Coastal Normandy and WWII History

4.5/5 (2)
5 nights
36 miles/day
Self guided from EUR € 1810
Bike tour in France
Rider Level: Active Electric bike tours

Coastal Normandy and WWII History

4.5/5 (2)

Rider Level: Active Electric bike tours

5 nights
36 miles/day

Self guided from EUR € 1810
Bike tour in France

Tap above to jump to different sections of this tour

  • Moving memorials and museums on a captivating coastal journey

    From Caen to St. Mere l' Eglise, embark on a WW2 memorial tour of Normandy, cycling along the beaches where the famous landings took place and through towns brimming with moving history.

    Beginning with a visit to the WWII Peace Memorial in Caen, you'll ride through the Calvados region to the famous Pegasus Memorial and Museum. From there, the bike tour takes you to Bayeux, known for the 11th-century tapestry. Along the way, you'll stop in Arromanches, where you'll visit the fascinating Landing Museum. As you continue along the coast, you'll soak up the atmosphere of historical beach battlesites, including Omaha Beach (with the US Military Cemetery), Pointe du Hoc, and Utah Beach.

    This tour is as beautiful as it is emotional.

    • Bayeux Tapestry.
    • Abbey of St. Etienne, Caen, France. Viault@Unsplash
    • Normandy beaches. CC:Suzelfe
    • French cuisine. vinhosprovence@Flickr
    • Normandy Omaha Beach Storming
    • Normandy Map Of D Day Landings. CC:Philg88
    • Caen, France. CC:Caenfr
    • Normandy Beaches & WWII History Bike Tour

    View more photos

    Highlights

    • Caen and its WWII Peace Memorial
    • WWII Historical Sites
    • Gold, Sword, Carentan, Omaha and Utah Beaches
    • Pegasus Memorial and Museum
    • Bayeux Tapestry
    • Arromanches
    • US Military Cemetery
    • St. Marie du Mont
    • St. Mere l' Eglise

    Learn More

    Learn more about self-guided tours.

    Interested in adding to your itinerary? Take a look at our cycling day tours in France.


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

    Photos 

  • Traveler photos

    • Photo 1 (photo by Brendan)
    • Photo 2 (photo by Brendan)
    • Photo 3 (photo by Brendan)
    • Our last day on the tour. Wonderful .. (photo by Crewdog10)
    • I was very impressed . (photo by Crewdog10)

    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Tour Description Daily Program 

  • Daily program

    Day 1: Arrival in Caen
    Arrive in Caen, the main commune in this captivating region and home of the WWII Peace Memorial. Check in at your hotel and then enjoy some free time to explore Caen. We recommend a museum visit to the Caen Memorial - a highly informative starting point to your historical tour. In the evening, you'll receive an orientation briefing from an English-speaking guide.

    Overnight in Caen.

    Day 2: Loop ride to the beaches of Normandy (option: 25 miles/40 km, 80m elevation gain or 31 miles/50 km, 90m elevation gain)
    Cycle to Merville-Franceville-Plage in the Calvados area this morning and visit the Battery Museum. Then, pedal onwards to Pegasus Bridge, originally known as the Benouville Bridge. It's here that you can visit the Pegasus Memorial and Museum, dedicated to the first liberators who arrived in Normandy on the night of the 5th/6th June 1944.

    Later, you'll arrive in the Ouistreham where, on Riva Bella, you'll behold an impressive view onto the landing area of Sword Beach. Here, you can visit the Atlantic Wall Museum inside the 'Big Bunker' - a former German headquarters. In the Belvedere, you'll find a fascinating orientation table and can visit the Landing Museum.

    Overnight in Caen.

    Day 3: Caen – Bayeux (36 miles/58 km, 349m elevation gain)
    Today you'll ride from Caen to Bayeux, first reaching Arromanches and the Gold Beach. Here, you can visit Arromanches 360, a circular theater where The Price of Freedom is shown on 9 screens. The D-Day Landing Museum in Arromanches is an informative center for learning about the construction and operation of artificial harbors assembled in front of Arromanches on the days following D-Day.

    You'll finish the day in the artistic town of Bayeaux, where you may grasp the opportunity to visit many points of interest, like the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry - 230 ft long, 2 ft high (70 m x 50 cm), and completed in the 11th century. Other sites include the recently re-opened Museum of the Battle of Normandy and the Mémorial du Général de Gaulle.

    Overnight in Bayeux.

    Day 4: Bayeux – St. Marie du Mont (44 miles/70 km, 336m elevation gain)
    A strong ride today, starting out from Bayeux and leading you towards some of the most famous WWII sites in the area: Colleville-sur-Mer and Omaha Beach. In Colleville, take some time to visit the US Military Cemetery, the chapel, and the memorial dedicated to the youth of America.

    Behold a historical scene as you gaze out over the viewpoint overlooking Omaha Beach. Afterwards, ride onwards to La Pointe du Hoc, Carentan, and Utah Beach.

    Overnight in St. Marie du Mont.

    Day 5: Loop ride to St. Mere Eglise (30 miles/49 km, 188m elevation gain)
    A loop tour starts from your hotel today with the first focus on the Utah Beach landings, close to your hotel. You'll then ride northwards along the coast towards Quineville, then inland towards St. Mere Eglise, where you can visit the famous battery of Crisbecq, Azeville, and the famous village of St. Marie du Mont.

    Overnight in St. Marie du Mont.

    Day 6: Departure
    Departure after breakfast at your leisure. Trains through Bayeux and on to Paris are possible.

    Don't want the experience to end? Consider taking a cycling day tour in another of our French locations.


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Photos Accommodation 

  • Accommodation

    Hotels

    These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.

    Upgraded hotels: 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels

    Caen: Hotel Le Dauphin

    Bayeux: Villa Lara

    Sainte Marie du Mont: Le Grand Hard


    Standard hotels: 3- and 4-star hotels

    Caen: Hotel Le Dauphin

    Bayeux: Lion d'Or

    Sainte Marie du Mont: Le Grand Hard

    Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options.


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Daily program Bikes 

  • Bikes

    Bikes available and included in the tour cost (must be reserved in advance at time of booking):

    • Standard touring bikes

    Bikes available for rent (must be reserved in advance at time of booking) include:

    • Road bikes
    • Electrically assisted bike*

    *More about electrically-assisted bikes >

    Equipment included with bike:

    • Helmet
    • Garming GPS
    • Odometer
    • Lock
    • Pannier and handlebar bag (standard bike)
    • Saddle bag (road bike)
    • Water bottle
    • Repair kit (spare tube, tool kit, patch kit, pump)

    Pedals:
    The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.

    Helmet:
    A helmet is included with your bike rental, however, we do recommend that you bring you own helmet for saftey and hygiene reasons.

    Bike Protection:
    Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Accommodation Dates & Prices 

  • Dates

    Daily: year-round, 2024

    Prices

    Tour package

    Upgraded hotels Standard hotels
    Per person, double occupancy €1940 €1810
    Single use room (1 person/1 room) €2518 €2210
    Solo traveler (1 person in party with single use room) €2730 €2510

    Bike Rentals

    Electrically-assisted bike €147
    Road bike €147

    Included services

    • 5 nights accommodations in the selected category
    • Breakfasts
    • Luggage transfers
    • Detailed road book, including details maps, touristic information, step by step itinerary and cue sheets
    • Technical and emergency support available at all times
    • 2 dinners included with category A (3 dinners included with category B).
    • Standard bike rental
    • Guidance Application (phone not provided)
    • Orientation in person

    Tour Company


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Bikes Other Details 

  • Map

    Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

    Surface and terrain

    The route contains some rolling hills. The tour takes place on quiet roads around 95% of the time.


    How to get there

    Tour start
    Nearest airport: Paris
    Nearest train station: Caen

    Tour end
    Nearest airport: Paris
    Nearest train station: Carentan

    The arrival city is Caen; from Paris St Lazare by train in 2 hours. Departure city Carentan, by train to Paris St Lazare in 2 hours 30min. Flights between Caen and Paris possible.

    Tips on getting to and from your tour.


    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

     Dates & Prices Tour Reviews 

    • Brendan June 21, 2017

      Extraordinary Adventure

      Disclaimer: I wanted to show my kids the Normandy battlefields and we did just that. And my youngest child, an eight year old rock star, was on this trip which is not normal. But it also made it extraordinary. She biked every mile on the route btw! But buyer beware! This may not be the trip for you!

      The positive points:

      1. Good hotels. Especially Le Grand Hard (near St.Marie du Mont); it is extraordinary and you won't want to leave. It's a 15 minute bike ride from Utah Beach. That is not the case for the other hotels.

      2. Good bikes and service. Dropping off the bikes on the first night, David was prompt, professional and made the fitting fun and easy. All the bikes performed as advertised.

      3. The countryside is extraordinary - even without the famous and inspiring battlefields. Each beach is different and each day is different. I definitely recommend going from east to west!

      4. Some concerns: the GPS and route maps are almost worthless considering the technology on your phone. Google Maps, especially, had
      better bike routes than what the guidebooks were describing. The GPS units are way out of date and I would NEVER suggest this trip without a working phone with Google Maps! It saved the day often - especially for side trips and accurate mileage and arrival times. The tour company should get updated with current technology ASAP!

      5. The return trips to Caen and Bayeaux take away from time at battlefield museums and introduce unnecessary busy roads. There are closer hotels near the beaches. Bayeaux was lovely and the tapestry a highlight but the mileage was too unbalanced.

      Everyone at Biketours.com was super friendly and helpful. Food was good. But bring your phone with a good data plan! Because without it, you will be lost and probably going the wrong way. Lots of beautiful little country roads in Normandy. You will be tired every night!

      What was the date of your tour?
      June 11-17
      How many tours have you completed?
      More than 10/First for family
      Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
      As expected
      Who is this tour suitable for?
      Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
      Do you recommend this tour?
      Yes
      • Photo 1 (photo by Brendan)
      • Photo 2 (photo by Brendan)
      • Photo 3 (photo by Brendan)
      • 3/5 Value
      • 4/5 Included meals
      • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
      • 5/5 Hotels or boat
      • 5/5 Scenery
      • 1/5 Ease of navigation
      • 2/5 Tour documents
      • 5/5 Local tour company services
      • 2/5 Route selection
    • Crewdog10 April 4, 2016

      Great way to visit the Normandy coast and see first hand where it took place.

      The hotel accommodations were great. Everyone that we came into contact with were wonderful .

      How many tours have you completed?
      8
      Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
      As expected
      Who is this tour suitable for?
      Families with teens, First-time bike tourists
      Do you recommend this tour?
      Yes
      • Our last day on the tour. Wonderful .. (photo by Crewdog10)
      • I was very impressed . (photo by Crewdog10)
      • 5/5 Value
      • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
      • 4/5 Hotels or boat
      • 5/5 Scenery
      • 5/5 Ease of navigation
      • 5/5 Tour documents
      • 5/5 Local tour company services
      • 5/5 Route selection

    Coastal Normandy and WWII History

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