Day 1: Early morning departure from North Wales and travel to Portsmouth for the 3.00pm Brittany Ferry Channel crossing to Caen in Normandy. Enjoy a relaxing journey with dinner on board. Arriving late evening, we continue to the Mercure Caen Cote de Nacre Hotel for a 4-night stay.
Day 2: After breakfast, enjoy a full day exploring the WWII history in the region. We begin with a visit to the Caen Memorial Museum. This fascinating museum explains the war in the region, focussing on both the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy. Lunch is included at Les Pommiers Restaurant before meeting the local guide for an informative tour of the historic beaches. Also included is a visit to Arromanches 360 Circular Cinema, which brings alive the conflict and the stories of those involved, on both sides of the war. Dinner tonight is at the hotel.
Day 3: Enjoy a day at leisure in Caen. With a history dating back to William the Conqueror, the historic city centre has much to offer visitors. The city’s Castle, which suffered bomb damage during WWII has been restored and now houses the Museum of Normandy and the Fine Arts Museum. There are also the impressive Men’s Abbey and a Women’s Abbey, both of which offer guided tours. You could also walk to the city to discover the marina, Botanic Garden or the mediaeval Vaugueux neighbourhood. Dinner tonight is at the hotel.
Day 4: After breakfast we drive to perhaps one of the most iconic sites in the region, Pegasus Bridge. With its capture, the nearby town of Ranville became the first to be liberated in the operation. We continue to Sword Beach, the easternmost beach of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion. Continue along the coast to Juno and Gold Beaches. We take time at both to take in the history before continuing along the coast to Arromanches Les Bains. Time at leisure on arrival to explore the town and have lunch before we visit the impressive D-Day Museum. Here, the enormity of the operation sits alongside the personal items of those who fought. After, we look out on Mulberry B artificial harbour, the remains of which can still be seen outside the museum. Our final dinner is at the hotel tonight.
Day 5: We depart after an early breakfast for the port and the 8.30am Brittany Ferry crossing back to Portsmouth. Upon arrival we complete our journey home to North Wales.