About the trip

Step into history and join us on an unforgettable journey honoring the courage and sacrifice of World War II heroes. This immersive tour focuses on the stories of D-Day and the pivotal battles in Normandy that helped shape the course of the war. Together, we will visit key sites and preserved battlefields where Allied forces turned the tide, explore insightful museums, and reflect at moving memorials that vividly bring history to life. 

Highlights include Pegasus Bridge, the first ground in France liberated on D-Day by British paratroopers, and Sainte-Mère-Église, where American paratroopers famously descended into battle. At the D-Day landing beaches—including Utah Beach and Omaha Beach—expert guides will share stories of valor and sacrifice, with a poignant visit to the Normandy American Cemetery, the restingplace of more than 9,000 American servicemen and women. We will also explore strategic wartime sites such as Longues-sur-Mer Battery, a key component of the Atlantic Wall, and the remarkable Mulberry Harbors, an engineering marvel that enabled the successful staging of the invasion. Beyond the battlefields, enjoy a scenic excursion to Mont Saint- Michel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Château de Tocqueville, the family home of the famous French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville. 

 

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2026 Optional Pre-Trip Extension in Paris (October 8-11)

$3,495 USD per person in double occupancy
$595 USD solo travler

Included in the package:
• Explore the City of Lights, including a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
• Explore the complex at Les Invalides, originally commissioned in the 17th centrury by Louis XIV to provide accomodations and hospital care for wounded soldiers. Today, a military hospital still operaties there, as well as multiple military history museums. 
• Visit the Musee de la Liberation, a World War II history museum dedication to the liberation of the city and the French Resistance, and see the large-scale Waterlilies at l"orangerie by Claude Monet.
• Group airport transfer, two nights at the Victoria Palace Hotel in Paris, two breakfasts and lunches, entrance fees, a private motorcoach, and an English-speaking guide.

 

*Price based on a minimum of 10 participants.

2026 Optional Post-Trip Extension in Loire Valley (October 17-19)

$4,150 USD per person in double occupancy
$795 USD solo travler

Included in the package:
• Travel to Chambord for a guided visit of the magnificent Château de Chambord before continuing to Amboise. Visits in Amboise include Château Gaillard and Leonardo da Vinci's last residence, the Manoir du Clos Lucé, followed by an afternoon tour of the fairytale Château de Chenonceau.
• Includes two nights at the Hotel Clos d'Amboise or similar, two breakfasts and lunches, an English-speaking guide, and transfer to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

 

*Price based on a minimum of 8 participants.

Program Leader
Dr. Hugh Dubrulle
Professor Hugh Dubrulle received his B.A. from Pomona College and his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Having been a member of the faculty at Saint Anselm College since 2002, his primary teaching interests include modern/ contemporary Europe and military history. He is the author of Ambivalent Nation: How Britain Imagined the American Civil War (Louisiana State University Press, 2018).

 

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