Home > Bayeux > Normandy Battlefields Tour - Canadian World War II Sites
USD $80.00
Normandy Battlefields Tour - Canadian World War II Sites
Bayeux, France
Hear the story of World War II from a different perspective on this tour of Normandy’s Canadian war sites. Rather than focusing on the American and British roles, this unique tour reveals the lesser-known history of Canada’s involvement in the liberation of Europe. Learn about the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers at the Juno Beach Centre, visit the final resting place of thousands of Canadian soldiers at the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, and hear about the tragic Canadian massacre at Ardenne Abbey. Your guide will provide fascinating commentary throughout this insightful and moving tour.
Numbers are limited to eight people on this small-group tour, ensuring a more personalized experience.
You’ll be picked up from your hotel or a meeting point in Bayeux in the afternoon for your half-day tour of Normandy’s Canadian World War II sites. Travel 30 minutes to the coast to your first stop, the Juno Beach Centre, located just behind the sand dunes of Juno Beach.
First opened in 2003 by a D-Day veteran, Garth Webb, the Juno Beach Centre is the only museum in Normandy dedicated to Canada’s role in WWII. On your visit here, learn about the role the Canadian Army played in the war and commemorate the contributions and sacrifices these soldiers made during the liberation of France and the rest of Europe. Surrounding the museum you’ll see German bunkers and beach obstacles, Canadian and Allied military equipment, and historic monuments and sculptures.
Your next stop is the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, near where the Third Canadian Division landed. Beautifully situated on a hill overlooking the Atlantic coast, this cemetery is the final resting place of more than 2,000 Canadian, British and French soldiers, including the 359 Canadians killed on D-Day.
Continue to Ardenne Abbey, a masterpiece of Norman architectural design dating from the 12th century. Your guide will explain the troublesome history of the abbey, starting with the early years of the German occupation when it was a focal point for the local French Resistance. It was then taken over by Colonel Kurt Meyer’s regiment of the 12th SS Hitler’s Youth division. In June 1944, 20 Canadian soldiers were illegally executed here. The abbey was liberated a month later as the Canadians reached the city of Caen, and in 1945 Meyer was tried by Canadian Military Court and found guilty of war crimes.
After your time at Ardenne Abbey, relax and reflect on the drive back to Bayeux.
Please note: Due to special events taking place to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, this tour may be amended on June 5, 6 and 7, 2014. It may not be possible to access the beaches, in which case alternative sites will be included instead.
Tour guide was very informative. Tour was intimate and very touching.
Review by: Natalie D, September 2017
This was an absolutely fascinating tour with an extremely knowledgeable and passionate host. Although the topic is quite heavy and sad, it was incredibly interesting. We went to all of the important sites. The tour guide was an absolutely pleasure and answered all our questions. Would suggest to anyone who will be in the area!
Review by: Janice K, September 2017
Our guide was very knowledgeable.
Review by: Jean F. M, September 2017
This tour was a gem, highly recommended! Romain,the tour guide, was exceptional. His knowledge of the history surrounding the Canadian landing at Juno was first class. His passion for the subject matter was very palpable. Too bad this tour is difficult to book because there are not a lot of dates available after July.
Review by: Thomas B, September 2017
My wife's father had flown cover with the RCAF over Juno Beach, so, the tour was meaningful. _br/_ We were pleased with the depth of knowledge of our guide, who had to shorten the tour a bit to accommodate our_br/_ train schedule. Particularly impressive were the Juno Beach Center, Canada House and the Canadian Cemetery._br/_ Part of a bucket list taken care of very well.
Review by: Pamela K, September 2017
I recommend this tour to anyone going to visit the D-Day beaches to do this tour and learn about Canada's involvement on that day. Eye opening!
Review by: Gray M, September 2017
Amazing tour. Guide was incredible and spent time looking up the specific history of my relative and showing me historical places, monuments, etc. relevant to him. Even knew of his regiment and showed me where it landed on the beach, pointed out people who would have fought alongside him, and EVEN knew of a book in the Juno Beach Book Store that had a quote from my grandfather. Incredible. His historical knowledge of the Canadian involvement in WWII was extremely impressive for a non-Canadian. Kudos.
Review by: Allan Z, August 2017
Amazing, we had such an amazing time. Sonny was an awesome tour guide. I learned so much, and the experience was very emotional at times for me. These young men enlisted to go fight a war that they were not required to go fight. It sure made me proud to be a Canadian.
Review by: James C, August 2017
''Tis was the second year in a row that we took this tour, this time with our youngest adult son. We had a different guide but one who was no less knowledgeable and engaging as the last. This is a great tour. It will help keep an important part of history alive.
Review by: Brian M M, August 2017
Excellent time. Well organized.
Review by: mackinaw42, June 2017
The absolute highlight of my time in France. Our guide, Antoine, was engaging, friendly, knowledgeable and very well prepared with visual aids and anecdotes about many individuals, towns, and strategies. The thought of what happened on that beach, the displays and movies at the Juno Beach Centre, and the overwhelming sight of the cemeteries was extremely moving. I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Review by: Gerry, June 2017
Gwin was a very good guide. Very Knowledgeable on Canadian history._br/_ Juno Beach museum was very informative and interesting._br/_ Abbaye de Verdennes was vary touching and frustrating at the same time when you see how the Canadian prisoners met their fate. The Canadian cemetery is also very touching._br/_ He is a great guide for history buffs if you appreciate fine details._br/_ Highly recommended.
Review by: TERRILOU E J, June 2017
Half day tour - Anne-Sofie, our guide was very well informed. She was able to answer any questions we had. She was very personable and since everyone had been on at least one tour already, she adjusted the tour by sharing anecdotes which occurred at the sites. we were very happy to have taken this tour
Review by: Doug T, June 2017
A great afternoon, guide mer us at arranged location on time. Our guide was excellent, he had great stories to add to the history. We saw all the planned locations with ease. This is a great way to get the highlights of the Canadian experiance in Normandy
Review by: COLIN W, November 2016
Excellent tour - great value for the money.
Review by: Charles H E, November 2016
Lots of interesting facts. Rushed to see everything in the planned time of 5 hours.
Review by: Marilyn W, October 2016
Definitely a very moving and interesting tour. Our guide Sunny has familial ties her grandparents with surviving the war and shared some of their personal stories. I would encourage anyone who goes on this tour to bring along some bottled water as there are no stops for refreshments and it involves quite a bit of walking.
Review by: Janet S, September 2016
Wonderful experience. Guide was very informed.
Review by: John B, September 2016
Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide, who could not do enough for the four of us on the tour.
Review by: Rhonda E, August 2016
Booked a 5 hour Canadian War Memorial tour for our group of 5 4 adults and 1 9 yr old. Karine was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable about all of the events and details surrounding the Juno Beach invasion. While driving, she was always telling us history and stories so the time flew by even in between the various stops. The Canadian War Museum was especially moving. I would highly recommend the tour.
Review by: Monica M, August 2016
My family me, husband and two boys 13 and 10 enjoyed the Canadian WWII sites tour immensely. Our guide was Francois and he was just excellent. He spoke very clearly, gave us lots of detail and interesting facts about what we were seeing, and checked to ensure that we understood what he was saying. My 13-year-old son said that the highlight of our day was Francois, and my 10-year-old son said that the tour was 5 hours but it felt like 1 hour.
Review by: Ed T, July 2016
Tour was excellent, tour guide was excellent, took time to explain details, highly recommended.
Review by: Kathy D, July 2016
This was a highlight of our Europe trip. My husband and I both feel a connection with the events of WWII as our grandparents were all in the military. Our guide Kate was well spoken and had many stories of the Normandy area as well as the history of D-Day. The Juno Beach Centre was a museum of artifacts from Canadians. The cemetery was a profound experience and there were other stops on the tour that we didn't expect. We will definitely be back tot he Bayeux area in the future to explore more of the countryside. One thing I will say is that I tried to book a month before our trip and there were no tours available the day we were going to be there. I had to wait till 2 weeks before to find a tour that I could book.
Review by: Astrid T, July 2016
Kate, our tour guide, was excellent. She showed us many sites, had pictures and was able to give us personal stories about her grandmother too. Her knowledge of all the events was exceptional. We found the tour, especially the museum, very emotional. I would have loved more time at the museum, but it was enough. Very worthwhile !
Review by: Canada, June 2016
It was excellent! Interesting and fun! It revealed many facts and places that were delightful to know- highly recommend!!
Review by: Norman Peter L, June 2016
Well done we had two Canadian with us that spoke French so a lot of repeating.
Review by: Bruce L, June 2016
Our tour guide was very informative. Small group tour gave us plenty of time at all the sites
Review by: David S, June 2016
The Guide was very knowledgeable and the tour exceeded our expectations.
Review by: Donna J, June 2016
We really enjoyed our tour, and our guide Anton was as engaging and knowledgable as we could possibly desire. It was a treat from start to finish, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about World War II and the battle of Normandy. Please keep up the good work..
Review by: Sandra P, June 2016
Excellent tour, highly recommend. Adrian was very knowledgeable and engaging.
Review by: Anne F, June 2016
always a moving experience. Every Cdn. should come here. Good guide, knowledgeable, punctual, thoughtful.
Review by: erniebud2009, June 2016
Enjoyed the tour. Appreciated the on time performance. Roman excellent and very patient guide._br/_ Would recommend this tour.
Review by: Kaylyn M, May 2016
There are so many great things to say about this tour...
Review by: James A, May 2016
Our guide was great. Merci Matthieu. Being a local who grew up in the area, he was truly an expert. Would like tour to be a little longer and afford chances for more photos along the way as well as a coffee break!
Review by: James C, October 2015
Francois is an excellent guide and went out of his way to ensure that we all got the most out of our tour. He is a passionate historian and enlivened our experience.
Review by: Kathleen E D, September 2015
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and pleasant. She made the trip most useful.
Review by: poitras, September 2015
We took the train from Paris for the day and found this whole trip worthwhile. Sunny our leader was very knowledgeable about the history of the Canadian forces at d-day and helped us feel a real sense of pride of our Canadian soldiers on the day. It was really special spending the day with other Canadians who felt the same way. Would highly recommend this to anybody considering this tour.
Review by: jsallan, September 2015
We booked this tour online and took the train from Paris to Bayeux. The tour guide picked us up at the train station at 1:00 pm as arranged. There were six people in the van and our guide Gwyn explained what we were going to see and provided us with historical information from the time we left Bayeux until the time we arrived at Juno Beach. At each stop he utilized visual aids in the form of pictures and maps to enhance his presentation which was extremely helpful and interesting. Gwyn's passion for the events of D-Day were evident and his knowledge was impressive. The whole tour took approximately 5 hours and throughout he was outstanding. We were dropped at the train station in time to catch the 6:35 pm train back to Paris. We would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Nicola F, September 2015
Was great! Tour guide was informative. too short though, would have loved to take a longer tour!
Review by: Gordon frank L, August 2015
Had a great tour with Mag. Would highly recommend it._br/_
Thank you Mag
Review by: Mike S, August 2015
it was great, every person visiting the area should spent the time to do one of these tours. The French people are proud to show us the history that liberated their country.
Review by: Danielle P, August 2015
We really enjoyed this tour and thought that it was worth what we paid for it. The guide was very friendly, knowledgeable and passionate. The museum was also very well done. I feel like I know more about our Canadian involvement and am proud of my country and those who fought.
Review by: sday92, July 2015
We had a wonderful tour with Francois as our guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the history of the D-Day landings and was able to provide detailed information and bring to life the Canadian landings and the various locations associated with the Canadians. Very humbling and moving experience and we would highly recommend this tour. A definite highlight of our time in France this summer. Small group was a bonus - only 6 of us on this tour. Excellent experience - thank you Francois!
Review by: Shirley B, July 2015
It was a fabulous tour. The museum was very touching.
Review by: James T, June 2015
This was a great tour. We enjoyed the main focus being on the Canadian soldiers and what they had to go through. Our tour guide Mag was very informative. The town of Bayeux is beautiful.
Review by: Natasha B, June 2015
Francois was an amazing tour guide!! Such a great tour!! The only thing I would change is to have more time at the Juno beach museum
Review by: debkil1, June 2015
A wonderful tour, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave us so much background. It was well worth it.
Review by: Jacqui C, June 2015
That tour was quite nice. Guide was very informative and nice. Felt a little rushed at the Juno center do to time. Did get a chance to see or read alot of stuff inside. But did enjoy and would recommend.
Review by: Frank M, June 2015
Excellent, well informed guide. Punctual arrival and return to hotel was much appreciated. We saw so much in one day thanks to the experienced guide. Would recommend this tour to everyone! First Class!
Review by: Alyssa Rachelle M, June 2015
It was amazing to see all the historic Canadian sites. Learning about the major role Canada played in the battle of Normandy was amazing. We would have liked more time in the Juno centre however with a half day tour that would be difficult! Would recommend the tour for sure.
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