American D-Day Beaches Small Group(2-6) with Hotel Pick Up

A Normandy visit has been on my bucket list for years. Doru, our guide (hope I correctly spelled your name, Doru!) was great- easy to talk to, INCREDIBLY knowledgeable not only about D-Day but European history, economics, culture, politics... his passion for the topics was palpable. Our tour just so happened to also be my birthday, and Doru insisted on buying me a birthday beer at lunch. :) Doru's photographer Stella also happened to join us this particular day, and was wonderful. We saw Utah beach+ museum, Point du Hoc + museum, Omaha beach, and Cemetery plus cemetery museum. At the day's very end, at the cemetery, my family was ready to depart for the drive back to Paris, but both Doru and Stella suggested we hang on 10 more minutes for the daily 5pm flag lowering ceremony. It was very powerful and highly worth it. The day was long with so many things to see plus the drive to/from Paris, but it met every expectation. Even my wife, who is not one to embrace this much driving on a vacation day, and who is not a history buff like me, said Normandy was a highlight of her week in France. Thank you very much, Doru and Stella!

Going to Normandy was on my husband's bucket list and we could not have picked a better tour or guide. Doru was extremely knowledgeable and just great to chat with, which comes in handy on the long drive out and back from Paris. We were lucky enough to have just the 4 of our family on the tour, so Doru was able to adjust time and agenda based on our interests and needs. Each site was very moving in its own way. Our 13 year old daughter and our 11 year old son were with us. Our son enjoyed it so much he asked to write the review for Doru's tour. Here are his words:.."The day I had at Normandy was the best day of my life. Doru was helpful and took me on adventures that were amazing! He showed me the grave of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and the time capsule (at the American Cemetery). Normandy is my favorite place on the face of the earth!"

Normally I don’t do reviews, but this is review worthy. The tour was outstanding. Doru is not only friendly but knowledgeable and super patient. He made the experience 1k times better!

Our guide picked us up early at our hotel and drove us and 2 others to see the beaches of Normandy. He stopped a couple of times along the way for restroom breaks and refreshments. We also stopped in the town where Joan of Arc was killed. There is a beautiful old church and quaint town to see as well. A great bonus! Our guide was very helpful filling in the facts about the different beaches and the cemetery at Omaha and Utah beach. Our trip back to Paris was comfortable. I would highly recommend this guide and tour to anyone wanting to see these sites.

First, let me emphasize that we thoroughly enjoyed the beaches and American cemetery. It was very moving, and if you are familiar with history at all you realize what a sacrifice these men made. The reason for the terrible review was our guide. This man texted while he drove, drank alcohol at 2 different stops, along with the following: 1) There was a couple with us in the van that was sick and I asked the guide if he could open the window so we could get fresh air circulating and not have to breathe the same air that the sick people were. He became very irritated, saying he didn't want the wind blowing on him as he would get sick from that. He then opened it a tiny bit and said we couldn't have the air conditioning on at the same time, so he turned it off until it became unbearable for him. Music was blaring the entire time, without asking us if it was okay to play. He insisted on stopping in Rouen (more beer), even though I said we didn't want to go as it wasn't part of the tour description. He brought his friend along, and they spent the whole time speaking a Slavic language so we could not sleep (it was a 3.5 hour drive from Paris, and 4.5 hours on the way back). He did give some statistics at Point du hoc and Omaha beach, but no commentary at Utah, just dropped us off, and pointed the way to where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen, while he had beer with his friend. He also complained that he had to drop us off at our hotel in the heart of Paris which took him 40 minutes longer.