 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
Looking towards Juno from the 'Hillman' bunker complex
The direction to a church on Juno Beach is indicated inside a German bunker
AVRE Churchill tank on Juno Beach
Day Three - the road to Falaise, & the Falaise Gap - August 1944
8.30: Leave Hotel
9.00 - 10.30: the attack towards Falaise - Operations Totalize & Tractable: the Verrières Ridge, the Canadian Cemetery, Falaise for coffee
10.45 - 1.00: explore ‘Falaise Gap’ - Trun, St Lambert, museum on ‘The Maze’
1.00 - 2.00: snack lunch in Chambois
2.00: leave for drive back to Calais - 3 hrs from Caen + 30 minutes break
6.20: Depart on Eurotunnel crossing
5.55 BST: Arrive England
Train back to London leaves Ashford around 6.30, into London around 7.45 p.m.
Dieppe & Normandy from Canterbury:
Day Zero (optional)
Travel by train from London to Canterbury, met by Dr Andrew Thomson, transfer to Guest House (1 night). 90-minute personally-guided Walking Tour of Historic Canterbury. Time free for Cathedral, museums, etc.
Day One - the Dieppe Raid, August 1942
Leave Canterbury, travelling in comfortable Citroën C8 or rental car - 7.40 a.m. British time (BST);
OR by train from London Charing Cross - 6.25 (weekdays). Arrive Ashford International Station; met by Dr Andrew Thomson - 7.55
8.10: Check-in by car at Channel Tunnel
8.50: Depart on Eurotunnel train-transporter (35 minute journey)
10.25 (French time): Arrive Calais. Drive to Dieppe: 2 hours
12.30 - 2.30: Dieppe - the Chateau viewpoint; snack lunch; the Esplanade attacks (Essex Scottish; Royal Hamilton Light Infantry)
2.45 - 3.00: the eastern attack on Puys (Royal Regiment of Canada) - the Canadian Memorial
3.15 - 4.00: the western attack on Pourville (South Saskatchewans; Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) - Merritt's Bridge
This is a private group (i.e. you & your friends), dates by arrangement. We are very happy to amend the suggested schedule to fit in visits to areas that you particularly want to see (perhaps because of family links).
Supplement for different hotel in Normandy:
We have selected small independent 3-star hotels for their comfort, cleanliness, central location, and welcoming staff; they offer a typical small French hotel experience which almost all of our clients really appreciate. However, these hotels have modest-sized rooms and do not have lifts (elevators). If you would like these features, then we can offer these with rooms in chain hotels - for £40 (around $80) per person extra (i.e. £20 per person per night x 2 nights in Bayeux)
Your Guide:
The Tour is escorted by Dr Andrew Thomson, Director of Dr Thomson's Tours, with a History Ph.D. from the University of Kent - his Ph.D. topic was the experiences of U.S. troops in France in 1944-45 (you can consult an abstract of the thesis on this site). He is a knowledgeable and expert guide, highly experienced in tours of this kind. See More About Us
from Canterbury (by train from London) or Paris, for 2 to 5 people, travelling in an air-conditioned Citroën C8
Canada: Dieppe 1942 to Normandy 1944
- a sample 3-day itinerary
These are private tours for family / friends groups of up to 5 people, offered by Dr Thomson’s Tours – see Introduction and More About Us for details about us and how we operate our tours. Using a minivan, the sample tour outlined here is led by
Related links:
Dr Andrew Thomson, with a start in England – either with a night before in historic Canterbury (90 minutes by train from London), or by getting the first train of the day down to Ashford International Station to meet Dr Thomson – or we can meet you at your hotel in Paris and start from there.
Day Two - June 1944 - Juno Beach & the advance inland
8.45: Leave Hotel
9.15 - 10.45: Juno Beach - Bernieres & St Aubin; coffee break
11.00 - 12.30: Juno Beach - Courseulles: DD swimming tank, AVRE tank, Juno Beach Centre
12.30 - 1.30: snack lunch in Courseulles
1.45 - 2.15: the Canadian cemetery
2.15 - 4.15: the advance inland - a 20 km tour to see how far the Canadians reached on 6th June, and in the days beyond: we will make a series of stops in the territory between Caen and Bayeux where they fought 12th SS Panzer Division (Buron & Authie 7th June; Bretteville & Putot 7th & 8th June; Norrey-en-Bessin 9th June)
From 4.45: time free in Baeyeux
|
Group of 5 |
Group of 4 |
Group of 3 |
Group of 2 |
1 night away |
£265 ($440) |
£310 ($515) |
£410 ($680) |
£570 ($945) |
2 nights away |
£405 ($670) |
£465 ($770) |
£610 ($1010) |
£830 ($1370) |
3 nights away |
£555 ($920) |
£630 ($1040) |
£815 ($1345) |
£1095 ($1810) |
4 nights away |
£695 ($1150) |
£790 ($1305) |
£1025 ($1695) |
£1370 ($2265) |
|
||||
Supplement for night in Canterbury |
£48 ($80) |
£40 ($70) |
£53 ($90) |
£40 ($70) |
Supplement for Paris start |
£20 ($35) |
£25 ($45) |
£33 ($55) |
£50 ($85) |
Prices are PER PERSON and include: private guiding, transport by car (incl. Channel Tunnel crossing where applicable), road tolls & parking, our professional insurance, and accommodation in 3-star hotels sharing twin/double rooms with en-suite facilities (with breakfast included). Prices do NOT include: meals other than breakfast, museum entries, and personal insurance (purchase of cancellation and general travel insurance is strongly advised) |
||||
Memorial in Putot en Bessin
Above: Dieppe - the beach for the western landing at Pourville
Right: one of the memorials on the beach on Dieppe Esplanade
Add-ons before or after your tour
One of the key things that we offer is flexibility: we are keen to help you enhance your tour experience by offering you the chance to visit somewhere that you’ve always wanted to see (either just before or after your tour with us). And bear in mind the possibility to do this in the context of our dropping you off somewhere interesting for the next leg of your vacation (or business trip). Starting the tour in one place and finishing in another is something we do often for clients.
For more information visit our add-ons page. The following add-ons are available before, during or after our Canada: Dieppe 1942 - Normandy 1944 tours:
A day in the county of Kent (+ a night in Canterbury), Paris, Mont St. Michel,
Loire Valley chateaux
Ask us for an individual quote
Dieppe & Normandy from Paris:
Day One - the Dieppe Raid, August 1942
8.45 a.m: Meet at your Paris hotel, drive 2 hours 30 mins to Dieppe + break of 45 mins
12.00 - 2.00: Dieppe - the Chateau viewpoint; snack lunch; the Esplanade attacks (Essex Scottish; Royal Hamilton Light Infantry)
2.15 - 2.30: the eastern attack on Puys (Royal Regiment of Canada) - the Canadian Memorial
2.45 - 3.30: the western attack on Pourville (South Saskatchewans; Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) - Merritt's Bridge
3.45 - 4.15: the Canadian Cemetery
Two hours to Bayeux
6.15: Check-in to Hotel in Bayeux (2 nights)
Day Two - June 1944 - Juno Beach & the advance inland
8.45: Leave Hotel
9.15 - 10.45: Juno Beach - Bernieres & St Aubin; coffee break
11.00 - 12.30: Juno Beach - Courseulles: DD swimming tank, AVRE tank, Juno Beach Centre
12.30 - 1.30: snack lunch in Courseulles
1.45 - 2.15: the Canadian cemetery
2.15 - 4.15: the advance inland - a 20 km tour to see how far the Canadians reached on 6th June, and in the days beyond: we will make a series of stops in the territory between Caen and Bayeux where they fought 12th SS Panzer Division (Buron & Authie 7th June; Bretteville & Putot 7th & 8th June; Norrey-en-Bessin 9th June)
From 4.45: time free in Bayeux
Day Three - the road to Falaise, & the Falaise Gap - August 1944
8.30: Leave Hotel
9.00 - 10.30: the attack towards Falaise - Operations Totalize & Tractable: the Verrières Ridge, the Canadian Cemetery, Falaise for coffee
10.45 - 1.00: explore ‘Falaise Gap’ - Trun, St Lambert, museum on ‘The Maze’
1.00 - 2.00: snack lunch in Chambois
2.00: leave for drive back to Paris - 3 hrs + 30 minute break - arrive by 5.30
Worthington Force memorial on the way to Falaise
Canadian Cemetery inland from Juno Beach
4.00 - 4.30: the Canadian cemetery
Drive to Bayeux for Hotel (2 hours)
6.30: check-in to Hotel (2 nights)