FAQ

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Are you interested in learning both sides of the story?

As a German guide, book author and lecturer to the German Army reserve, I am very familiar not only with Allied doctrine, strategy and armament, but also with that of the German Army, so I can give you a  very balanced picture of both sides. 

With a background of 11 years in guiding Normandy D-Day tours and 17 years of research for the various editions of my Normandy D-Day guidebook, both in the field and in archives, all the information I share with you during your tour is based on thorough and comprehensive research and is up to date.

All our tours are interactive, I encourage you to ask questions and I incorporate quizzes and other interesting activities that will make your tour a memorable experience.         

Depending on the tides, we may leave the beaten track and walk along the foreshore and beach to view the terrain from the perspective of those who carried out the attack on D-Day. From there, the magnitude of the task they were assigned becomes clear. 

Keep in mind that there is a lot of information to take in on a full-day tour. That's why we provide you with a free, personalized E-Book version of our D-Day guidebook (with embedded photos of yourself!!!)  after your Normandy D-Day tour, to help you remember all the places you saw and information you heard during your tour.  When you return home, you can also show your friends and family what you saw.

A private tour provides you with the best experience and highest satisfaction. All our Normandy D Day tour itineraries are suggestions which can be adapted to your needs and interests. By prior arrangement, we are extremely flexible as far as time and distance allow.

I am offering "step on tours" where I will join you in your car. This means that you drive and I navigate while providing more general information about the Battle of Normandy between stops. Travelers often have a rental vehicle or their own car anyway, and hiring just a guide is by far less expensive than booking a guide and a vehicle. Moreover, it is advantageous when you have all your personal belongings, drinks, snacks, books and rain gear with you. 

And last but not least, you don't have to sit in a car with strangers as you would on a shared group tour, which is somewhat of a risk in these times of COVID-19. Alexander, your tour guide, will wear a face mask while riding with you in the car and will of course remove it once we are outside. 

This is to protect you and your guide as much as possible from COVID-19 infection while we are traveling together.

A full ONE DAY TOUR in your car, where you drive and I guide, costs 350 EURO, regardless of the size of your group. This does NOT include cost for lunch or museums you wish to visit.

A full TWO DAY TOUR in your car, where you drive and I guide, costs 700 EURO, regardless of the size of your group. This does NOT include cost for lunch or museums you wish to visit.

A 50 EURO deposit is required prior to the tour as a guarantee and confirms the reservation. 

I do not charge cancellation fees up to 7 days before the tour. However, if you cancel less than 7 days before the start of the tour, no refund of your deposit is possible.

If the tour is cancelled by Remember D-Day Tours for any reason, you will be entitled to a full refund of your €50 deposit and the amount paid in advance beyond that (if you have already paid for the tour in full in advance).

As all our tours are private, you can bring whoever you wish. Please bear in mind that you must have a free seat in your car where I can sit and guide you.

All our tours are guided by Alexander. Please see here for a short biography.

Please send us an e-mail via the Contact page of our website.

How much does a tour cost?

A full day tour in your car, where you drive and I guide, costs 350 EURO, regardless of the size of your group. This does NOT include costs for lunch or museums you wish to visit.

I will explain this in my e-mail to you. You can either pay in advance via PayPal (plus PayPal charges) or on the day of the tour in cash - whatever is more convenient for you.

All prices are in EURO and need to be paid in EURO, I am afraid I cannot accept US Dollars or any other currencies due to the charges and currency fluctuations. 

I will wait at the agreed meeting place for 30 minutes after the stated departure time. 

If after that period you have not shown up or informed me by telephone that you are running late, I reserve the right to cancel the tour. 

If you are running late and inform me by telephone about your delay the actual departure time can be flexible, provided it falls on the day of your booking. The return time will remain the same. Our fee would also remain the same even if the time you spend on the tour is shortened due to your tardiness.

Our Normandy beach tours, whether they are along the suggested route or customized to your needs, need to adhere to a schedule. If you want to spend more time in one place or visit a museum (museum visits are not part of a standard tour itinerary), it is almost impossible to make up the time, which of course will affect the time we can spend elsewhere on the tour.

I start most of my Normandy beach tours from Bayeux, which is situated in the center of the landing beaches. Bayeux is a very popular place to stay with hotels and restaurants of every category and price range. But we can also meet in other places like Caen, Formigny, Carentan or Sainte-Mére-Èglise.

I will discuss this with you on the day. There are various nice places close to the D-Day landing beaches that are quick and offer good value. 

A lunch stop should last no more than 45 - 60 minutes, the more time spent in a restaurant the less time we can spend visiting the sites. If you would like to bring your own sandwiches and drinks, or buy them somewhere during the tour, we can have also a picnic on the beach weather permitting.

Museum visits are not part of a suggested standard tour, so the entrance fees are not included in our prices. If you wish to visit a museum, you will have to pay the entrance fee yourself. Whether or not you visit any of the museums along your chosen itinerary is, of course, up to you. Please keep in mind that the time you spend in a museum can hardly be made up afterwards, so we may spend less time in other places or even have to drop some places from the itinerary. I do not accompany guests to the museums.

Certainly not! Our tours are for anyone who is interested in learning more. However, if you feel you need some preparation, you can watch the movie "The Longest Day" which gives you a good overview of the preparations and execution of Operation Overlord. 

 

Normandy is very green for a reason; it is often wet and windy. Weather resistant outer gear is therefore essential. Wearing layers can help one adjust quickly to changing weather conditions. Sturdy footwear is recommended when we leave the beaten tracks. Bringing compact umbrellas can be useful if it is not too  windy. On fine days with clear visibility, binoculars can add immensely to the experience.

Most of the time we will be walking on level, solid ground, so there are no major problems if you have physical limitations. However, mobility is key at some of the German defenses we will visit, or when walking on the beach or in the dunes. Participants can choose to stay in the vehicle at any time, but will miss important parts of the experience.

All my D Day beaches tours are family friendly and can be adjusted to your needs. Please bear in mind that a full-day tour lasts from 09:00 a.m. – 06:00 p.m., a long day for young children. Due to the subject matter tours are geared towards an adult audience. For those reasons, it is the guests’ responsibility to decide whether their child/children would be able to remain attentive for the day. It is expected that children will respect the historical sites and cemeteries visited. 

I will strive to ensure that your child/children enjoy the day as much as possible by incorporating small and interesting, child-friendly challenges into the program that the children will enjoy. 

Happy children always mean happy parents!

There are various options to get to Normandy. Most American tourists fly to Paris or Brussels, rent a car there, and drive to Bayeux, the starting point of almost all Normandy sightseeing tours. However, in addition to traveling in your own car or rental car to Bayeux, you can also take the train from Paris (Paris Gare St Lazare Station) to Bayeux and rent a car there. 

Since the tour is conducted in your (rental) vehicle, it is up to you to make sure you have all the necessary car insurance that is normally offered when renting a car. Please also make sure that you have a Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) that covers accidental death and emergency medical expense benefits to the renter and all passengers (including your guide) in the rental car. 

I am afraid I cannot accept responsibility for any loss, damage or injury to persons or property during a tour.

Remember D-Day Tours accepts no liability for any of the following: unscheduled museum closures (including closed sections), bad weather at sites, roadworks, traffic delays, and sites that are closed to the public for whatever reason beyond our control. We also reserve the right to cancel your tour at any time for reasons of staff illness or appalling weather etc. 

In such an event you will be offered an alternative tour or date if at all possible.