Princess or private excursion for normandy

[Corfe Mixture]

If you do a private tour, can I suggest that you ask you tour operator to visit Arromanches and the small but superb museum which covers the logistics of the landing and a wonderful presentation on the artificial 'Mulberry' harbour the remains of which can still be seen on the beach and which was used to supply the landing forces for some weeks.

 

Not too far from Pointe d'Hoc and the very emotionally moving US Cemetery and easy to fit into an itinerary.

[Corfe Mixture]

We rented a car at the port last week (reserved ahead) and had a lovely day exploring the Normandy Beaches at our own pace. Nice stops for food and picnic, lots of time to spare (and the outlet mall in Honfleur). Not for everyone but it is a very easy drive and impossible to get lost..

 

True but folks need to know that there is a toll (less than €10 when I last used it - which I don't do regularly) to cross the bridge at Tancarville (no real alternative) and to use the auto route between Le Havre and Caen (there are no tolls to the west of Caen).

[OzCanuck]

True but folks need to know that there is a toll (less than €10 when I last used it - which I don't do regularly) to cross the bridge at Tancarville (no real alternative) and to use the auto route between Le Havre and Caen (there are no tolls to the west of Caen).

 

Yes - simple enough though. I think our total tolls for the day were around 20 euro. Peage is french for 'highway robbery'.

[Corfe Mixture]

Yes - simple enough though. I think our total tolls for the day were around 20 euro. Peage is french for 'highway robbery'.

 

 

 

Ahh! Of course it is around €20 for a round trip. My figure was for one way to/from the ferry.

 

However, unlike the premiums car rental companies charge over and above the true cost of Florida Sun Pass tolls, it certainly not highway robbery.

 

Remember also that, whilst I would not do so myself, you can always avoid the tolls by not using Le Pont du Normandie and the A20 east of Caen (there are no tolls west of Caen) and instead use the ordinary roads, though, if you also want to avoid paying €2 each way to use the Tancarville Bridge you will probably spend more in fuel than you save!

 

 

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[63 Super Sport]

We used three years ago:

 

Normandy, France

Normandy Sightseeing Tours

6 Rue Saint Jean 14400 BAYEUX France

http://www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com

Tél: 00.33.(0)2.31.51.70.52 -Fax: 00.33.(0)2.31.51.74.74

Email : contact@normandy-st.com

Excellent tour - there were 2 couples from the US, one from Scotland. We did both the US and British sites. I would highly recommend seeing both sites. Very educational.

[donaldsc]

Although this does not apply to this specific excursion, I have in general found that a private tour with a maximum group size of 8 or less is almost always better than a cruise ship tour.

 

DON

[Cruiserkenn]

We used three years ago:

 

Normandy, France

Normandy Sightseeing Tours

6 Rue Saint Jean 14400 BAYEUX France

www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com

Tél: 00.33.(0)2.31.51.70.52 -Fax: 00.33.(0)2.31.51.74.74

Email : contact@normandy-st.com

Excellent tour - there were 2 couples from the US, one from Scotland. We did both the US and British sites. I would highly recommend seeing both sites. Very educational.

 

Wow! I love it that you include a '63 Chevy picture! Super Sport! With fond memories of driving two different '63 Chevys in my life, I couldn't help myself. Loved the look of the two door hardtop.

Seriously, thanks for the great information about your tour. I like the idea of visiting both US and British sites. So educational, as you mentioned. Thanks again.

[Cruiserkenn]

Seriously, how do the private tours handle the lunch? Wouldn't lunch in any "French" restaurant develop into a two hour affair? I am guessing they don't have McDonald's in the Normandy countryside. (I know they do have McDonald's in some areas of France.)

 

I would really like to hear about lunch on the private tours.

[OzCanuck]

I am guessing they don't have McDonald's in the Normandy countryside.

 

They are ubiquitous. Call them freedom fries.

[georgiacat]

Seriously' date=' how do the private tours handle the lunch? Wouldn't lunch in any "French" restaurant develop into a two hour affair? I am guessing they don't have McDonald's in the Normandy countryside. (I know they do have McDonald's in some areas of France.)

 

I would really like to hear about lunch on the private tours.[/quote']

 

We recently took Spearhead tours for our Normandy experience when the Royal Princess stopped in Le Havre. Florin the driver/guide was very knowledgeable. He stopped for lunch at Utah Beach in a cafe called Le Roosevelt (I think). We ate at the same table as he did and asked for directions from him. My husband and I had 2 large sandwiches (could be split), fries and Cokes for a little more than 20 euros with tax. It took about 20 minutes. We were seated, handed menus, ordered and delivered food and ate within 20-25 minutes. We do not speak French, either.

[Cruiserkenn]

We recently took Spearhead tours for our Normandy experience when the Royal Princess stopped in Le Havre. Florin the driver/guide was very knowledgeable. He stopped for lunch at Utah Beach in a cafe called Le Roosevelt (I think). We ate at the same table as he did and asked for directions from him. My husband and I had 2 large sandwiches (could be split), fries and Cokes for a little more than 20 euros with tax. It took about 20 minutes. We were seated, handed menus, ordered and delivered food and ate within 20-25 minutes. We do not speak French, either.

Wow! Thanks for your great answer. 20 to 25 minutes is amazing! How were the fries? 😌

Would love to hear more about lunches on the various private tours.

[capriccio]

Wow! Thanks for your great answer. 20 to 25 minutes is amazing! How were the fries? 😌

Would love to hear more about lunches on the various private tours.

 

With Overlord we stopped for lunch at a small cafe in Saint Marie d'Eglise sitting outside overlooking the church. They were expecting us and service was very quick and the food was good. Our guide recommended a nearby bakery for dessert which was excellent. The entire stop - including looking around the center of town and hearing the D-Day story took less than one hour which was fine.

[yvr49]

For Canadians who may be following this thread: we found Overlord focused more on American sites so we did a private tour 2 years ago with Label West - cost for 8 people was 92 Euros + tip. The guide Diane did an excellent job of showing us sites of interest to Canadians, particularly Juno Beach and the memorial centre there. As for lunch, we had a quick snack in a small café in one of the villages we visited. There was a lot to see and we didn't want to spend too much time eating.

[Cruiserkenn]

For Canadians who may be following this thread: we found Overlord focused more on American sites so we did a private tour 2 years ago with Label West - cost for 8 people was 92 Euros + tip. The guide Diane did an excellent job of showing us sites of interest to Canadians, particularly Juno Beach and the memorial centre there. As for lunch, we had a quick snack in a small café in one of the villages we visited. There was a lot to see and we didn't want to spend too much time eating.

 

Sounds great! Thanks for sharing!

[donaldsc]

Seriously' date=' how do the private tours handle the lunch? Wouldn't lunch in any "French" restaurant develop into a two hour affair? I am guessing they don't have McDonald's in the Normandy countryside. (I know they do have McDonald's in some areas of France.)

 

I would really like to hear about lunch on the private tours.[/quote']

 

Whenever we do our small group private tours, we either discuss it w the group before the tour and give the guide an idea of what sort of place we want to stop at to eat or else decide when and where we get hungry. They know all the good places to eat. You can be very flexible if you have a small group. Also, with a small group you can eat where the locals eat.

 

DON

[Cruiserkenn]

With Overlord we stopped for lunch at a small cafe in Saint Marie d'Eglise sitting outside overlooking the church. They were expecting us and service was very quick and the food was good. Our guide recommended a nearby bakery for dessert which was excellent. The entire stop - including looking around the center of town and hearing the D-Day story took less than one hour which was fine.

Fantastic! Thanks so much!