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Abbey d’Ardenne - Canadian War Memorial

Abbey d’Ardenne - Canadian War Memorial: Our most recommended tours and activities

Small-Group Canadian Normandy D-Day Juno Beach from Paris

1. Small-Group Canadian Normandy D-Day Juno Beach from Paris

On June 6th, 1944 the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted in history took place. The Allied troops waged an extremely difficult attack on the German forces who were entrenched in bunkers along the coast of Normandy. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France on that day. Though the soldiers knew that they were fighting against the odds they carried on with courage and helped to win the battle for Normandy. During this insightful tour, you will take a guided journey through many of the historical landmarks that are pivotal to this moment in history. Take a walk on Juno Beach, just like the Canadian troops did in 1944, you can walk on the same sand they did on that very day. Whilst at Juno Beach, your guide will take you to see Juno Beach Center, the most comprehensive museum about the Canadian landings in Normandy. Visit the Canadian Cemetery in Beny-sur-Mer. There, stroll through the beautiful cemetery whilst paying your respects to the fallen Canadian soldiers. Also see "Hell's Corner," the furthest advance inland taken by Canadian troops on D-Day, 5-miles from the city of Caen. You'll also be able to see Abbey d'Ardenne, a HQ point for the nazis. Whether you’re a great admirer of military history or someone who is just curious about how the events really played out on D-Day, this tour will help you better appreciate the remarkable acts of courage that took place on Juno Beach. For they are well worth learning about and being remembered by all free folk today.

Normandy D-Day beaches private Canadian tour from Bayeux

2. Normandy D-Day beaches private Canadian tour from Bayeux

We need to ensure that their story is passed on from present to future generations !!! During that tour, we will cover different topics about D-Day (the ground, naval, airborne forces, the artificial ports, the decoy plan called Fortitude, the French life under the german occupation, the French resistance, the Atlantic wall, …). Then we will explore different battlefields in the Canadian sector (Juno sector) where 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France on D-Day. Your day will start at the Ardenne Abbey built in the 12th century and occupied by the monks until the French revolution. In the 20th century, the place was under the control of a farmer Jacques Vico and became under the german occupation a training camp for the the French resistance. On June 7th 1944, the buildings were occupied by the Hitlerjugend Division or called the Baby division (12 SS division). Today a Memorial commemorates a tragic event that happened there with the execution of 27 canadian soldiers. On the way to go to Juno beach, you will see two Memorials dedicated to the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and to the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment. One stop will be held to Hell's corner where the Canadians resisted repetitive attacks by the Germans and bombardments for three weeks until the victory at the Carpiquet airfield on July 4. We will stop in Anguerny (Elm line), where the 3 Canadian Regiments (La Chaudière, the Queen's Own Rifles and the Fort Garry Horse) set up their camp for the night. An inukshuk, a stack of human-shaped stones from the Inuit tradition, symbolizes brotherhood, mutual respect and friendship between people. To conclude the morning, you will pay tribute to the 2.049 brave Canadians who are burried in that a cemetery before you gather at the Canada House where a memorial has been erected in honour of the Queen's Own Rifles Regiment and the Fort Garry Horse Armoured Division who paid a heavy price in the assault. Not far away, you will see the Hotel Graves, the headquarters for the Canadian and British War correspondants. After the lunch break, you will head to Juno Beach Centre where the Regina and all Canadian Scottish regiments landed. Juno Beach Center presents the story of a new nation, the civilian war effort of the entire population, the early involvment of the country to help England to fight the Nazis. In the park, you will explore some remains of the atlantic wall (strongpoints, tobrouk, command post ...), a Churchill AVRE tank (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers), armed with a 290mm gun and aCosy's Pillbox, easily recognisable by its tilt, which was the site of fierce fighting on 6th June 1944. Juno sector is the place who received the Prime Minister Churchill, the first steps of Charles de Gaulle since his exile in England and King of England. That is why today is erected a huge silver Lorraine French resistance cross to mark to return of Charles de Gaulle in France.

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What people are saying about Abbey d’Ardenne - Canadian War Memorial

Overall rating

4.9 / 5

based on 25 reviews

Oct 6 2022: Our guide, Johnathan was amazing. Made it interesting, informed, congenial and understanding of the emotion we as a group were going through. He took the tidbits of information some of the group impated and integrated the information for later discussions. He kept us on time, (not an easy thing to do) let us know how much time we had at each stop. Never felt rushed. A great driver. Loved the L'Arch de Triomphe at the end of the day. Makes me laugh each time I think of it. Johnathan I loved being the co pilot and would do it again in a heart beat. It was an emotional day. It is one of those pilgrimages that as Canadians if you are able to visit, you need to. It humbles you to know that after 80 years Canadians are still revered. Brings both tears and pride all at once. To those who never made it home, and those who did simply a heart felt Thank You. Lest We Forget

Absolutely the highlight of our trip (2 adults, 14 & 12 year old boys). We came to honour our family’s D Day sacrifice and were so grateful to have Jonathon be our tour guide. He was knowledgable, patient, supportive and an endless resource. A day we will cherish forever. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience, it was perfection.

This was an amazing experience. Truly an emotional and touching tribute to our Canadian soldiers. Our tour guide Nadir was THE BEST!!! His knowledge of the area and the history was superior and he went out of his way to cater to our needs and made the day truly memorable. Highly recommend.

I've followed the history of both WW's. This experience left me quite sombre

Our guide was knowledgeable about the topic. He is friendly also.