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Liberation Route Europe: Press trip D-Day Normandy (4-7th June)
- Please find below a first draft of the program. Note that the program will be updated frequently and is
with reservation . -
Saturday 4th of June
Morning:
Pick up at Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris) and transfer to Normandy
Afternoon:
Lunch at St-Mère-Église
Tourism in Sainte-Mère-Église today centers on its role in the D-Day invasion. There are many
small museums (such as the Airborne Museum) and World War II-related giftshops and eating
places. A dummy paratrooper hangs from the church spire, commemorating the story of John
Steele.
Afternoon:
Visit to Utah Beach Museum & exhibition
Built on the very beach where the first American troops landed on June 6, 1944, the Utah Beach
Museum (http://www.utah-beach.com/museum/?lang=en)recounts the story of D-Day in 10
sequences, from the preparation of the landing, to the final outcome and success. This
comprehensive chronological journey immerses visitors in the history of the landing through a
rich collection of objects, vehicles, materials, and oral histories.
Afternoon:
Transfer to hotel and dinner (near Utah Beach)
Evening:
Attending the Normandie-WWII International Film Festival
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sunday 5th of June
Morning:
Check out and visit to Pointe-du-Hoc and surroundings
Pointe du Hoc is a high point between two of the five D-Day landing beaches, Utah and Omaha.
It is renowned for the daring assault conducted on 6 June 1944 by the 2nd U.S. Ranger
Battalion in an effort to neutralize the German artillery battery there.
Morning:
Visit to German cemetery
La Cambe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cambe_German_war_cemetery) is a military war
grave cemetery, located close to Bayeux, France. Presently containing in excess of 21,000
German military personnel of World War II, it is maintained and managed by the German War
Graves Commission.
Afternoon:
Lunch at/near Omaha Beach
Afternoon:
Visit to American cemetery
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France
(https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/normandy-american-cemetery) is located
in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established
by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in
World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5
acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the
D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden
on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names.
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Afternoon:
Transfer to Caen
Evening:
Check in hotel and dinner at Caen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday 6th of June
Morning:
Transfer to Ouistreham
Morning:
Visit to Routes of Liberation at Ouistreham
Routes of Liberation: European Legacies of the Second World War is a unique travelling
exhibition. Featuring a striking contemporary design, the exhibition offers a multi perspective
view on modern European history. The exhibition considers how we lost our freedom during the
past century, how we regained our personal liberties and asks what we must do to retain our
freedoms in the future. Routes of Liberation brings together for the first time museum
professionals separated by the abiding divisions created by the outcome of the Second World
War. An initiative of the Liberation Route Europe Foundation, Routes of Liberation was created
by a consortium of leading European WWII museums and other partners.
11:45-13:00: Lunch
13:00:
Transfer to Juno Beach Centre
The Juno Beach Centre (www.junobeach.org) is Canada’s Second World War museum and
cultural centre located in Normandy, France. The Centre pays homage to the 45,000 Canadians
who lost their lives during the War, of which 5,500 were killed during the Battle of Normandy and
359 on D-Day. Opened in 2003 by veterans and volunteers with a vision to create a permanent
memorial to all Canadians who served during the Second World War, the Centre’s mandate is
to preserve this legacy for future generations through education and remembrance.
13:30-17:00: Visit museum and witness Canadian Commemoration (starts at 15:30h)
The traditional Canadian D Day commemorative ceremony will take place at the Juno Beach
Centre on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 3:30 pm. In the presence of Canadian and British veterans
alongside representatives of French and Canadian military and civilian authorities.
Evening:
Return to hotel Caen
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Tuesday 7th of June
Morning:
Check out and return to Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris)