Normandy D-Day Beaches | Private Shore Excursion from Le Havre
Description
Top Viator Rating for the American D-Day Private Tour from Le Havre. This is the shore excursion that cruise passengers consistently choose over their ship's own tour — and the reviews explain why. A private vehicle exclusively for your group. A licensed WWII expert guide. The freedom to spend more time at the places that move you most. Walk Omaha Beach — the actual sand from Saving Private Ryan — with sector-by-sector commentary on June 6, 1944. Stand at Pointe du Hoc, where U.S. Rangers scaled 30-meter cliffs under fire. At the American Cemetery, 9,387 white crosses face the sea. Fully customizable. Badge of Excellence. Return to ship guaranteed.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After driving for 2 hours at the Normandy country side, your first stop is at Point du Hoc where you will see the numerous bomb craters which remain untouched since the war. Climb thru the various bunkers to witness how the Germans used the cliffs to their advantage and imagine how the Amricans attacked and captured the battery after scaling the cliffs.
Afterwards, head to Omaha Beach and pass through 8 kms of the coast of facing the English Channel. Ashore, you will find a sculpture called Les Braves ‘The Braves’ in honor of the soldiers who fought the war. There will be an opportunity to stop for a quick lunch near Omaha Beach.
Next, continue the tour to the Normandy American Cemetery to pay tribute to the fighters of the battle. The visitor center offers a detailed exhibition about the war. This will be our last stop before heading to a 2 hour drive back to the the port or your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We are a local tour company based in Le Havre with over 15 years of experience specializing in shore excursions for cruise passengers. To ensure a smooth and stress-free start to your day, we offer complimentary pick-up from multiple convenient locations. We can welcome you from: Cruise Terminals - Whether you're docking at Le Havre, Honfleur, or Cherbourg, we'll be waiting to greet you as you disembark, we have permanent access to Cruise terminal. Hotels - Staying in Normandy or nearby regions? We'll pick you up directly from your accommodation. Train Stations - Arriving by rail? We'll meet you at the station and take care of the rest. ✈️ Airports - Flying in? We provide seamless airport transfers to begin your Normandy adventure without delay. Our professional drivers ensure timely arrivals and departures, so you can relax and focus on enjoying your personalized tour experience. Simply let us know your location, and we'll handle the logistics!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(53)
We loved everything about this tour! The vehicle was clean and provided bottled water. The tour guide, Ann was very knowledgeable and passionate about DDay and the soldiers who gave their lives for freedom. She really made this a great excursion for us. It was less expensive and they got us back to the ship 1 1/2 hours before the ship excursion and 2 1/2 hours before all aboard time. Private tours are the way to go!!
Very informative. Sunny was very knowledgeable. We had a private tour and they tried to grant us every wish we had. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to see and learn about DDay.
Dear Ruth, Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your private D-Day tour and that Sunny’s knowledge and passion helped make your experience both informative and memorable. At Normandy Private Tours, we always strive to personalize each tour and accommodate our guests’ wishes, so it is very rewarding to know that we achieved this during your visit. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back to Normandy for another memorable experience in the future. Kind regards, Normandy Private Tours
Our guide Elisa was outstanding and so very knowledgeable and our driver Tom was great too. Such an amazing day!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear that you had such an amazing day with Elisa and Tom. We’ll be very happy to share your lovely feedback with them. Best wishes from Normandy!
Great excursion from the LeHarve cruise port! Thierry picked us up and drove 90 minutes to get our guide Adrian. We spent over 5 hours in the area and Adrian shared his wealth of knowledge. He made sure we saw all of the important sights in our limited time (would love to come back and explore more). Highly recommend Adrian and his driver!!
Hello Connie, Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your excursion from Le Havre and that Adrien’s knowledge and Thierry’s driving helped make the day memorable. We will be sure to pass along your kind words to both of them. We would be delighted to welcome you back to Normandy for more exploration in the future! Kind regards, Normandy Private Tours
Ann Sophia was very knowledgeable, interesting and entertaining. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed all the sights.
So happy to hear you had a wonderful time! 😊 Anne-Sophie will be delighted to know you enjoyed her stories and the sights — we’ll be sure to share your feedback with her. Hope to see you again in Normandy soon!
This is a very moving and emotional excursion. The memorial takes your breath away. Dress for the weather. It was quite windy and cold. Our guide Monique and our driver Thierry were amazing.
Dear Holly, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re truly glad to hear that the excursion was such a meaningful and emotional experience for you — the memorial sites in Normandy have a powerful impact, and your words reflect that beautifully. We’re also delighted to know that Monique and Thierry made your day even more memorable. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to them! Thank you again for choosing to explore Normandy with us. We hope to welcome you back again someday. Warm regards,
VERY disappointed. Our driver (who was quite pleasant) spoke minimal English. We had to drive an hour to pick up our guide (Philip), who was late and appeared a bit hungover (he noted he had "stayed up a bit late celebrating a friends birthday" the night before, and we must say it showed). When we had his attention he appeared knowledgeable and answered all our questions, but he frequently just engaged in French with our driver or did not talk at all. When we got the American Cemetery, he gave us some insight and a general description of the layout, then gave us 45 mounts to "explore on our own" and headed off to find someplace to vape. For the price we paid, we expected that he would've stayed with us as we strolled the grounds to answer questions rather than telling us that we could "ask me any questions when we get back together". This same strategy was repeated at our last stop as well (Pointe du Hoc). So... while we paid for 6 hours of his time, we really got about half that. Then we dropped him off near his home and drove back the hour to our ship (actually hour plus due to traffic, but this is not the fault of the tour company or our driver). Overall, as noted in our opening, we were VERY disappointed and cannot recommend this tour or tour company.
Dear Paul, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience, and please accept our sincerest apologies for the disappointment you and your family felt during your tour. We are truly sorry to learn that our guide did not meet the professional standards we strive to uphold. Punctuality, professionalism, and full engagement throughout the tour are not only expected but required of all guides representing our company. We take this feedback very seriously and will be addressing it directly with the guide involved. Please know that this is not reflective of the values we stand by, nor the level of service we aim to provide our guests. Again, thank you for your candid feedback. We truly regret that what should have been a highlight of your cruise turned into a letdown. Should you consider returning to Normandy in the future, we would welcome the opportunity to restore your trust and deliver the experience you originally hoped for.
We had a terrific time. Our driver Jilani was excellent. Very professional, on time and extremely courteous. Would highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you had a great time and that Jilani made such a positive impression. He is indeed a valued member of our team, and we’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. It was a pleasure arranging your trip, and we truly appreciate your recommendation. We look forward to welcoming you again in the future!
We arrived on the Viking Jupiter. They offered a Normandy tour but we decided to splurge and get the private tour instead. There we six of us and the money spent was well worth it. Our driver was right on time, very friendly and knowledgeable. We picked up our guide near our first destination of Pointe Du Hoc. He was just great. Extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I am slowed down by bad knees and our guide went out of his way to make sure I was able to keep up and stay involved along the way. I really appreciated his effort. He also made arrangements for us to stop in at a nice restaurant fora french lunch and guided us through the menu selections , ordering and payment at the end which was not only very helpful but it saved us more time for our tour visits. While at the American Cemetery, we saw the Viking tour unloading their 50-some passengers off of the bus. We were all in agreement that booking the Viator tour was a smart decision. One suggestion, it yeah you almost have to cause you get once you’re out there you’re stuck, but the wind supposed to be yesterday. We were out there quite a hawk and it was cold and windy but then by the time we got to Omaha Beach and then the sun came out. It was just beautiful how we started when the driver showed up. We started start raining on us. It’s gonna be rain all day walking stick. I took the Viking umbrella and use that as that way I was covered either waywould have been to to use the VOX system while walking around. Especially at the American cemetery where they ask you to keep your voices down a bit. Highly recommend this tour.
Dear Doug, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We’re absolutely delighted to hear that you enjoyed your private tour of Normandy and that you found it well worth the investment. It’s wonderful to know that both your driver and guide contributed to making the day so special — from punctuality and expertise to the thoughtful assistance with mobility needs and the seamless lunch experience. We always aim to provide personalized care, and we’re especially pleased that you felt well supported throughout the day. We’re thrilled that you chose us over the larger group tours and that it made your visit more comfortable and meaningful. It was a pleasure to host you, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable journey in the future!
Sunny put together a great tour of Normandy and articulated the History of WWII with the backdrop of how the architecture played a role in the war. She was very good.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that Sunny provided such a memorable and insightful tour of Normandy. It’s wonderful that her expertise in combining the history of WWII with the architectural context resonated with you. We’ll be sure to share your feedback with her—it means the world to us. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon! 😊
