Day 4 Paris--St. Malo
Details: Travel to St. Malo via Normandy
Tall granite walls surround the old town of St. Malo, which was once a stronghold for privateers (pirates approved by the king). The Saint-Malo Cathedral, in the centre of the old town, is built in Romanesque and Gothic styles and features stained-glass windows depicting city history.
Details: Arromanches D-Day Museum visit
Ingenious military engineering allowed the Allied forces to land at Arromanches on D-Day. Barges towed 600,000 tons of concrete across the English Channel, sinking them to create an artificial harbor, and then 33 jetties and 10 miles of floating roadways allowed the troops to land in France. Learn about this feat and other at the Arromanches Museum, where dioramas, interactive displays, and models detail the Allied landing.
Details: World War II landing beaches and military cemeteries
Visit key World War II sites along the Normandy coast
Details: Normandy D-Day landing beaches
See the D-Day beaches where on June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied troops landed in an effort to recapture the coast from Germany. All along the beaches, deserted German bunkers have been turned into memorials and the stark white crosses and stars that mark the cemeteries are grim reminders of the war.
Details: American Military Cemetery and Memorial visit at Colleville-sur-Mer
Visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.
Details: Canadian Military Cemetery visit at Beny-sur-Mer
Pouring onto the beaches of Normandy, Canada's 3rd Division and 2nd Armoured Brigade represented the entire nation, with regiments from Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec. They secured the beachhead and held on against six days of counterattacks, when more troops were able to come ashore at the secured sight. The Beny-sur-mer Canadian War Cemetery contains more than 2,000 graves of the soldiers from the 3rd Division and the 15 airmen lost during these attacks.