Caen - D-Day Beaches - Mont St Michel - Tours - (Saumur) and Reverse

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Caen, D-Day Beaches, Mont St Michel, Tours, Saumur

Routes

Arromanches view of Mulberry harbour

Colleville-sur-Mer visit Normandy American Cemetery

Mont-St-Michel inside visit of the Abbey & lunch stop

Rest stops with facilities are not easy to find as most of the route is on N and D roads. Tell the group to be sure to use the toilets at the cemetery and Mont St Michel

Arromanches – photo stop of Mulberry B there is a spot by the D154 just on the east side of Arromanches, close to the cinema 360°, where the bus can stop for a picture before arriving and from where you have good views from the cliff of the artificial port’s remnants. Group can walk down to the town via a path just beside the 360° cinema on a good day if you want.

There is a bus park at the top of the village but you can drop off and pick up along the seafront close to the museum and flags (opposite the Post office) This is the main square and the only place today where you can access the actual beach. Free Toilets here.

Arromanches 360 Bus Parking & Pick Up at Debarquement Museum:

Set a meeting time with the driver. Be sure that they get off the bus quickly and are on time for departure. In case of crowds and other buses and/or if your group is not very punctual, the best option is to call the driver when you have all your group by the pick up point so he can be there within 5 minutes.

As you drive or walk down to Arromanches, you will get a good view over the remains of the artificial harbour, Mulberry B, located off the coast of Gold beach. And if you take the D7 towards Douvre-la-Délivrande and not the direction of Bayeux to get there, then you would as well go through Juno and Sword beaches.

Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach

Set down in the bus park. Take the path which leads towards the visitor’s centre – large grey building. Needs an extra 30 minutes – security lines can also be lengthy. Ask group to leave bags on bus. Point out the free toilets – smaller building to the left.

American Cemetery Bus Parking & Beach Access:

If you have time for the Visitor Centre, the entrance to the cemetery can only be accessed from exiting the exhibition. You enter upstairs through a security check into a room where leaflets are available in English with a map of the cemetery. If not visiting the VC, it is still worth distributing these to those going directly to the cemetery.

Downstairs is an exhibition room with several different displays (some interactive) focusing on the American soldiers who fought in the D-Day landings. There is also a 150-seat cinema which shows a 15-minute film every 30 minutes (no need to reserve). The title and theme of the film is “Letters”.

After visiting the visitor centre (keep an eye on the time), the group leaves through the small hall of remembrance on the bottom level and there is a path that leads to the left directly into the cemetery. They will see an orientation plaque which looks out to sea.

The path down to the beach has been closed. The bus driver can stop along Omaha beach between Cemetery and Point du Hoc for sand if the group wants to collect samples. In nice weather, this is a good picnic spot – remember, no food or drink permitted at Cemetery.

Tell them to look out for the memorial and chapel which are located within the cemetery. If some need to find a relative buried here, they can use computers in the visitors’ center to find the exact location.

There are chimes every hour, and a short ceremony for the lowering of the American flag at sundown. There are several paths which lead back to the bus park.

If time is limited, the group can access the cemetery directly without passing through the visitor centre by taking a path to the left of the toilets. It leads over to a small building and two gates which are the old entrance to the cemetery.

Time allowing, some drivers will take the group along the sea front from Omaha memorial past German Atlantic Wall remains, and the sight where the first mass grave existed for American casualties.

The Pointe du Hoc

Although time is often very tight when visiting the D-Day beaches, a visit to the Pointe du Hoc is always a highlight. THIS IS the point the American troops initially claimed. There is a stone monument commemorating this moment. It is a site overlooking Omaha cliffs which has been left untouched as a memorial to the soldiers who fought here and suffered some of the worst D-Day losses.

Be strict about timings – it is easy to get behind schedule on this day. It is free to visit and there are free toilets. No shop.

Set down in the bus park and lead to free toilets down a path to the right of set down – New information office with plans to hand out to the group. Map/plan shows circular route which starts by the info office and takes you counter clockwise around 40 minutes back to the bus.

Pointe du Hoc Bus Parking:

Groups make their own way around a one way system on the fields on paths. There are viewing platforms, bunkers, remains of tank emplacements etc. all of which they may explore.

The views to sea and Utah beach beyond are spectacular and give a good idea of the 100-foot high cliffs that the American soldiers had to scale before their battle began.

(St Malo – Pte du Hoc is 2hrs45. Pte du Hoc – Cemetery is 25 mins).

Mont St Michel

Warn groups in advance – there are lots of steps and cobbles so they will need to wear sensible shoes

Guided tours of the Abbey are unsuitable for most groups. If they are running, there may not be an English tour or timing may be unsuitable. Furthermore tours last well over an hour and are usually too detailed for students. It is best to pick up leaflets in English for everybody at the ticket office and they do the visit on their own.

It is unlikely you will have time to visit a biscuiterie on this itinerary.

Mont St Michel – visit of the Abbey

Access to Mont St Michel HAS CHANGED quite radically since 2013 for it to remain an island. Recommend you arrive a minimum of 60 mins prior to timed entrance to Abbey. The bus will drop you off in a designated bus park 2,5km from the island and then you take a shuttle bus (ca. 10 mins journey time). There can often be quite a queue for this. Shuttles come every 5 minutes so it is never too long. From the drop off, you have a 5-10 min walk to get into the Mount proper. Count at least 30 mins to get to the Abbey from the time enter the Mount defence walls and therefore 30 mins to get back. V. busy at Easter and June/July. TM pays for parking after visit at machines opposite (free) toilets at Bus Park Visitor Centre. Take photo/mental note of parking bay so you can locate on return.

Mont St Michel Visitors Centre Bus Parking

It is best to do the visit first, then give free time for lunch. However, if your group is very keen to eat first, allow 1 hour for lunch and explain to the group how to meet you at the ticket checkpoint for the Abbey (i.e. straight up the

street and all the steps until you can go no further than the last terrace.) The group waits here. When you have gone up under the archway to get the tickets, come back and bring them up past the giant fireplace to show tickets and start visit inside.

If not lunching first, lead the group inside the walls, stop by the Tourist Office/public toilets and arrange a rendezvous for after the visit/lunch at this point or at the return bus stop. Inside walls easier – the only exit and easier to locate any missing pax.

There is an ATM at the post office just inside the main entrance. Students can also send a postcard from here stamped Mont St Michel.

There is only one street (ahead of you) and it’s usually very crowded. If rushed, it is better to go up onto the ramparts (take the first stairway to the right just after the portcullis near to the point you enter/exit the mount and then left at the top of the stairs through a narrow doorway) and follow the ramparts up the hill. This affords lovely views over the tidal surroundings and the group can visit shops in their own time on the way back down.

Bring your group or send them as far as is possible to climb stairs before you can go no further without tickets. Ask them to wait there while you get their tickets. Climb the staircase. You turn to your right and go to the office

Buy tickets, pick up green English walking tour leaflets (do not distribute) and come back to the group waiting for you at the terrace then show them back up the staircase to the person at the metal gate ticket checkpoint. You need to count your group through. Distribute leaflets here. Lead the group straight ahead up a final flight of stairs. At the top you have the Abbey and toilets on your right and views of the bay on your left. Lead the group through the door into a room displaying models of the Abbey and out onto the terrace. This room sometimes closed – in which case, directly access terrace.

Once out on the terrace ask them to repeat rendezvous place and time. They then enter the Abbey and follow all arrows for direction through the Mont St. Michel, spiralling down though the construction until they arrive with all the other visitors at the gift shop. Route is well marked. Toilets at the back of the gift shop.

They will pass all the shops/ lunch places on their way back down the hill.

Mont St Michel Shuttle Bus Drop-off & Pick Up:

Biscuiterie: if your driver knows of a good biscuiterie (selling butter biscuits) you can do a stop. There are several in the area. The best one for the group is the Biscuiterie de l’ Abbaye. There are free biscuit samples (palets, galettes etc) and no obligation to buy (the biscuits are cheaper than those being sold on the mount). Regional produce is also on sale (cider, pommeau, poireau, butter sweets etc.). There is also a free toilet. Best to stop after your visit to the Mount (allow about 30 minutes for sampling/toilet/purchases).

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