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

What you’ll experience: Discover the story of what took place on the 6^th 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. 

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.

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.

Subject range: Art, History

What you’ll experience: Les Braves is a war memorial created by French sculptor Anilore Banon in 2004, located on the shores of Omaha Beach in St. Laurent-sur-Mer. It was commissioned by the French government to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. The memorial represents three elements: the wings of hope, the rise of freedom, and the wings of fraternity. The tallest of the columns stands at 30 feet.

Select says: The sculpture was initially intended as a temporary art piece but due to wide public interest it remains standing. The sculpture has been described as a blend of art and nature – this visit is an opportunity to sketch and for students to design their own memorial sculptural art work.

Subject range: History, Cultural , Primary

What you’ll experience: Remnants of a medieval castle, dating from the 12-13th Century and on the site of the birthplace of William the Conqueror. Using tablets, students are invited to recreate the interiors of parts of the castle and meet historical figures from the Anglo-Norman period.

Subject range: History, Cultural, RS, Primary

What you’ll experience: The more ornate counterpart to the Abbaye aux Dames, this Abbey houses the tomb of William the Conquereror. Behind these buildings lies the story of William the Conqueror’s love affair with his cousin, whom he married in 1050 despite papal opposition. The couple obtained a pardon from Pope Nicholas II in 1059, but each had to build an abbey.

Subject range: History, Cultural

What you’ll experience: A museum with a different angle, giving insight into life in the 100 days following the D-Day landings, known as the ‘Battle of the Hedges’. Journey through 27 hyper-realistic, sound-enhanced settings which groups walk through in chronological order. The visit ends with an exhibition on the importance of the role of women during the war.