Escape by Travel | Travel Agency | D-Day 80th Anniversary

Memorials of World War II
featuring the 80th Anniversary of the
D-Day Landing
Aug 25-Sept 4, 2024

Highlights...

London & Paris WWII Focused City Tours • Portsmouth • The D-Day Story Museum • English Channel Crossing • Juno Beach • Caen Peace Memorial Museum • Arromanche-les-Baines • Longues-sur-Mer • Apple Cider Farm Visit • Normandy American Cemetery • Omaha Beach • Pointe du Hoc • Airborne Museum • Utah Beach • Giverny Gardens • Seine River Dinner Cruise

11 Days ~ 13 Meals: 9 Breakfast ~ 4 Dinners

Big Savings (must book before Dec 27, 2023)
Double $5,509 Single $6,659

Booked after Dec 27th, 2023 are subject to first
served basis.
Double $5,859 & Single $7,009

Included in price: Round Trip Air from Minneapolis, MN, Air Taxes & Fees/Surcharges, One night Pre Hotel, gratuities & all lodging, Transfers. (Flying from a different airport, please contact Penny)
Not Included in price: Cancellation Waiver & Insurance of $449.00 per person.

Deposit $698.00 per person plus Insurance $449. per person for a total of $1147.00 per person .
If you deposit and need to cancel by Dec 20, 2023, you will get 100% refund of your funds.
Final payment will be due May 27, 2024.

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$350
Per Person

Experiences

Retrace the D-Day preparation efforts at The D-Day Story Museum, dedicated to Operation Overlord.
Navigate the path of the D-Day Landings as you cross the English Channel by ferry.
Set foot on the hallowed grounds of the Normandy landing beaches.

Must-see Inclusions

Experience the Peace Memorial Museum that vividly documents the causes and consequences of WWII.
Spend 3 nights in the Normandy region and take a journey back in history to the D-Day landing beaches.

Culinary Inclusions

Enjoy London’s culinary renaissance at a dinner featuring gastropub cuisine.
Sample traditional French cider during a visit to an apple orchard in Normandy.
Admire the “City of Light” as you float down the Seine River on a relaxing dinner cruise.

Day 1: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024 Overnight Flight

An unforgettable journey of discovery and remembrance awaits you on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.

Day 2: Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 London, England Tour Begins

Your tour begins today. Discover the city's rich historical relationship with World War II.

Day 3: Tues. Aug 27, 2024 London

Enjoy time to get to know the place where your journey begins. This evening, get a taste of contemporary British fare s you meet your fellow travelers for a dinner highlighting London's culinary renaissance. Breakfast & Dinner included.

Day 4: Wed. Aug 28, 2024 London

Uncover London’s myriad connections to WWII on an expertguided tour. Step back in time to September 1940, when the city was at the receiving end of the German ‘Blitz’. London would be reduced to rubble, but not Londoners, who "Kept Calm and Carried On." View Saint Paul’s Cathedral and take in iconic landmarks such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Retrace Sir Winston Churchill’s steps on a walk by the Cenotaph and Downing Street, before returning to your hotel for an evening at leisure. Today breakfast will be included.

Day 5: Thurs. Aug 29, 2024 London Portsmouth

This morning, journey through the English countryside to Portsmouth. This city played a critical role in the preparation efforts for Operation Overlord. Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery chose Portsmouth for their military headquarters and its dockyards now host The D-Day Story Museum, which you will visit this afternoon before checking into your hotel for a 1night stay. Today breakfast and dinner will be included.

Day 6: Fri. Aug 30, 2024 Portsmouth English Channel Crossing Caen, France

In the early hours of the morning,* board a ferry and cross the English Channel. As you breathe in the salted sea air during your 6hour sailing, reflect upon the parallel journey nearly 160,000 courageous Allied troops took on June 6th, 1944, as they set out to liberate Europe from the Nazis. Your ferry docks in Ouistreham, which housed one of the largest bunkers of the German ‘Atlantic Wall’ defense system. A coastal drive takes you by Sword Beach (British landing site) to Juno Beach, where Canadian soldiers sacrificed their lives among a deluge of air attacks, naval bombardments, and land offenses. Arrive in Caen in the early evening and settle into your hotel for a momentous 3night stay.** Today breakfast and dinner will be included.

Day 7: Sat. Aug 31, 2024 Caen D-Day Landing Sites

This morning, explore the Caen Peace Memorial Museum dedicated to providing a comprehensive history of the D-Day landings and Europe’s postwar transition. Then, set out for ArromanchelesBains to view the remains of the Mulberry Harbor, one of the greatest engineering feats of WWII, allowing the Allies to establish strategic bridgeheads on D-Day. Later this afternoon, stop at the German Artillery battery of LonguessurMer, featured in The Longest Day. Then pause at a local farm for a stroll through their apple orchards and a taste of traditional cider. Today breakfast will be included.

Day 8: Sun. Sept. 1, 2024 Caen D-Day Landing Sites

Today, immerse yourself in the history of Normandy’s beaches – the site of the largest amphibious invasion in history. Pay your respects to the 9,386 servicemen and women who rest at the Normandy American Cemetery. Visit two U.S. landing zones of the invasion of Normandy: Omaha Beach and this afternoon, Utah Beach. Discover Pointe du Hoc, a strategic German battery that claimed the ultimate sacrifice of 135 brave men from the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions and where craters from cataclysmic bombings occupy the landscape to this day. At the Airborne Museum, learn the unique history of paratroopers in Saint MèreÉglise, the first French town liberated from the Nazis. Return to Caen in the early evening. Today breakfast will be included.

Day 9: Mon. Sept 2, 2024 Caen Giverny Paris

Head south to Paris this morning. Your drive through the rich pasturelands of Normandy takes you to the village of Giverny. Here, let the art scene leave its impression on you with a visit to Monet’s countryside home.*** Stroll through the colorful living work of art that is Monet’s garden, where you’ll see the source for the artist’s inspiration, including the setting for his iconic Waterlilies. Then, set off to Paris, the French capital that was under German occupation from 1940 to 1944. In the late afternoon, check into your hotel located in the Your itinerary at a glance On some dates alternate hotels may be used. early evening. Today breakfast will be included.

Day 10: Tue. Sept 3, 2024 Paris

A local expert leads you on a journey back to the time of German occupation and the puppet government of Vichy. From the Vel d’Hiv, Hôtel de Ville, Les Invalides, Panthéon, and the
Luxembourg Gardens to Le Marais, see the sites that tell the story of the liberation of Paris and what life was like under the Nazis. Tonight, bid au revoir to your fellow travelers and to the City of Light while gently floating down the Seine on a dinner cruise. Today breakfast and dinner will be included.

Day 11: Wed. Sept. 4, 2024 Paris Tour Ends
Your tour comes to a close today. Today breakfast will be included.

Experience It! Normanday

June 6, 1944: the day thousands of allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. Otherwise known as D-Day, it is the day that marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War – and the day soldiers from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and beyond sacrificed their lives on the shores of Normandy’s landing beaches. Embark on a reflective journey through the myriad reminders of this watershed event in world history. Discover the memorials, museums, and landmarks that stand in dedication to the heroic soldiers. Visit Omaha, Juno, Sword, and Utah Beach, and pay respect to the more than 9,000 lives honored at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, the largest American cemetery in the region.

Your itinerary at a glance

Day 1 Overnight Flight

Days 2,-4 Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton, London

Day 5 Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, Portsmouth

Days 6-8 Mercure City Center-Port de Plaisance, Caen

Days 9, 10 Renaissance Le Defense Hotel, Paris

Passport Books are required

Please Note:

To complete your tour, we include roundtrip airport to hotel transfers when purchasing our airfare with your tour. If you have arranged for your own air, we are pleased to provide you the option of purchasing these transfers. Please note that all transfers will leave at prescheduled times.

Single accommodations and twin beds are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Guests requesting a twin bed room for double occupancy may be accommodated in a queen bed. Triple accommodations are not available due to hotel restrictions. When reserving single accommodations, be advised that single rooms in France are often smaller in size and furnished with a true single cot sized bed.

*Depending on the ferry schedule, this morning you may depart your hotel as early as 5:00 AM. A boxed breakfast will be arranged and there is a cafeteria available aboard the ferry, which is serving breakfast and lunch. You will be accommodated in the seating area of the ferry. There is no porterage service available in the maritime stations, nor on board. You will therefore be responsible for handling your own luggage on and off the ferry. The crossing takes approximately 6 hours and may be delayed or even postponed due to sea conditions. Travelers prone to seasickness should take the proper precautions.

Due to the remoteness of the Normandy region, hotels are carefully chosen, yet also reflective of the rustic nature of the area. Rooms in these hotels are smaller than average and breakfast is mostly continental, consisting of pastries, jams, some cold cuts and cheese. Scrambled or hardboiled eggs are occasionally available.

**Hotels in Normandy are carefully chosen yet rustic in nature, similar to motels. Some properties are located on the outskirts of town or even in the countryside. The locations are chosen to allow you closer access to the DDay Landing Sites. Most hotels are 3star properties. Some properties do not offer porterage to the rooms and may not have elevators, requiring guests to navigate stairs to reach their rooms. Rooms in these hotels are smaller than average. Caen is a representative location, as some groups may be accommodated in Bayeux, Deauville, SaintLo and Cherbourg.

The days and order of sightseeing may change to best utilize your time on tour. Museum visits and shopping may be affected by observance of religious or local holidays. In France, most museums are closed on Mondays or Tuesdays. In Normandy, museums and monuments may not be accessible due to unforeseen closures connected to the 80th anniversary commemoration ceremonies.

***Monet’s Gardens in Giverny are open from April 1 to November 1. If you are travelling at a different time of the year, you will visit Rouen instead.

****The cabaret show at the Paradis Latin includes some tasteful nudity and may be considered unsuitable for children – consult your Tour Manager.

Please be advised many airlines do not provide advance seat assignments until checkin at the airport. Advance seating will be subject to the airline's terms and conditions.

Worry-Free Cancellation
Our industry-leading cancellation waiver offers travellers a full cash refund for the price of the tour, right up to the day prior to departure, minus the small cost of the waiver. Travel worry-free knowing if anything changes, you're protected.

Plus, you're covered on tour.

Our travel protection plan covers you on tour. If you have to stop your trip or return home early, need medical assistance or evacuation, suffer a baggage loss or delay; or are delayed on tour for 12 hours or more, you're covered.
Click here for complete details.

The Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply outside of the United States.

We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the special needs of our guests. However, if you require individual assistance you must be accompanied by a companion who is capable of, and totally responsible for, providing the necessary assistance. Neither our personnel nor the personnel of our destination partners may physically lift or assist clients onto transportation vehicles at any time while on tour. We regret that we cannot provide individual assistance to a guest who has special mobility or other like needs.

Currency

We recommend carrying only a few major credit cards. Credit card purchases often provide an extra guarantee on your purchase (check with your specific credit card company for details and fees). It is advisable to contact any credit card company you intend utilizing while on tour before you depart to notify them where you will be traveling, to avoid any rejection of services.

The currency in England is the British Pound. If you exchange any USD to Sterling before you travel, please make sure it is 'polymer' rather than paper money, as paper money is no longer valid currency in the UK.

In France, the currency is the Euro.

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Memorials of World War II featuring the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing Aug 25-Sept 4, 2024