History trip to Normandy by coach: 4 days, 3 nights

Subject range: MFL, Art, Cultural, Food Technology

What you’ll experience: A town with a rich artistic and historical heritage, Honfleur has beautiful old houses, narrow paved streets, monuments, little shops, traditional restaurants, galleries, artists’ studios, a fishing harbour and a marina.
Select says: The changing light on the Seine estuary inspired Monet, Boudin, Courbet, and many others.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: A film about the terrible Battle of Normandy taken from archive images from around the world is projected in high definition on 9 screens. This film is a tribute to soldiers from all countries and to the 20,000 civilians who were killed during this battle for the liberation of Europe.
Select says: A preview can be viewed on Arromanches Circular Cinema website. There is a great view of Mulberry Harbour from up here, and views of Bayeaux town and the coast line.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The museum has five different sections including: a gallery of working models overlooking the historic site (guided tour), a diorama with special light and sound effects that brings the early hours of D Day to life, the hall of the Allied Nations museum collections, a film featuring archive footage, and shops.
Select says: The museum overlooks where one of the Mulberry Harbours was constructed, and its remains can be seen a few hundred metres from the shore. The beach is a great place to stop for lunch and have a bit of fun after the museum. Encourage the students to re-enact what they think happened as the soldiers landed on the beaches.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: A museum about WWII, dedicated to the heroic action of the 6th British Airborne Division during the battle which took place on the beaches of the landing in Normandy in June to September 1944. Guided visits, within a thematically laid out exhibition hall, enable the visitors to discover the missions of the division and view hundreds of historical objects and photos.
Select says: The original Bénouville Bridge, renamed Pegasus Bridge after the liberation, is on display in the park of the museum. An excellent insight into the planning and execution of one of the most important actions of the invasion. This is a lovely place to stop for lunch by the riverside.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Utah, Omaha, Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach were stormed by Allied soldiers in the morning of June 6th 1944. A visit to the beaches will help your students gain a real feel for the environment and help them imagine events within the settings.
Select says: A visit to Omaha Beach helps to understand the importance of timing and the problems that had to be overcome for the invasion to be a success. Any of the beaches are a wonderful place to stop for lunch.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: This is a memorial and an educational museum. The Juno Beach Centre shows visitors the importance of Canadian involvement in the Second World War – its troops, navy and industrial effort, which proved vital to the Allies. There are various multimedia interactive terminals available to visitors.
Select says: There are superb educator resources available on the Juno Beach Centre website for use before and after your tour. Certain tours allow you to see up close and personal military clothing and other items used during the war.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Heavily defended by the Germans, this headland was an ideal post from which to survey the whole coast and the highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. It was here that the American troops landed in 1944 and on D-Day (6 June 1944) the United States Army Ranger Assault Group captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the 100 ft cliffs.
Select says: Location of one of the most interesting stories of the D-Day landings. A chance to stand in the heart of history and learn how ‘intelligence’ is such an important part of any military action.A memorial in the form of a granite arrow on the edge of the cliff marks the spot.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: This is the largest WWII cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France. It contains 4,648 burials, mostly from the Invasion of Normandy.
Select says: An oasis of tranquillity on the edge of this busy city, the first to be liberated in France.Opposite this cemetery stands the Bayeux Memorial which commemorates more than 1,800 casualties of the Commonwealth forces who died in Normandy and have no known grave.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: The cemetery site covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings. On the Walls of the Missing there are 1,557 names inscribed. The memorial consists of a semi-circular colonnade with an exterior gallery at each end containing large maps and narratives of the military operations. There is also an orientation table depicting the landings in Normandy.
Select says: To get the most out of your visit we recommend booking a free guided tour. This cemetery was featured in Saving Private Ryan. You can access the beach from here down a lot of steps, again you could encourage the students to re-enact what they think happened when soldiers landed.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: This formidable German battery, built on a picturesque cliff, included four fearsome 150mm canons, capable of firing on targets 20km away. It took a bombardment carried out by the Royal Air Force and two hits by a French cruiser to destroy it definitively on 6 June 1944.
Select says: The battery’s observation post was the backdrop for one of the most famous scenes of the film The Longest Day.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: La Cambe is a war cemetery containing in excess of 21,000 German military personnel of World War II. There is an Information Centre to the memory of the losses of Operation Overlord. Human fates and reconciliation are special themes. An adjoining peace-garden with 1,200 maple-trees symbolises that peace ought to grow.
Select says: The majority of the German war dead buried at La Cambe fell between June 6 and August 20, 1944 and their ages range from 16 to 72. They died during the Allied landings and the ensuing combat.

Subject range: History

What you’ll experience: Located a short distance from Omaha beach, Overlord Museum covers the period of the Allied landing until the liberation of Paris. The collection was put together by Michel Leloup who was both a witness to the conflict and involved in the reconstruction of Normandy. You will see numerous items including a reconnaissance plane, V-1 flying bomb, more than 10 armoured fighting vehicles, 30 soft skin vehicles, artillery pieces, posters, signs, documents and personal items from individual soldiers.
Select says: Many of the vehicles have been restored to full running order and have been accurately equipped and painted.

Subject range: MFL, Physical Education

What you’ll experience: Aquanacre is located in Douvres-la-Délivrande, just 10 minutes from the Château du Baffy. The swimming centre has 3 pools, one outside, and a pentagliss (parallel slides).
Select says: Swimming is always a fun activity to choose for the students and great for unwinding as an evening activity.

Subject range: History

Visit the D-Day landing museum in Portsmouth to see the preparations for this historic event from the UK side of the channel.  See the stunning imagery, audio-visual presentations, authentic vehicles and hands-on interactives help to bring the story to life.  Based on ordinary people working together to achieve the extraordinary, The D-Day Story features the experiences of men, women and children.

Please note that this tour is only available to groups crossing the channel via Portsmouth. 

Subject range: History

The British Normandy Memorial records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944. This includes people from more than 30 different countries. Inscribed in stone, their names have never, until now, been brought together. The site also includes a French Memorial, dedicated to the memory of French civilians who died during this time.