Arrival
As they say, Paris is always a good idea!
Bonjour and welcome to the most romantic city in the world and the charming capital of France - Paris!
Upon arrival, your driver meets you and takes you to your centrally located hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free so you can start exploring the magnificent city center on your own, dine in one of the local restaurants or take a good rest in your comfortable room.
Paris in World War II Walking Tour & Train to Bayeux Following breakfast, you check out from your hotel and meet your guide in the hotel lobby, who takes you on a 4-hour walking tour of the key moments of the German Occupation in Paris.
You start your tour in the Marais Quarter to learn about the somber days of the Nazi invasion, then continue to the cityโs Jewish quarter which nowadays reminds about the difficulties of life under German rule, and visit the Holocaust Museum called Memorial de la Shoah. Your guide shows you the hidden artillery impacts on historical sights and symbolic monuments such as Paris Prefecture, Conciergerie and the world-famous Notre-Dame Cathedral. You then see some of the places where the important battles took place, uncover Hitler's shocking ultimate plan for Paris and learn how the city narrowly escaped total destruction.
After the tour, you return to the hotel to pick up your luggage. You driver then transfers you to the train station to board a train to the town of Bayeux in the Normandy region of France.
Arrival
Upon arrival to the train station meet your driver to have a transfer to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free.
D-Day Tour & Airborne Museum
After breakfast, prepare for an exciting day as today you go on a D-Day Tour, dedicated to the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, for the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germanyโs control. During the tour, you get to see places where the D-Day landings took place, the Invasion and the Battle of Normandy.
Your first stop is Sainte-Mere-Eglise which was the first liberated French cities during the first D-Day hours. Here you visit the Airborne Museum honouring American paratroopers who participated in the WWII Normandy defence. The museum's exhibits are set in four buildings and display many war items, uniforms, vehicles, and even planes, providing a better understanding of the D-Day battles from the preparation process to the toughest times during the liberation fights.
Continue to Utah Beach that marks the place where the first landings on the beach on D-Day took place, including the Infantry Divisions. You also get an insight on how strategic initiative and leadership of American forces played a role in the overall success of the defence.
Another place you see today is the Pointe du Hoc where the 2nd American US Rangers Battalion bravely and toughly assaulted this cliffy German strategic battle position. Today the site still holds bunkers and even pits that were formed by bombs.
Finally, you visit the 172-acre Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville sur Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach, which is the site of the final resting place of more than 9000 fallen American heroes who participated in the Normandy campaign.
After the tour, your guide-driver takes you to your hotel.
Tour of Bayeux & Transfer to Rouen
Following breakfast you check out, meet your guide-driver and continue your comprehensive D-Day touring.
You start today's exploration from a short walking tour of Bayeux, a typical yet special Normandy town which boasts well-preserved 15th-century buildings. You walk along the old streets, see the Cathedral (from the outside).
Then you visit the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy, considered among the top D-Day Landing and Operation Overlord museums dedicated to the combat in this French region. Among the exhibits, you see today are military equipment, weapons, uniforms, plus you learn more about both the battles and the preparations for it.
Other sights planned to be visited today are the German World War II Longues-sur-Mer coastal defence artillery battery, as well as the Arromanches.
After the tour, you are transferred to Rouen.
Arrival
Upon arrival to Rouen, you check-in and have the rest of the day free.
Rouen City Tour & Train to Lille
After breakfast, you check out and meet your guide who takes you on a 3-hour walking sightseeing tour of Rouen. You see the soaring Notre-Dame Cathedral which is the tallest cathedral in France, the Saint-Maclou church and churchyard, the Gros Horloge or Clock Tower in the beautifully restored medieval quarter, the Renaissance Parlement de Normandie as well as the old marketplace and the futuristic St. Joan of Arc church, erected in honour of Joan of Arc who was executed in this city.
During the tour, you also learn about the tragic fate of the city during the Second World War when approximately 45% of Rouen was destroyed. Your guide shows the area between the Seine River and the Rouen Cathedral which burned for 48 hours in June 1940 as the Nazis did not allow firemen access to the fire. You also explore other areas and sights which were destroyed in 1944 before and during the Battle of Normandy.
After the tour you return to the hotel, pick up your luggage and have a transfer to the train station.
Arrival
Upon arrival, your driver transfers you to your centrally located hotel for check-in.
Lille City Tour
Following breakfast, you meet your private guide in the hotel lobby and start a walking tour around the capital of the French Flanders. Today you learn the legend of its foundation, the secrets of the Euralille-towers construction and discover the mystical historical districts.
You also explore the path around the Citadel of Lille dedicated to the people who have been executed by the Nazis as resistants.
Later you head for a suburb of Lille to explore the Museum of the Resistance focused on the Resistance in Northern France during the German occupation. This museum is set in a 19th-century fort which was occupied during WWII and was actually a German base in the early years of the war. The museum has numerous interesting exhibits, including those connected to the life of the famous British SOE agent Michael Trotobas who was among the people who led the Resistance against Nazis movement in Northern France. Public transport to travel between the sighs with your guide is included.
After the tour, you return to the hotel and have the rest of the day free. Alternatively, you may take an optional tour to Dunkirk.
Optional tour: Optional Trip to Dunkirk from Lille Following breakfast you meet your private guide, take a 30-minutes train ride and head for Dunkirk. Upon arrival, you explore the city center which has been almost totally destroyed during the German occupation.
Departure to Brussels
In the morning after breakfast you check out, and your driver transfers you to the train station.
Arrival & Reminders of World War II in Brussels
Upon arrival, you're transferred to your centrally located hotel.
Later the same day, you meet your guide in the hotel lobby who takes you on a 4-hour walking tour of the legendary landmarks and impressive monuments of Brussels. Among the sights you marvel at are the medieval majesty of the Market Square and the remarkable facade of the City Hall. The world-famous Manneken Pis is naturally on the program too!
During the tour, you also see the traces of World War II in Brussels. You walk along Rue de Lenglentier where you see a commemorative plaque reminding us of the Jewish people of the Marolles neighbourhood, victims of Nazism and racism. You proceed to the National Memorial for Jewish Martyrs in Belgium. The walls are covered in 23,838 engravings of the names of Jewish Belgians who were deported to Mechelen between 1942 and 1944. You also visit the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History containing an enormous collection of weaponry, tanks, warplanes and military uniforms.
If time allows, you move to the "Shooting Enclosure" located in the Schaerbeek municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region. Originally this site was a training zone for military units stationed in Brussels. During World War II 261 members of the resistance were shot by the Nazis here. Nowadays it is a small cemetery where the bodies of 365 Belgian heroes from both the World Wars are buried. After the tour, you return to your hotel and have the rest of the day at your leisure.
Optional tours: Belgian Waffle Workshop, Brussels | Beer Tasting Tour, Brussels | Chocolate Tasting, Brussels
Departure to Luxembourg
Today you check out from your hotel and your driver transfers you to the train station.
Arrival & Luxembourg Sightseeing & Visit to American Cemetery
Welcome to lovely Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg! Upon arrival, your driver brings you to your centrally-located hotel for check-in.
Later the same day you meet your private guide in the hotel lobby and start your walking tour around the main attractions of Luxembourg City.
You explore the Old Town, see the Grand-Duke Palace, the Monument of the Millenium, the Constitution Square and the town square called Place Guillaume II (no entrances are included). You also walk along the "Le Chemin de la Corniche" promenade which is called "Europe's most beautiful balcony". It winds along the course of the 17th-century city ramparts with views across the river canyon.
Your next visit on the tour today is to the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. You get to see the 17-acre burial grounds located in the surroundings of woods, pass the memorial chapel and pylons. You get to learn about the battle movements and see the names of the brave people of the American army and air forces, such as the final resting place of General George S. Patton, and others who lost their lives in the service of their country during the World War II battles, including the Battle of the Bulge. The taxi fare for the return trip to the cemetery with your guide is included.
After the tour, you return to your hotel and have the rest of the day free.
Departure to Brussels
Following breakfast you meet your guide-driver and embark on a day-trip to the heart of Southern Belgium.
In less than an hour you arrive in Bastogne located close to the Luxembourg border and start the tour dedicated to the exploration of the place where the German artillery initiated the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Together with your private guide, you visit the Mardasson Memorial honoring the memory of American soldiers killed during World War II's Battle of the Bulge, proceed to the Bastogne War Museum which is also focused on the Battle of the Bulge. Here you have a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front.
After the tour you are transferred to your Brussels hotel for check-in.
Following breakfast you meet your guide-driver and embark on a day-trip to the heart of Southern Belgium.
In less than an hour you arrive in Bastogne located close to the Luxembourg border and start the tour dedicated to the exploration of the place where the German artillery initiated the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Together with your private guide, you visit the Mardasson Memorial honoring the memory of American soldiers killed during World War II's Battle of the Bulge, proceed to the Bastogne War Museum which is also focused on the Battle of the Bulge. Here you have a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front.
After the tour you are transferred to your Brussels hotel for check-in.
Arrival
Upon arrival, you check in to your centrally located hotel and have the rest of the day free.
Departure from Brussels
This is the last day of your tour dedicated to the Second World War. After breakfast your driver transfers you to the airport for your flight back home. We wish you a safe flight and hope to work on your future trips!.