Honoring the 80th Anniversary of D-Day at the Normandy Beaches

A trip to Normandy is always a nice way to escape the bustle of Paris for a day and still be back in time for a late dinner. With its charming villages, the magical Mont-Saint-Michel, and, of course, the D-Day and Battle of Normandy memorial sites, the city is like another world for you to explore just beyond the French capital. 

And if you’re planning to visit Paris this summer, a day trip to Normandy will be especially memorable. June 6 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when 160,000 Allied troops from the United States, Britain, and Canada landed on France’s shores in a military operation that led to the end of World War II in Europe. 

As the few thousand D-Day veterans who are still alive are at least 90 years old, bearing witness to the place where many soldiers sacrificed their lives is an important act of remembrance. This year’s Normandy D-Day Festival, from June 1-16, will be filled with cultural events along the entire coastline, so you can spend a day celebrating this important anniversary.  

Whether you visit the landing beaches on your own or with a guided tour, you can travel from Paris to Normandy in just a few hours to honor the victorious battles that began the liberation of Western Europe.  

How Normandy celebrates D-Day

Every year, festivities are held across Normandy and the landing beaches to commemorate the anniversary of D-Day, and every five years there’s a private international event where world leaders from France, Canada, Britain, and the United States preside over memorial ceremonies in the presence of surviving veterans. 

This international event for the 80th anniversary will be held on June 6 at Omaha Beach in the American sector. While the official ceremony is invite-only, there will be more than 100 family-friendly events — from parades and concerts to fireworks and historical reenactments — taking place from June 1-16. All these festivities are free to the public, inviting all generations to continue to share in the memory of this battle for the liberation of Western Europe against Nazi occupation.    

A brief history of D-Day 

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord, the battle to free France from Nazi control, begane with the invasion of Normandy by nearly 160,000 troops. The landings on D-Day by sea and air included 73,000 soldiers from the U.S. and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. More than 2 million soldiers, pilots, sailors, medics, and others would eventually be involved in the Battle of Normandy, which lasted more than two months. 

The D-Day invasion targeted five code-named beaches that are now permanent names for the memorial sites:

• Omaha
• Utah
• Gold
• Sword
• Juno

A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed, including 2,501 Americans, and more than 5,000 were wounded. But the months of fighting would claim the lives of 73,000 forces, as well as 20,000 French civilians caught in the Allied bombings of villages. 

In the U.S., Operation Overlord is primarily remembered as a monumental orchestrated invasion led by Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

Crossing the harsh waters of the English Channel wasn’t easy, so the success of the invasion is remembered as much as an example of strategic military planning as a symbol of Europe’s liberation. 

How to get from Paris to Normandy

Normandy is located to the northwest of Paris on the coastline of the English Channel. There are a few ways to get to the landing beaches from Paris, but joining a day tour is the easiest. 

You can usually expect a full itinerary, starting early in the morning so that you have plenty of time to experience the beaches, memorials, and museums. What makes these tours so convenient is that your guide will take care of all the details and drive you to each of the memorial sites.

Before you go: From packing the essentials to wearing a good pair of walking shoes, check out our tips for preparing for your Normandy day trip.

If you’d rather handle the logistics yourself, it is possible to get to Normandy from Paris by train or car. Keep in mind that the train from Gare Saint-Lazare train station in Paris takes over two hours and  won’t get you there directly. You’ll have to take the train to either Caen or Bayeux, then rent a car to drive 30 minutes to the Normandy coast.

Another option is to rent a car in Paris and take France’s famous A13 highway to Normandy. You’ll want to compare car rental prices based on the distance you’ll be traveling. 

Whether you choose a guided tour, taking the train, or driving a rental car from Paris, the key to a successful day trip is getting an early start — you can finish your visit by 6 p.m. and be back in Paris by 9 p.m.

Visit with a tour of Normandy D-Day beaches

With our D-Day Normandy beaches day tour, you’ll relive the moving history of this military operation from stopping at the 1940s-style canteen Le Roosevelt to reflecting on the many lives lost at the different museums and cemeteries. 

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But it’s the stories your tour guide shares throughout the day that will enrich everything you see. Our guides are local experts with extensive knowledge of World War II, who can share more about the Battle of Normandy and its ultimate success and impact on the war.

Celebrating the victory and honoring the sacrifices of D-Day

D-Day Normandy Beaches Day Trip From Paris Tour

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Booking our tour means that your day trip to the Normandy beaches is planned for you — even the transportation. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the experience.

What you’ll see at the five landing beaches

Allied troops were assigned a beach to attack on D-Day, which is why they’re separated into American, British, or Canadian sectors. Use this overview of what you’ll find at each site to prepare for your visit. (There’s also a handy map here.)

• Utah Beach: Located in the American sector, Utah Beach was assigned to the U.S. 1st Army, 7th Corps, and had the fewest casualties of all the landing beaches. Your tour guide will explain why if you take our day tour, but this site is also where you’ll find the Utah Beach D-Day Museum, a B-26 bomber, and an airship hangar built by the French National Navy during the First World War.
• Omaha Beach: Omaha is also located in the American sector. It was assigned to the U.S. 1st Army, 5th Corps, and the movie “Saving Private Ryan” portrays events that happened here. This is the site of the Normandy American Cemetery and where the official 80th anniversary ceremony will take place. 
• Gold Beach: The British landed on this beach and suffered only 400 casualties. Visit attractions like the Museum of Underwater Wrecks and the D-Day Museum that explains different aspects of the Allied invasion. 
• Juno Beach: Located in the Canadian sector, both Canadian and British troops suffered heavy casualties here. Today, you can schedule an appointment to visit the Canadian House that was turned into Allied headquarters and take in the permanent exhibitions.
• Sword Beach: This beach in the British sector is where you can find the Pegasus Memorial Museum, Radar Museum that’s the only radar station from D-Day that’s still intact, and the British War Cemetery. 

How to plan for your visit

If you’re looking to escape Paris for a day during your summer vacation, do yourself a favor and visit Normandy’s landing beaches during the D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations. 

Whether you take a stress-free guided tour with all the details planned or handle all the arrangements yourself, you’re sure to have a memorable experience. And with hundreds of family-friendly events planned leading up to D-Day on June 6, there’s something to even engage the kids as they learn about this important day in history. 

As the years pass, celebrating the anniversary of D-Day becomes more important for passing on this history. Now that you know a day trip to the Normandy beaches couldn’t be easier, I hope you’ll make room for it during your Paris visit!