Cherborg to Omaha Beach/American Cemetary?

[JandBR_PHX]

We will be in Cherborg on 5/9/10 from 7am to 3 pm. We'd like to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial as well as Omaha Beach. Any ideas if this is possible. The cruise line doesn't have an excursion, and I'm a little nervous to rent a car. Any ideas?

 

TIA!

[moyaroo]

Assume you get on the road by 9 an hour and 15 minutes each way (ideal conditions) with a car return by 2 for safety (all aboard is always prior to departure time, you have 2 and a half hours in Bayeux area. that is about how much time I spent at the beach but I had all day. You will be rushed a bit but should have time for it and a stop at St Mere Eglise as well

[John Bull]

We will be in Cherborg on 5/9/10 from 7am to 3 pm. We'd like to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial as well as Omaha Beach. Any ideas if this is possible. The cruise line doesn't have an excursion, and I'm a little nervous to rent a car. Any ideas?

 

TIA!

 

Well, shame on your cruise-line, frankly they're making life very difficult for their pax

7am to 3pm is a nonsense - D-Day is do-able in a rather limited & rushed sort of way.

You are there on a sunday, when it's difficult or impossible to rent a car.

And they're not offering a D-Day excursion!!!!!!!!

Cherbourg itself has virtually nothing to offer.

Mont St Michel is do-able, you'd get mebbe 2 to 2.5 hrs there, but the drive there & back is boring super-slab.

Bayeux is possible by train.

 

Rent a car if you can - driving Cherbourg/D-Day beaches is as easy as it gets. Or if thats impossible because its a sunday, fix up a taxi or tour operator or driver/van - van is likely to give you best value pp.

 

From the ship as early as possible, to Pointe du Hoc, about an hour from Cherbourg. Via the N13 highway to Osmanville & the D514 country road past Grandcamp Masie. Plenty of remnants to see, out in the open, no "opening hours" for the shell-cratered cliffs and fortifications. 30 to 40 minutes is enough.

 

The American Cemetery is 15 mins further, near Colleville-sur-mer, & opens 9am. The cemetery overlooks Omaha beach. Allow an hour or so.

 

Then back the way you came towards Pointe du Hoc for 3 miles to St Laurent-sur-mer, where you take a left & in 3 miles re-join the main N13 highway heading towards Cherbourg. In 20 miles to exit at St Come du Mont and go 7 miles north through St Maire du Mont to the eastern end of Utah beach at La Madeleine. Journey cemetary to Utah about 28 miles/40 minutes.

 

Good museum at La Madeleine, give yourself at least an hour.

 

Then drive the beachfront road 5 miles to Ravenouville-Plage at the other end of Utah before heading inland to Sainte Mere Eglise, total 12 miles/ 30 minutes.

 

Excellent Airborne museum & other sights in the centre of the town, worth an hour or more.

 

From here its the N13 highway back to Cherbourg, 23 miles, 30 minutes.

 

On this timetable it's a total of about 6.5 hours, eg depart Cherbourg 7.30am, back at 2.00pm. If you don't keep up with the timetable, you may have to curtail or skip either Utah or Ste Mere Eglise.

 

Not as comprehensive as it ought to be, but the main parts covered & a worthwhile day.

 

Has anyone on your roll-call secured transport & looking for sharers? You're leaving it rather late.

 

Best of luck

 

John Bull

[moyaroo]

CAr rental on Sunday! OMG totally forgot to check this for you. John is right. The train station location of Europcar is open limited hours but would necessitate a departure after 10am and on the return trusting the system to check you in after your ship departs. I have left cars while the office is closed before, it is possible, but a bit nerve wracking.

 

Get on the roll call and follow John Bull's advice. I think his tour suggestion while excellent is ambitious, but even if you see only part you will remember it. The excperience of the Cemetary and then going the few hundred yards to the beach is just incredible. pop inot one of the pillboxes on top of the dunes and ask your self who would even try such a crazy assault and then give thanks that someone was and did.

[Hlitner]

I will agree with John Bull as much as it pains me to ever agree with a Brit :) "Shame on the cruise line" is a real understatement and it just makes no sense to visit this port without a visit to Normandy. Public transit is worthless when it comes to visiting Normandy so we think there are only two options. You could look on-line for a private tour company and arrange a private excursion or, you could simply hire a taxi for the day (both options are expensive). I do have one other thought. If in your position I would be on the phone to the cruise line and try to get to somebody in managment who could look into the lack of an excursion. Perhaps it is not too late for them to arrange something.

 

Hank

[John Bull]

I will agree with John Bull as much as it pains me to ever agree with a Brit :) ...... If in your position I would be on the phone to the cruise line and try to get to somebody in managment who could look into the lack of an excursion. Perhaps it is not too late for them to arrange something.

 

Hank

 

Always happy to agree with a colonial :D

JB

[JandBR_PHX]

Thanks gentlemen. I agree, I'm very disappointed in RCI for not offering an excursion. I tried all the car rental agencies I could think of and they are all closed on Sunday. I haven't given up on renting a car... maybe if I hound them and tell them that there's a ship in port with 2500 pax they'll consider opening!:)

 

The tour may be the only option. DW found a couple: Normandy Sightseeing Tours and Overlord. We'll check into them and report back.

[John Bull]

 

The tour may be the only option. DW found a couple: Normandy Sightseeing Tours and Overlord. We'll check into them and report back.

 

There have been a number of recommendations for Overlord on CC

JB

[JandBR_PHX]

I have no defense...all I can say is "DUH!!!" If I had bothered to read the excursions fully, I would've realized the "Beaches" excursion does exactly what we want to do - Amerrican Cemetary and Omaha beach. I don't know how I missed that fact. :o

[Hlitner]

I have no defense...all I can say is "DUH!!!" If I had bothered to read the excursions fully, I would've realized the "Beaches" excursion does exactly what we want to do - Amerrican Cemetary and Omaha beach. I don't know how I missed that fact. :o

 

"Beaches" Hmmm. Sounds like the politically correct name for a tour. Wouldn't want to upset any of the pacifist community :)

 

Hank

[cruisin4kicks]

If you're still interested, a cruise we were on last May stopped in Cherborg for approximately the same amount of time you'll be there. We used Overlord Tours and they got us back to the ship around 2:15pm. They picked us up around 8:00am in an 8 passenger mini-van. I don't remember the exact fare but I think we paid 60 Euros per person including tip for the 8 of us.

 

The long drive is to Omaha Beach and then stopping at different points of interest on the way back. Below were the highlights of our tour...

• Omaha Beach

• American Cemetery of Colleville – the cemetery that was in “Saving Private Ryan” (do NOT miss that)

• The Pointe du Hoc – the 100 foot cliffs the US Rangers scaled.

• Sainte Mère Eglise – where the paratrooper hung from the church steeple in the movie “The Longest Day”.

 

We stopped at a few other points of interest on the way back where the tour guide would give us a 5 or 10 minute explanation of what happened there that day and then had lunch at Sainte Mère Eglise.

 

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and had his own documents that included maps of the beaches and other information.

 

We would have liked to stay longer but for the amount of time we had, I thought the tour was very informative.

 

Tim

[RoofingPrincess]

FYI, I just looked up Overlord Tours as I too am looking for a tour during my port stop in Cherbourg in September. Tours from Cherbourg currently cost 650 euro for 1 to 8 people. So that would be a little over 80 euro per person for 8. The tour is advertised as 8 am to 6 pm, which might not work for my group unless they're willing to alter the tour, as we're in port from 7 to 3.

[John Bull]

FYI, I just looked up Overlord Tours as I too am looking for a tour during my port stop in Cherbourg in September. Tours from Cherbourg currently cost 650 euro for 1 to 8 people. So that would be a little over 80 euro per person for 8. The tour is advertised as 8 am to 6 pm, which might not work for my group unless they're willing to alter the tour, as we're in port from 7 to 3.

 

 

 

They get quite a bit of their business from cruise ships, I have very little doubt that they tailor their tours to suit docking times - and to suit guests' individual requirements. After all, that's what a private tour group is all about.:)

 

"We're not interested in Pointe du Hoc, but we want to see the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches, where my dad landed".

Try telling that to the JOTS excursions desk staff :D

 

JB