From Both Sides – D-Day Anniversary Tour: 3 days, 2 nights

Commemorating the 80th D-Day Landings anniversary, we offer a ‘from both sides’ package, providing students with a comprehensive, immersive D-Day experience.

2024 marks 80 years since the D-Day landings turned the tide of WWII.  This D-Day tour will allow pupils to visit the very beaches where both sides fought this vital battle, and learn why it was such a key event in European and world history.

We can tailor the trip to your needs and can cover trips to the cemeteries of fallen soldiers, vital locations such as Pegasus Bridge, and various memorials both in Portsmouth and across the channel in France.

Suggested itinerary

Day one

  • The D-day Story Museum – Portsmouth
  • Depart on ferry crossing
  • Arrive at Chateau

Day two

  • Pegasus Bridge
  • 360 Cinema Arromanches
  • German Defences – Longues Sur Mer
  • US Cemetery

Day three

  • British Cemetery
  • British Normandy Memorial
  • Winston Churchill Centre
  • Ferry check-in for channel crossing
  • Arrive back in Portsmouth

Tour gallery

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Excursion Ideas

  • The D-Day Story - Portsmouth

    Subject range: History

    What you’ll experience: Discover the story of what took place on the 6th June 1944 at The D-Day Story, the only UK museum dedicated to the momentous events that took place that day. Explore the personal accounts of the people who were there through audio-visual presentations alongside objects from the museum’s collection. The museum, based in Portsmouth, includes the Landing Craft Tank 7074 (LCT 7074), which is the last surviving LCT from D-Day, see what it took to plan the operation. Find out more about D-Day and the battle of Normandy, and finally discover its legacy and view the impressive 83 metre Overlord Embroidery.

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

  • Pegasus Memorial Museum and Bridge

    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.

  • Arromanches 360 Circular Cinema

    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.

  • German Battery - Longues-sur-Mer

    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.

  • British Normandy Memorial

    Subject range: History

    What you’ll experience: 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.

  • Winston Churchill Centre

    Subject range: History

    What you’ll experience: The Winston Churchill Centre for Education and Learning is set to open on 6 June 2024, in honor of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.  The new building will house two educational exhibition galleries telling stories of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, curated by The Royal British Legion. A specially designed classroom for use by schools from the UK, France and beyond will also be available, plus a shop selling official merchandise and a café.