2026 sold out 2027 dates announced soon

Guided tours of Normandy's D‑Day sites.

Led by Joe McGrath, retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel and avid WWII historian. Join us for a six-day, small-group tour. Our 2026 tour is sold out. Get on the list before 2027 dates go public.

USAF Lt. Col. (Ret.) Tours since 2025 ★★★★★

Ever dreamed of visiting the D-Day sites in Normandy, but just didn't know how?

If you're interested in WWII, then you know about D-Day. You've watched the movies, you've read the books, you've seen the mini-series, and you've probably thought to yourself I should go. But how? Just planning a trip like that is a big project: Which beaches? Which museums? Where to stay? I don't speak French! And how to make sense of it all without months or even years of study?

We here at Beyond the Beachhead have done all the work for you. For six days and in a group of about 10 to 15—the size of an infantry squad—you'll experience the key D-Day places first hand – you'll see the square at St. Mère-Église, stand atop the cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc, walk in the sands of Omaha Beach, listen to taps echo in the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, and much more. You'll also spend a day at iconic Mont-Saint-Michel. There will be no squinting at placards, no mega-buses packed with bodies, no following a flag in a crowd of strangers. With Beyond the Beachhead's carefully crafted itinerary and small group size, this will feel less like a tour and more like an experience, shared with friends.

Want the first dispatch when 2027 dates are announced?

Juno Beach landing D-Day film still British paratroopers in Normandy D-Day archival photograph Robert Capa D-Day photograph
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Day by Day Itinerary

2027 tourdates TBD

Six days featuring key battlefields, small stories, the best museums and historic places. Spend the days walking the ground, evenings wandering freely and sharing dinners you won't want to rush.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris

Day 1

Paris to Bayeux

Chauffeured in a private coach from Charles de Gaulle airport to our home base in historic Bayeux, with a stop for lunch at picturesque Honfleur. A welcome reception & check in at the hotel, followed by dinner in town.

Utah Beach, Normandy

Day 2

American Airborne & Utah Beach

Walk St. Mère-Église, the Airborne Museum, La Fière Causeway, and Angoville-au-Plain, ending on the sands of Utah Beach.

British Airborne site near Arromanches, Normandy

Day 3

British Airborne & Arromanches

Cross Pegasus Bridge, driving tour of the British landing beaches, take in the Mulberry harbor at Arromanches and the German defensive battery at Longues-sur-Mer.

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Day 4

Pointe-du-Hoc & Omaha Beach

Stand on the cliffs the Rangers scaled, then Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, and dinner in Port-en-Bessin.

Aerial view of Mont-Saint-Michel

Day 5

Mont-Saint-Michel

Stroll through the famous tidal island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its medieval streets to the abbey at the top.

Private guided day in Paris

Day 6

Depart Normandy & Paris

Return to Paris for a half-day tour of "The City of Lights." Check into Paris hotel. Plan to fly out the following morning.

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Hear from past travelers

“This is my fifth trip… it’s a very different perspective, and it’s been fascinating.”

Mark · Normandy '25

Mark, Normandy 2025 traveler
“When you actually walk where someone else walked… it really puts it in perspective.”

Jeff · Normandy '25

Jeff, Normandy 2025 traveler
“Such a marvelous adventure.”JohnNormandy '25
“If you’re hesitant to come here to Normandy, because, like me, you don’t know a whole lot about history… I’d say do it. Because the beauty is incredible.”AdrianaNormandy '25
“There’s always something for everyone. My takeaways will be much different than my husband’s, but I would encourage anybody to come on it.”JudyNormandy '25
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Your guide

Joe McGrath, retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel, in a Normandy gun casemate holding a binder of WWII unit patches

Joe McGrath is a history and travel enthusiast, and a lifelong student of WWII. A retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, he spent 29 years as a C-130 Navigator, flying across the globe. Joe deployed to Central and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and had three tours in the Persian Gulf. He lived in Rome for a year while studying Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, and has traveled extensively in Europe. Joe's passion is bringing history to life through travel, and he's arranged and led personal tours in France, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, Egypt, and Jordan.

Joe brings some intangibles to his tours, things no documentary or coach bus operators can offer. He has done the recon; he knows the ground – the units that fought there, the small, human stories that don't make the history books. More than just checking off lists of places, he builds a narrative each day around what happened and what's worth seeing. He walks you through the campaign in the order it took place: starting with the American and British Airborne operations, then the beaches. He makes everything click into place.

Joe keeps the group size small on purpose. Small groups are more interactive and conversational; friends are made, bonds are formed. It's not unusual after a long day of touring for his groups to enjoy a leisurely dinner together and then adjourn to the bar for lively conversation about the day's events. Nothing makes him happier than bringing people together in Normandy to share their common reverence for this special place, this hallowed ground.

Joe guiding in NormandyOn a Normandy D-Day tourJoe in Bayeux, Normandy
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2025 Highlights

May 2025, the inaugural six-day run. A small group made Bayeux their base, taking the battlefields a day at a time: the American and British Airborne drop zones, the British and American beaches, Pointe-du-Hoc, and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, before a final day in Paris.

Travelers gathered beside a WWII Sherman tank at a Normandy museum on a Beyond the Beachhead tour Paratrooper effigy on the Sainte-Mere-Eglise church steeple, an iconic D-Day site in Normandy Small-group tour posing with a Sherman tank and Allied flags on a 2025 Normandy D-Day tour Tour group having coffee outside the historic Cafe Gondree at Pegasus Bridge, Normandy Traveler beside a restored WWII jeep and airborne display in a Normandy D-Day museum Three travelers above Arromanches, with WWII Mulberry harbor remains in the sea behind Beyond the Beachhead group at a German gun casemate at the Longues-sur-Mer battery A traveler standing in a green Normandy field on a small-group 2025 tour Guide explaining a large D-Day landings map inside a Normandy WWII museum Tour group seated in a Normandy cafe covered with WWII photos and memorabilia Two travelers outside a local Normandy pub on a Beyond the Beachhead D-Day tour A traveler looking out over the Normandy coast and cliffs on a 2025 D-Day tour Guide briefing the small group beside a memorial on Omaha Beach, Normandy Granite memorial obelisk inscribed with names overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy A traveler atop a ruined German bunker at a Normandy D-Day battery site Beyond the Beachhead travelers enjoying drinks at a Normandy fishing harbor Fishing boats moored at a Normandy harbor at sunset during a WWII Normandy tour Courtyard of the group's Normandy tour hotel with cafe tables and US and French flags Small-group tour outside their Normandy hotel beneath US and French flags Two travelers in Montmartre below the Sacre-Coeur basilica on the Paris day of the tour Tour group in a huddle selfie beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Beyond the Beachhead 2025
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Questions

How many people are on a tour?+

One of the strengths of a Beyond the Beachhead tour is the group size: no more than 15 people, or about the size of a typical WWII squad.

A small group makes the tour more personalized and intimate, promotes interaction among group members, and makes for a more fun and relaxed experience.

How physically demanding is it?+

Not terribly. In a typical day we do a fair amount of walking, both outdoors and in museums, and are on/off the bus frequently. Most of the D-Day sites in Normandy have excellent access to accommodate aging WWII veterans.

We walk on the sand at both Utah and Omaha beaches, and scale some modest dunes on Utah. Any/all activities are optional, and may be opted out of.

Do you book my flight?+
No, you arrange flights to/from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Paris. Beyond the Beachhead picks you up from and drops you off there, and takes care of almost everything else.
What's included in the price?+
Beyond the Beachhead provides your professional tour guide (me), transportation, museum entries, hotel rooms, all breakfasts and half of the dinners. You will need to pay for airfare, lunches and a few dinners.
Can I come as a single traveler?+
Absolutely. Our groups tend to be a nice mixture of couples and singles — all are welcome!

You've read about it your whole life. Now walk the ground where it happened.

The 2026 tour sold out. Get on the list before 2027 goes public.

Beyond Normandy

Joe doesn't just do D-Day.

Egypt, Peru, Italy, Jordan, Spain, and Mexico. The same small groups and hand-built days, in more of the places worth seeing.

Coming Soon
Joe guiding a tour in Peru