is incredibly enthousiastic about the human side of them too.This won over my wife who now speaks of the tour and our guide in glowing terms.We were delighted with our tour and can recommend highly to anybody Dale Booth tours
John Clark
Billericay, Essex UK 12/15/2010
normandy beaches
i have just completed a private tour of of many of the D Day landing sites with Overlord Tours. Although hesistant at first due to the cost i can whole heartedly recommend this organization to anyone who is seeking a thoroughly professional, comprehensive and well balanced tour. I felt well versed in the history of the event but my excellent guide Oliver greatly impressed me with his knowledge and ability to respond to so many of questions. The whole experience exceeded my best expectations.
carl griffiths
canmore, AB canada 12/13/2010
Victory Tours
Victory Tours - Exceptional!
Raul Klinkhamer is very thorough and informative of Normandy. We enjoyed the tour more than anything else we did on our vacation. There was so much info and facts about that particular time in history. The tour was very surreal and we left with intense feelings. Raul was a real treat for a tour guide and we wouldn't have missed it for the world. He even went looking for us as the train was late. An extraordinary experience!
Jeanette Wesley
Chesapeake, VA USA 11/18/2010
WW2 battle tours - Roel at Victory Tours
Just completed a full day tour with Roel at Victory Tours. Roel was very enthusiastic, informative and funny. We saw everything on the standard tour and a little bit more. Great tour.
As a side note...avoid DDayBattletours.com with Ellwood. The first time we emailed him, the prices were more than what is shown on his website with no explanation why. When we contacted him again, the price immediately went even higher because he was "busy."
Victor
Edmonds, WA USA 11/07/2010
Dale Booth Normandy Tours
We took Dale Booth's two day tour and I can honestly say I was speechless. His passion and his commitment to keeping the memory of these brave men and women is simply unbelievable. He is an excellent tour guide and we will recommend him without hesitation to anyone that is interested in the history of this event. www.daleboothnormandytours.com
Liz Thogersen
Saint Petersburg, Fl USA 10/19/2010
Victory Tours...Outstanding!!
My husband and I signed up for a full-day tour of the Normandy Beaches with Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours, This was an outstanding tour! It was a real highlight of our trip to France. Roel is very knowledgeable, friendly, and humorous. He showed many photos at each stop, and he relayed numerous personal stories from veterans. Roel's passion for the beaches of Normandy is very obvious...his tour brought WWII history to life. Since Roel conducts small tours [there were 8 of us in the morning and 4 in the afternoon], we had time to see everything...there was no waiting for 50 people to unload and board at every site. And we did see a lot! As a "one man, one van" company, Roel covers quite a bit. He gave an informative commentary at each stop, then gave everyone time to explore and "clicky-clicky" on their own. We made every stop as advertised on his full-day tour, and he even arranged for us to have extra time at Utah Beach, as he knew that my father had landed there as a an Army Medic. He even got us to the train station in time to catch our train back to Paris! We were very impressed with Roel's tour, and would highly recommend his full-day tour through Victory Tours. Thank you, Roel!
Gerry & Gary Bucsis
Fonthill, ON Canada 10/10/2010
Caen Memorial
The Caen Memorial Museum offers 5 hour guided tours. Well worth it, excellent guide. 5 hours doesn't seem long enough, though. Very many things to see in Normandy in regards to D-Day.
MD
the Island, Canada 10/05/2010
D-Day Sights Tour
Summer 2010. We had a delightful, insightful and moving tour of D-Day sights with www.victorytours.com. Operating out of Bayeux, FR, Roel is a multi-lingual, encyclopedic tour-de-force. He balances the desire of his clients to see it all with the reality that it can't be done in a day. The result is a most meaningful and informative tour with a couple special sights thrown in if the group stays on schedule. This is something every American (Canadian and Brit) should do. As Roel points out, we are losing our WWII veterans at record pace. If you know one who was there and they can still travel, Roel has a special place in his heart for those heroes. It would be an amazing visit for all involved.
Jeff Warner
Incline Village, NV USA 10/03/2010
Overlord D-Day Tour
D-Day Tours at www.overlordtour.com We spent September 12, 2010 touring Omaha/Utah Beaches and the area portrayed in "Band of Brothers" with Mr. Alain Chesnel. Mr. Chesnel is extremely professional and has a vast knowledge of D-Day. He is very intelligent, well informed and clearly has a passion for the events of D-Day history and their implication in world history. We highly recommend his services. Jim Juknialis Becky Morgan Cleveland OH USA
James Juknialis
Cleveland, OH USA 09/25/2010
D-Day Tours with Overlord - Stephane
We just returned home from a European vacation, ending in the Normandy area. We had planned a private 2-day tour with Overlord, and Stephane picked us up at our hotel in Bayeaux as planned. I cannot say enough about this tour - it was exceptional! We had sent Overlord army records of my father-in-law, who was in the 1st wave on D-Day. Stephane knew where his company had been, and made history come alive for us. Everything about the tour was above and beyond what we expected, and I would recommend Overlord, and Stephane, to anyone. He was very knowledgeable, and fun to be with at the same time. During the 2 days, we toured both the American beaches and the British/Canadian beaches, villages, monuments, Pegasus Bridge, museums, etc. We had a very thorough tour, well worth the price. Our D-Day tour was definitely the highlight of our 3 week vacation.
Maine Family
Lake St. Louis, MO USA 09/22/2010
Vimy Ridge - World War 1
My wife and I wanted to see world war 1 sights. So we stayed in amiens and rented a car. While they are all over the area, we drove to vimy ridge. It was amazing. There were still trenches and the fields are covered with the holes from all the shelling. There is a memorial there that is huge and covered in names of those that dies there. I believe they are Canadian. There is also a nice museum there as well.
Rob
Fl USA 09/17/2010
Private Normandy Tour
Last month, August 2010, we were disappointed with our difficulty in finding available Normandy tours at the last minute. Fortunately we stumbled upon Normandy Sightseeing Tours and booked a 1/2 day private tour with Christopher. I wasn't exactly excited about the long day trip from Paris but was trying to appease my husband. We ended up having the BEST day...one of the top 2 of our trip to France. I recommend the private tour so that's it's easier to hear the guide and ask questions. It was amazingly interesting. Christopher was extremely well versed on everything war related[INVALID]in Europe and beyond and his accent was very easy to understand. Next time we are in France we will be booking a longer tour with Christopher. At the end he even took us into Bayeux and enjoyed lunch with us at a great neighborhood restaurant and told us more about French culture
Erin
Cypress, TX USA 09/04/2010
D-day
Had a great tour with Victory Tours out of Bayeaux with Rouel. He gave a great tour with anecdotes and places tur buses do not always go. Enjoyed it thoroughly
Steve
Fresno, CA USA 08/22/2010
World War Battlefields
I work at the National WWI Museum in Kansas City & just finished my Masters in Military History writing about the 35th Division (MO/KS ARNG) in WWI so decided to see the Meuse-Argonne Battlefield that I spent the last 3 years researching from here in the US. We stayed in Verdun at one of the hotels recommended by one of Rick's travel consultant. It was nothing fancy. I tried to find a car & driver to take us to the M-A battlefields. Had a tough time trying to tell people that we did not want to go to the Verdun battlefield. I finally had to rent a car myself, but had no problems with driving in France. Not a whole lot to see except for Vauquois Hill and the American Cemetery. Most of the area has now returned to farmland & the trees are overgrow/much larger than 90+ years ago. Tough to see why Vauquois Hill was so important. In Verdun, there is an excellent tour of one of the WWI tunnels. The "electric car" takes you thru the tunnels & videos pop up in English along the way to tell a story of a younger officer standing up to an older officer when they are gettig ready for some VIPs. Even my 13-year daugher said is was "cool" and she did not mean the temperature even though it was quite cold. There is a small WWI Museum/local history museum at Varennes right next to the 28th Division Monument. Wish I could have spent more time exploring, but I enjoyed my time in Verdun actually more than Paris.
H. David Pendleton
Lenexa, KS USA 08/07/2010
Normandy Tour
We just returned from Normandy and took the two-day Bradley tour with Overlord tours. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the American sector. Our guide, Oliver, was informative and helped us meld as a group. He showed us numerous photos of soldiers right where we were standing. It was also exciting to walk on Omaha and Utah beaches. We have put "Band of Brothers" on our Netflix list so we'll be watching that and it will be exciting to see some of the sites we visited. we highly recommend Overlord tours.
McCleary
Coatesville, PA USA 07/31/2010
Airborne Museum in Arnhem
We recently spent a couple of hours at the Airborne Museum in Arnhem (actually in Oosterbeek)and really enjoyed the experience. It's a nicely laid out museum that does an excellent job of explaining Operation Market Garden, aka "A Bridge Too Far". The best part of the museum is in the basement where you walk through "The Airborne Experience" that gives you a realistic feeling as to what the paratroopers were experiencing in that horrible situation.
Mary
Gulfport, FL USA 07/18/2010
Normandy Beaches Battle Tours
What a wonderful tour of the beaches of the Normandy Invasion of World War II, June 6, 1944! I toured the beaches, the surrounding battlefields, and historic towns with The Overlord Tours. Alain was the guide. He is a wealth of information for this daughter of a liberator who was born during the Battle of the Bulge. Alain happens to be the son of a French Resistance fighter. While neither of us had front row seats in 1944, we both were able to share information and insight that we heard from our fathers. I was fortunate to be with a group of others. One young man in our group was the grandson of a soldier who fell at St. Lo. Alain assisted us to find special graves in the American Battlements Cemetery. He explained many of the details of the burials and ceremonies to satisfy our curiosity. Alain graciously assisted the grandson to his grandfather's grave where the grandson obtained some of the soil from the grave to return to his home in the U.S. It was a tearful moment. I continued through France, Belgium, and Germany following the path of the battles my father fought. It certainly was a trip of a life time! I plan to take the tour again as I return to Normandy. The tour is very worthwhile and the guide was exceptional.
Dr. Patsy F. Scott
Ottawa Hills, Ohio USA 07/13/2010
Normandy Tour with Victory Tours
My wife and I recently took a tour of the Normandy Beaches with Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours, in a word AWESOME! Having two grandfathers who fought on the beaches on D-Day and being a Golf Vet myself, I was blown away by Roel’s knowledge and expertise on the D-Day invasion from both the German side as well as the invasion forces perspective. Roel has a great personality and sense of humor. The full day tour went entirely too fast, even from my wife’s perspective, who is still telling everyone how great it was. Roel shared many stories, photos and it was obvious that he is passionate about what he does. He added a personal touch to the tour that made you feel like each tour was completely unique to him and not scripted out. Not only did Roel take us on the tour of the beaches but took us to several places that were "off the beaten path" in the surrounding areas giving us valuable insight on what occurred behind the beaches as well.
I have been on several WWII tours and by far Roel was the best tour guide I have had, I recommend to anyone to use Roel of Victory Tours, he is simply AWESOME! To take another tour would be selling yourself short. Thanks Roel, I am sure my grandfathers are proud to see you sharing your extensive knowledge to future generations.
J Fitzkee
Lancaster, PA USA 07/08/2010
Cab Tour Services D-Day Tour
I recently went with friends to Bayeux for a day in order to see the D-Day beaches. I didn't realize how far in advance I needed to book a tour in the middle of May, so I attempted to book with BattleBus and Victory Tours, who were sold out, before getting a reservation with Overlord Tours. Then, about a week before we got to Bayeux, I received an email from Alain telling me that one of their drivers had a family emergency and was unable to do the tour on our scheduled date. Since we were only in Bayeux for a day (a mistake, by the way; Bayeux is a beautiful little town and I wish we'd scheduled at least a couple of days there), we were unable to take a tour the following day. Alain then contacted his friend Pierre Doublet, who runs Cab Tour Services, and Pierre emailed me. I went ahead and reserved our spots. I was a bit worried because Pierre's emails indicated that his English was probably not the best, and his website is not particularly in depth. I thought "oh well, we don't have a car and at least this tour is cheaper (240 euro for all four of us, 60 apiece), and I know a bit about D-Day so if need be I can explain things to my non-history nerd friends."
As it turned out, I had no reason to worry. Pierre picked us up from our hotel on time (actually he arrived about ten minutes early) and began driving. As the name suggests, he has a regular sized car, so we were the only four people on the tour. Although he once or twice was unsure of a word, his English was excellent. More importantly, he gave us the most informative tour I could have imagined. Not only did he take us to the 82nd Airborne Memorial, Utah Beach, Point du Hoc, St Mare Eglise and the museum, Omaha and Utah Beaches, and the American cemetery at Coleville-sur-Mer, during which he explained everything we were seeing in more detail than I knew existed, he also told us quite a bit about the region in general and non-World War II sites we passed. Apparently his family can trace their lineage in Normandy back to the 16th century, and it shows--there seemed to be nothing about the region he didn't know. It was a fantastic tour, for a great price (especially considering that it was private), with the most knowledgeable tour guide I could have imagined. Don't be scared by the mediocre website or his written English (which is not as good as his spoken English). I guarantee that you'll get a good tour from Pierre. He also runs several other tours, including a William the Conqueror tour and a Mont St. Michel tour, both of which I expect are excellent as well. Pierre's website is http://cabtourservices.com.
On a side note, I'd also recommend Le Bayeux for accommodations in the town. It was clean, comfortable, cheap, a short walk from the train station, and in a great location--one street over from the cathedral.
Nick
Salt Lake City, UT USA 05/17/2010
A trip never to be forgotten- Stephane
My two sons and I had talked about visiting Normandy and Bastogne for a long time. Finally we decided to go and set some dates. We realized it was a once in a life time experience and spent nearly 5 months planning. We contacted Alain for a 3 day tour and with Stephane had a wonderful experience. It is not possible to put into words the feeling we came home with. We could never explain to anyone our experience. You have to go there and witness it in person. Stephane is a bright and well educated person who has become a friend. Overload met all of our expectations and then some.
Dr. Lewis Turchi
Palos Verdes Estates, CA USA 05/12/2010
German secret weapons and 3rd Reich tour, Munich
My son and I were recently in Munich and we took a guided tour around the Deutsches Museum. Our guide was a guy called Taff. The museum is huge and would probably take a day to see it all. As it was we were there for about 3 hours and just concentrated on the military stuff that was there. We started off looking at a couple of full size Uboats, one of which was the very first german sub, U1. Later we saw a load of german warbirds like the Me 109 (oldest one in the world taff reckoned) the Me 163 rocket plane and the Me 262 jet. My son really liked that taff had these models that he used to explain the tactics with. We finished the tour looking at the V1 and V2 they have here. Afterwards we went to the Hofbrauhaus and saw some bunkers on the way as well. I have to say that this museum is probably one of the best kept secrets in Munich and definitely worth a look.
We had planned to do a 3rd Reich tour in Munich as my boy will be doing this in school. We asked our guide about it and jumped on a tour with him a few days later. The tour was quite hands-on and we got to examine original documents and photos as well as seeing places like the Feldherrenhall (where the Beer hall putsch was put down) , the nazi art gallery and hitlers office. We also learned about “TheWhite Rose”, resistance and the holocaust – Dachau is only about 30 minutes away.
I found that the tour was pitched just right and he didn’t mind being bombarded with questions by a teenager. They have a website http://www.dark-history.eu/secret%20weapons.htm
J. Bustin
Birmingham, UK 03/15/2010