Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you might want to know before booking a private tour with Mike.
Tour prices
| Tour | Duration | Price per group (1–8 guests) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-day American, British or Canadian D-Day tour | 4 hours | €425 | American, British, Canadian |
| Full-day Allied D-Day tour (American, British and Canadian sectors) | 9 hours | €680 | Allied D-Day Tour |
| Full-day American D-Day tour | 9 hours | €680 | American D-Day Tour |
| Full-day British D-Day tour | 9 hours | €680 | British D-Day Tour |
| Full-day Canadian D-Day tour | 9 hours | €680 | Canadian D-Day Tour |
| Full-day D-Day to Saint-Lô tour | 9 hours | €680 | D-Day to Saint-Lô |
| Custom D-Day tour | 9 hours | From €750 | Custom D-Day Tour |
| American D-Day day trip from Paris (Monday to Friday) | 6 hours | €520 | From Paris |
| American D-Day tour from Cherbourg cruise port | 9 hours | €890 | From Cherbourg |
| On-board guide for your own vehicle or coach | Half day (4 hours) or full day (9 hours) | €350 half day, €550 full day | On-Board Guide |
Lunch is not included in any tour price. The Paris day trip does not include the train fare.
About Allied Victory Tours
What is Allied Victory Tours?
Allied Victory Tours is a private D-Day and WWII battlefield tour company in Normandy, France, founded and led by historian Mike van den Dobbelsteen. It offers fully private half-day, full-day and Custom D-Day tours for groups of 1 to 8 guests, with pickup in or near Bayeux. The business is registered in France under SIRET 84970059600018.
Do you offer Normandy WWII tours beyond D-Day?
Yes. Every tour is a private WWII battlefield tour in Normandy. D-Day, 6 June 1944, is where most tours begin, but they also cover the fighting that followed inland: the hedgerow country (bocage) that made the advance so difficult for the Allies, Saint-Lô and the Band of Brothers sites, all explained on the ground by historian Mike. A Custom D-Day tour can follow a relative's unit through the Normandy campaign. Tours cover Normandy only, not other World War II battlefields such as the Ardennes or Market Garden.
Who guides the tours?
Mike van den Dobbelsteen guides the tours. Born in the Netherlands, he served five years in the Dutch Army, worked fifteen years as a graphic designer, and was a bilingual guide at Leeds Castle in England before moving to Normandy in 2015. He is a member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides, the Normandy Battlefield Tour Guides Association and the 29th Division Association, and has worked as a historical advisor on WWII film and television productions.
How well reviewed is Allied Victory Tours?
Allied Victory Tours has a 5.0 rating from more than 385 reviews on TripAdvisor. Read the reviews on TripAdvisor.
Where is Allied Victory Tours based?
Allied Victory Tours is based near Bayeux in Normandy, France, at Le Pont de la Pierre in Saint-Clair-sur-l'Elle (postcode 50680). Tours cover the D-Day landing beaches and battlefields of Normandy, including the American, British and Canadian sectors.
Pricing
Is the price per person or per group?
The price is a flat fee per group, not per person. Every Allied Victory Tours price covers the whole group of 1 to 8 guests and does not change with group size. For example, the full-day Allied D-Day tour is €680 whether 1 or 8 guests join. The on-board guide is also a flat fee, whatever the size of your group.
How much does a private D-Day tour cost?
A half-day tour is €425 and a full-day tour is €680, each for the whole group of up to 8 guests. A Custom D-Day tour is from €750, the day trip from Paris is €520, the tour from the Cherbourg cruise port is €890, and an on-board guide for your own vehicle or coach is €350 for a half day or €550 for a full day. See the price table above for every tour.
What is not included in the price?
Lunch is not included in any tour price. The Paris day trip does not include the train fare.
Why do other websites show different prices?
Third-party booking sites commonly add their own commission or markup on top of the tour price. Allied Victory Tours' prices on this website are the flat fee for your whole private group of 1 to 8, quoted directly by Mike with no booking-site markup. Booking direct is usually the most cost-effective way to book. If you see a different price elsewhere, send Mike the details through the booking form and he will confirm what applies.
Choosing a tour
Which D-Day tour should I choose?
Choose a half-day tour (4 hours, €425) for a focused introduction, limited time, or a family with young children; it comes in American, British and Canadian versions. Choose a full-day tour (9 hours, €680) for the complete story: the Allied tour covers all three sectors, the American, British and Canadian tours go deeper into one, and D-Day to Saint-Lô follows the fighting inland. Choose a Custom D-Day tour (from €750) to follow a family member or build your own itinerary.
Which D-Day beaches does Mike guide through?
Mike guides private tours at all five D-Day landing beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The beaches you visit depend on the tour you choose.
- Utah Beach: the American D-Day tours (half-day and full-day) and the tour from the Cherbourg cruise port.
- Omaha Beach: the American D-Day tours (half-day and full-day), the Allied D-Day tour, D-Day to Saint-Lô, the day trip from Paris and the Cherbourg tour.
- Gold Beach: the British D-Day tours (the half-day Gold Beach itinerary and the full-day tour) and the Allied D-Day tour.
- Juno Beach: the Canadian D-Day tours (half-day and full-day), the Allied D-Day tour and the full-day British tour.
- Sword Beach: the British D-Day tours (the half-day Sword Beach itinerary and the full-day tour).
No single standard tour visits all five beaches in one day. The full-day Allied tour covers Omaha, Gold and Juno, and a Custom D-Day tour (from €750) can be built around any beaches you choose.
What does the full-day Allied D-Day tour cover?
The full-day Allied D-Day tour covers the Canadian, British and American sectors: Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Arromanches and the Mulberry Harbour, the British War Cemetery at Bayeux, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery, with a lunch break. It runs 9 hours, from 8:30am to 5:30pm, for €680.
What does the full-day American D-Day tour cover?
The full-day American D-Day tour includes Angoville-au-Plain, Sainte-Mère-Église, the hedgerow countryside, Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. It runs 9 hours for €680.
What do the full-day British and Canadian tours cover?
The British D-Day tour includes Pegasus Bridge, the Hillman Strongpoint, Sword Beach, Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Arromanches and the Mulberry Harbour, the Longues-sur-Mer gun battery and the British War Cemetery at Bayeux. The Canadian D-Day tour includes Arromanches, Graye-sur-Mer and Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, St Aubin-sur-Mer, the RCAF airfield ALG B-4, the Canadian War Cemetery at Bény-Reviers and the Abbaye d'Ardenne. Each runs 9 hours for €680.
What is the D-Day to Saint-Lô tour?
D-Day to Saint-Lô is a 9-hour, €680 tour that follows the American push inland from Omaha Beach to Saint-Lô, including the Normandy American Cemetery, La Cambe, Isigny-sur-Mer, the hedgerow countryside, Saint-Clair-sur-l'Elle, Villiers-Fossard, La Luzerne and Martinville Ridge.
What is a Custom D-Day tour?
A Custom D-Day tour, sometimes called a tailor-made or bespoke tour, is a 9-hour private tour from €750 that Mike researches, plans and guides around your own story. Guests use it to follow in the footsteps of a specific family member, visit Band of Brothers locations, or explore German bunkers from Utah Beach to Sword Beach.
Can Mike help me trace where my grandfather or another relative fought in WWII?
Yes. A Custom D-Day tour can be built around a relative who served in Normandy. Starting from your relative's name, army service number and date of birth or death, Mike searches online records, starts a family tree on Ancestry, checks Fold3 and Find a Grave, searches the Library of Congress and the US National Archives (NARA), and looks into the history of the unit. He then shapes a private itinerary around the places that matter to your family's story. Past guests have written on TripAdvisor about Mike researching their father's or uncle's unit and building the tour around it. Custom D-Day tours start at €750 for your private group of 1 to 8. Reach out to Mike via the contact form for final pricing.
What information should I send Mike about my relative?
Your relative's name, army service number and date of birth or death. Send these through the contact form and Mike will take it from there.
Which Band of Brothers sites can I visit on a private tour in Normandy?
A Custom D-Day tour can be built around these Band of Brothers events:
- Where Winters, Guarnere and Randleman landed in and near Sainte-Mère-Église.
- The ambush site where Guarnere opened fire before getting permission from Winters.
- Beuzeville, where Meehan's plane crashed.
- Brecourt Manor.
- Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
- Causeway No. 2.
Custom D-Day tours start at €750 for your private group of 1 to 8. Reach out to Mike via the contact form for final pricing.
Pickup, timing and what to bring
Where do tours start, and what time?
Tours normally start at 8:30am from your accommodation in or near Bayeux and finish there by 5:30pm. Pickup from Caen-Carpiquet Airport can also be arranged. Half-day tours run either in the morning (8:30am to 12:30pm) or in the afternoon (1:30pm to 5:30pm).
Can I visit the D-Day beaches as a day trip from Paris?
Yes. The day trip from Paris is a 6-hour private tour for €520, available Monday to Friday only. Take the 9am train from Paris Gare St-Lazare, arriving in Bayeux at about 11:15am, where Mike meets you at the station. The tour runs from 11:15am to 5:30pm and visits Sainte-Mère-Église, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery, then Mike drops you back at Bayeux station for the return train. The train fare is not included and can be booked on the SNCF website.
Can I join a standard tour if I arrive by train from Paris that morning?
Yes. Take the early Intercité departure from Paris St-Lazare (around 6am, Intercité No. 3301), which reaches Bayeux at about 8:40am, in time for pickup. At the end of the tour you are dropped at Bayeux station by 5:30pm, in time for the return service at about 5:40pm. Departure times can shift by a few minutes, so book train tickets ahead through the SNCF website.
Do you offer tours for cruise passengers arriving at Cherbourg?
Yes. The Cherbourg cruise port tour is a 9-hour private tour for €890. Mike meets you at the Cherbourg cruise terminal, visits Sainte-Mère-Église, Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery, and returns you to your ship in time for boarding.
Can Mike guide my own vehicle or coach?
Yes. With the on-board guide option, Mike joins your own vehicle or coach for a half day (€350) or a full day (€550) and guides you through the battlefields at your own pace on the standard half-day and full-day itineraries, with a flexible group size. Mike meets you at your preferred meeting point anywhere in the Bayeux area, whether that is a hotel, B&B, Airbnb or parking lot. It is not available for the specialized tours (the Custom D-Day tour, the day trip from Paris and the Cherbourg tour). See the On-Board Guide page or use the booking form to enquire.
What vehicle will we travel in?
Your transport is a Toyota Proace 9-seat minivan. Leather seats, USB-C charging, and a fully stocked cooler with bottled water.
Is lunch included?
Lunch is not included in any tour price. Tours include a lunch break of about 1 hour during the day.
What should I wear and bring?
Normandy weather can turn quickly, so check the forecast, dress in layers, and bring an umbrella, a windbreaker and sunglasses. Wear sensible walking shoes, because tours involve a fair amount of walking.
Are the tours suitable for families with children?
The half-day tour is designed to suit families with young children and guests with limited time.
Which languages are tours given in?
Tours are given in English. Mike also offers tours in Dutch.
Booking, payment and cancellation
How do I book a tour?
Send a request through the booking form with your name, email, tour choice, number of guests (1 to 8) and preferred date. Check the availability calendar on the form first: days marked booked or unavailable cannot be requested. A €100 deposit confirms your booking.
How do I pay?
A €100 deposit confirms your booking and can be paid by PayPal (no PayPal account needed, a card is enough), bank transfer, or a SumUp online payment request. The remaining balance is paid at the end of the tour in cash or by credit or debit card. Prices are in euros. An invoice is available if you ask at least 24 hours before your tour.
What is the cancellation policy?
If you cancel 60 or more days before your tour, your deposit is refunded minus a 10% admin fee. If you cancel 30 to 60 days before, half the deposit is refunded. Inside 30 days, the deposit is not refundable. See Important Tour Info.
How do I contact Allied Victory Tours?
Use the booking form at the bottom of this page. Allied Victory Tours is also on Facebook, Instagram and TripAdvisor.
Where to stay
Where should I stay for a D-Day tour?
Bayeux is one of the best cities to depart from for a D-Day tour. Mike picks you up at your hotel at 8:30am, drops you back there after the tour, and Bayeux is the closest town to the beaches and cemeteries. For even simpler logistics, Mike and his wife Deb run Le Pont de la Pierre, a vintage bed and breakfast near Bayeux styled on the 1930s and 1940s, so your stay matches your tour. If you would rather keep your base in Paris, the day trip from Paris (Monday to Friday, €520) lets you sleep in your own bed that night and avoids a hotel change and a morning train out of Bayeux. The trade-off is a 9am train from Paris Gare St-Lazare, where Mike meets you at Bayeux station, and the train fare is not included. A standard full-day tour from Paris is also possible, but it means the roughly 6am train.
Can I stay with Mike?
Yes. Mike and his wife Deb run Le Pont de la Pierre, a vintage bed and breakfast a short drive from Bayeux, with two rooms styled on the 1930s and 1940s: the Allied Victory Room and The Clay Pigeons Room. Continental breakfast is included. The rooms are upstairs and are not suitable for wheelchair users. The Women of Valour WW2 Museum, a private museum dedicated to the Allied women of WWII, is on site and open to B&B guests and tour clients.
Still have a question? Get in touch with Mike directly.
