Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.
We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, 6 June 1944
*****
FINAL SPOTS Be aware that the available spots may be reduced from our side without warning due to hotel availability. If you would like to join, we recommend making the reservation as
soon as you know you would like to join.
On Thursday 6 June 2019 it will be exactly 75 years ago tens of thousands of soldiers of the Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. Few moments in history match the significance of this military operation. It was a key turning point in the Second World War, which ultimately lead to the defeat of the Nazi regime 11 months and 1 day later (Reims, 7 May 1945).
This 75th Anniversary D-Day Weekend trip is dedicated to the fallen soldiers and heroes that fought on the Normandy beaches. During 3 days we will travel through all sections — Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah — visit various museums, bunkers, battlefields, monuments and cemeteries. A private expert guide (maybe even 2) will accompany us during these days and give us an in-depth view of what happened.
UPDATE 25/3 – FINAL 15 SPOTS FOR THIS TRIP
– only a few more spots for room sharing in the 3* Ibis
– room sharing now also available for 4* Mercure
– enough single and double rooms available
What is included?
transportation by 4* luxury coach
snacks & drinks on-board on the outbound journey
accommodation in a 3* hotel in Le Havre (1 night, excluding breakfast)
accommodation in a 3* hotel in Caen (2 nights, excluding breakfast)
visits to cities of Le Havre, Caen, Bayeux and Cherbourg
visits to villages of Ouistreham, Arromanches-les-Bains, Sainte-Mère-Église
Breakfast (many of our guest don’t take breakfast)
Who can join?
Expat Club is open to welcome everyone who feels like joining an open-minded international group of expats and Belgians. Most of our participants are 30-65 years old with some younger and some older, and working in a variety of fields (EU, NATO, NGO, diplomacy, corporate, academics).Â
Members & non-members
Expats & (international) Belgians
All ages, including children (minimum 8 years advised due to topic)
All of us has one way or the other some kind of an international background. Participants work in various sectors:
EU institutions
NGOs
diplomatic services
multinationals and SMEs
entrepreneurs
freelancers
Coach pick-up points
Place Schuman (bus stop next to KBC Bank)
La Chasse (bus stop on Ave. d’Auderghem, right before intersection)
Metro Delta (bus stop on main road next to big parking and metro entrance)
Metro Hermann-Debroux (bus stop on main road under overpass and next to Loxam)
Families
Expat Club welcomes families on board. For this trip, however, be aware we are visiting many war sites. Therefore we think the minimum age is 8-12 years, but leave it up to you to make a decision. Children up to 12 years get €150 discount, children up to 18 years get €100 discount. Please contact us before making a reservation.
Short program
This is going to be an unforgettable 4-day trip with a great group of like-minded people. The exact program will be communicated to participants before the trip, but rest assured this is going to be a very complete itinerary that does full justice to everything that happened before, during and after D-Day.
Friday 7 June – Afterwork departure, hotel in Le Havre
Monday 10 June (holiday in Belgium!) – Visit Omaha beach (including US Cemetery)
Program
This weekend trip is fully dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. As one of the most important battles in the world’s history, visiting the beaches of lower Normandy will leave you with an indelible imprint. The sheer size of this military operation, the enormous sacrifices suffered by the allies and the still visible traces on this sacred piece of land that stretches for dozens of kilometers along the coastline, makes this trip a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience. It will not be just a visit to the D-Day beaches, it will be a journey back into history that still defines our world today.
During this long weekend we will explore the Sword, Gold, Omaha, Juno and Utah beaches in Lower Normandy with an expert guide on the D-Day events. We will visit the most important sites, such as Pegasus Bridge, Arromanches-les-Bains, the American Memorial and Cemetery, Point-du-Hoc and Sainte-Mère-Église. This trip comes just a few days after the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Since we expect many official celebrations and ceremonies to take place in the area in the days leading up to the 6th of June 2019, we choose to come the weekend after to avoid road blocks and closed areas.
We are truly following the entire coast line of lower Normandy with visits to cities, villages, cemeteries, historic sites and many more. The following destinations are only a few of them, more will be in the actual program.
The place where the famous Pegasus Bridge used to be. The real one is now part of a museum at just a stone’s throw from this bridge.
Arromanches-les-Bains, the place where the traces of an artificial harbour are still visible and where we will see an impressive 360Ëš movie about the landings.
The artificial harbour in Arromanches is a stop during our D-Day tour
Cherbourg was not part of the initial D-Day landings, but obvioulsy it was a very important destination for the Allied forces | by HaguardDuNord (own work), via Wikimedia Commons
Transportation
We depart on Friday afternoon at about 18h00 from Place Schuman, followed by La Chasse, Metro Delta and Metro Hermann-Debroux. The actual time and meetings points will be communicated by email about one week before the trip (with clear maps and links). We will be travelling with a 4* luxury bus with reclining comfort seats, footrests, air-conditioning, on-board toilet, and DVD-system with at least three flat screens.
Accommodation
Due to the busy season in Normandy (for obvious reasons, especially this year), we are staying in 2 different places. On Friday evening, we drive to Le Havre in Upper Normandy, one of France’s most important ports. We stay here just one night. On the second and third night, we stay in Lower Normandy, namely in the regional capital Caen. It is the perfect place to start our day trips along the coast. Here you can choose between the 3* Ibis hotel or the 4* Mercure hotel, both located in downtown Caen right on the harbour. Please note that breakfast is not yet included. Many of our guests don’t eat breakfast so it would be a waste for them to include it.
B&B Hotel Le Havre Centre***
Our first hotel is located a few minutes from the Le Havre city center. It is a basic 3* hotel with clean rooms, all with an ensuite bathroom. You can choose between a single, double or twin room.
Mercure Caen Centre Porte de Plaisance**** This hotel is located right on the yacht harbour of Caen, right in the heart of the city. The 4* rooms are clean and very comfortable. If you take breakfast as well, be prepared for a feast; last time we stayed here we totally loved it!
Ibis Caen Centre*** The Ibis hotel is located right next to the Mercure hotel. The rooms are clean and all have a private bathroom. This hotel is only available for solo travellers who want to share a room (as of 30 January).
Hotel de l’Universe*** This 3-star hotel is located at just 100 meters from the Ibis and Mercure hotel. The rooms are a bit small, but they are clean and comfortable. On the ticketing page you can see what rooms are still available.
Information for solo travellers
If you travel alone, you can choose between a single room or a twin room (2 separate beds) and we will help you find you a room partner to avoid the single-supplement. We just introduce you to the other people who also want to share, but leave it up to you to decide who your room partner will be. Our previous guests loved this solution, so we always have lots of people opting for this. Note that we have only few rooms for males who would like to share, so don’t wait too long reserving your spot!
Families
Due to the long days, as well as the “heavy” topic, this trip may be less geared toward younger children. We suggest participating children be at least 8-12 years of age and have an interest in history. For children up to 13 years, we offer a €100 discount; for children between 14 and 18, we offer a €50 discount. Please contact us when you would like to make a reservation so we can also look at arranging the best rooms for your family. We want to stress that we highly appreciate taking your children with you, especially to this specific historic destination. Expat Club often welcomes families, so feel welcome!
Comments
The trip will be carried out by one of our trusted coach partners.
This trip is carefully planned. Still, all timings are tentative and may change if required by unforeseen circumstances.
The trip is sold as a package. You cannot go with your own transportation or arrange your own accommodation. If there are specific things that you do not want in the package, please let us know and we may consider a small discount.
You are personally responsible for getting good cancellation and travel insurance that covers you for unforeseen emergencies and medical expenses before or during the trip.Â
You are personally responsible for using the hotel room in an appropriate way. Any missing or broken items will be billed after the trip.
Expat Club cannot be held liable for long delays that influence the program (e.g. missed guided tours), neither can Expat Club be held liable for weather-related cancellations or any other unforeseen events that influence the course of the trip, including, but not limited to technical problems with the coach, strikes, weather, road blockages, etc.
Expat Club cannot be held liable for personal injuries during the trip. Joining this trip is safe but still at your own risk.
The deadline for cancellation with a refund is 8 weeks in advance of departure (see terms & conditions)
If you do not find a room partner on your own, we will find one for you (male/male, female/female). During the outbound trip we will connect you with others in the same position. If you decide to take a single room during the trip, then you will have to fully pay for it yourself. If you book this option, you are never forced to pay for a single room.
Not a member yet? Click here or login.Membership is not required to join this event.
The venue
Report
Block Member?
Please confirm you want to block this member.
You will no longer be able to:
See blocked member's posts
Mention this member in posts
Invite this member to groups
Message this member
Add this member as a connection
Please note:
This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin.
Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.
