Build-Up to D-Day 1944
5 days from £799pp
About the tour: Build-Up to D-Day 1944
Tour Introduction
This UK-based Battlefield Tour explores the build-up to the D-Day Landings in 1944. You will be accompanied by an experienced guide throughout, who will bring to life the events and locations leading up to D-Day. We visit various locations including the D-Day Museum, Bovington Tank Museum, Castleton D-Day Centre and the Tangmere Museum. On our final night, we have included a farewell dinner, where we can all enjoy a meal and recap on a most interesting and informative few days.
Tour Includes
- 4 nights hotel with English breakfast
- A farewell dinner
- Specialist Battlefield Guide
- Local joining points
(Deposits from £50pp)
We offer flexible payment options
Once you have booked your battlefield tour either online, or by telephone 01709 385 624, you have the flexibility of how you pay off the remainder of your balance. You can -
- Use our balance payment facility online to make and track your card payments. You can pay as much as you want up until your final due date or pay it all, the choice is yours.
- Send payments via online banking.
- Send payments via cheque.
- Call us and make a card payment, either a small amount or as lump sum until your final due date.
Our contact and online banking payment details will be on your confirmation invoice to remind you of your choices.
Tour Itinerary
For customers living outside of the UK, if you want to make a booking you will need to provide a UK postcode on our online booking system. If you are not able to provide a relevant UK postcode then you can enter the postcode for London Victoria Coach Station – SW1W 9TP. You should then be able to proceed to complete your booking.
If you do encounter a problem then you can speak to one of our friendly advisors who will be happy to help.
Please Note : After completing your booking, a member of our Customer Service team will be in touch to make sure everything is okay.
Either e-mail our Reservations Department or call on 01709 830 333 and they will check to see whether you can visit a particular cemetery on any of our Battlefield Tours, if we are not able to fit it into our itinerary then you could take some time out of the tour and do this independently by taxi or public transport.
Day 1
Local departure by coach, then onto Folkestone Services. Here, we join our coach and journey to Portsmouth for a three-night stay.
From the comfort of your centrally located hotel, a wide choice of restaurants are within easy reach this evening.
Day 2 - D-Day Story – D-Day Sites at Portsmouth
Today we start in Portsmouth, at the heart of the D-Day preparations in 1944, with an included visit to the superb D-Day Story Museum. Here, you can see many important D-Day artefacts, the incredible D-Day Tapestry and an original Landing Craft Tank used in Operation Overlord. We also visit the Portsmouth Naval Memorial which commemorates many of those killed in the Naval operations for D-Day and Normandy.
In the afternoon, we visit the Gosport area to look at where the landing craft loaded men and tanks for the D-Day beaches. We will discuss the role of Haslar Hospital and visit a local cemetery where some of the wounded brought home from D-Day, who later died of their wounds, are buried.
We then visit the village of Southwick, home to Southwick House which contains the famous D-Day Map Room. As this is still located on property used by the Ministry of Defence, we will visit only if possible. Otherwise, we will see some D-Day Marshalling Areas in the locality.
Included meals: Breakfast
Portsmouth Naval Memorial (4)
Key Visits
- D-Day Story Museum
- Portsmouth Naval Memorial
- Gosport
- Southwick
Day 3 - Tarrant Rushton Airfield – Bovington Tank Museum
This morning, we travel into Dorsetshire and visit Tarrant Rushton Airfield to look at the story of the D-Day gliders. This is where they took off from and went on to land at Pegasus Bridge in Normandy on 6 June 1944.
Later, we have an included visit to the Bovington Tank Museum, with its world-renowned collection of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, including many used on D-Day or in Normandy.
We also have an included visit to the superb Castleton D-Day Centre which tells the story of the American build-up for D-Day through exhibits and vehicles. This visit will help us understand how this area became one vast military camp in 1944, with troops departing for Omaha and Utah beaches.
Included meals: Breakfast
Bovington Tank Museum (2)
Key Visits
- Tarrant Rushton Airfield
- Bovington Tank Museum
- Castletown D-Day Centre
Day 4 - RAF Tangmere – Chatham Naval Memorial
We depart Portsmouth and stop at the former RAF Tangmere in West Sussex, having an included visit to the excellent Aviation Museum here, and also seeing graves in the local cemetery.
After lunchtime in Chichester, we continue to Kent and the Chatham Naval Memorial, which commemorates many Naval and Royal Marines casualties from operations in Normandy in 1944.
We then continue to our overnight hotel in Kent and enjoy a fond farewell dinner.
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Spitfire (2)
Key Visits
- Spitfire
- RAF Tangmere Museum
- Chatham Naval Memorial
Day 5
We depart for Folkestone Services and return home.
Included meals: Breakfast
Specialist Battlefield Guides
All of Leger’s battlefield tours are accompanied by specialist guides. Their individual in-depth knowledge of warfare will be informative, as well as enhance your overall experience, as they recreate a fascinating perception of the history and factual events of each battle. Discover the actual catalysts for war, the strategies employed and the final, inevitable outcomes, as well as experiencing the emotional human side of the front line.
Please note: On certain tours, you may get tour guides other that the ones listed below.
Hotel
If you prefer, then you can join the tour at the hotel. To do this, we will require a copy of your passport for identification purposes and you must advise us at the time of booking.
No reduction will be given if you should choose to do this.
All hotel rooms benefit from private bathroom facilities.
Some hotels have tea and coffee making facilities. Please check the tour pages for more information or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333
Most hotels have a lift, please call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 for more information.
Some hotels have ground floor rooms. Please email for information on individual hotels or call our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333.
Your hotels will supply towels in your room.
We are unable to guarantee that the hotel will be able to meet your dietary requirements. We find that the majority of European countries do not generally cater for vegetarians and that the meal supplied may well be what everyone else is having minus the meat.
We will of course endeavour to arrange for a vegetarian meal at the hotel. We do however suggest that you advise us of your dietary requests at the time of booking and recommend that you speak to the receptionist on arrival with regard to your request.
Ibis Portsmouth Centre
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About the hotel
The Ibis Portsmouth Centre is located close to the Gunwharf Quays, The Spinnaker Tower and Guildhall. There is also shopping, nightlife venues, and the train station within a 5-minute walk away. The hotels facilities includes a restaurant, Wi-Fi/Internet access and a bar. All bedrooms feature a modern and cosy style room, Wi-Fi, TV and en-suite bathroom.
Hotel Features
- Bar
- English Speaking Staff
- Guest Lounge
- Lift
- Restaurant
- WiFi Available
Room Features
- Bath and/or Shower
- Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
- Telephone
- TV
Travel Options
Departure times given for each region are approximate. Please check your travel documents to confirm the actual timings.
Front row seats can be reserved for £14pp (up to 6 days duration), £22pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £25pp (9 days duration and over) on all European tours. In addition to this seats on the second row can be reserved for £7pp (up to 6 days duration), £14pp (7 & 8 days duration) and £15pp (9 days duration and over). This offer is only available for bookings of two or four persons on the front row and is subject to availability. Guaranteed front/second row seats cannot be reserved on feeder journeys to/from the U.K. port. Children under 15 years cannot occupy a front row seat due to French Law. Central view seats are free.
Please note: On some coaches the legroom on front seats may be slightly less than that available on other seats due to the presence of a modesty board in front.
If your tour is cancelled for any reason and front/second row seats are not available on your new tour you will be refunded the supplement. No other compensation will be payable.
Alternatively, we can take seating requests on your booking. However, requests are not guaranteed. All seat numbers are confirmed on travel documents approximately 7-10 days prior to departure.
We guarantee that all passengers on the same booking will be seated together on the main tour coach. Seats on the transfer coaches to and from the U.K. port are not allocated.
Hot and cold drinks are served on the main tour coaches. Prices are approximately £1 or 1.25 Euro per drink. Prices will be confirmed by the driver. Drinks may also be served on the transfer coaches but this is not guaranteed.
Transfer vehicles are routed approximately 2-3 weeks before departure and will depend on where passengers are booked to travel from on any particular date as to which route is taken. If you require further detailed information regarding the route to the port you can contact our Customer Service Department on 01709 830333 two weeks before you are due to travel.
With regard to the route taken by the main tour coach, this is determined by the driver.
All main tour coaches have on-board toilets. Transfer vehicles to and from the U.K. port may not have on-board toilets. When non-British coaches are used on transfers and tours (air holidays only) an on-board toilet may not be available. However, comfort stops will be made during long journeys.
All coaches feature air-conditioning. Should the air-conditioning system break down for a period exceeding 12 hours, compensation will be awarded up to a maximum of £10 per fare-paying passenger per tour.
Depending on the location of your pickup point, you may be picked up by coach (not necessarily the on you are touring on), minibus, taxi, National Express or Megabus service. You may then be taken to another centralised pickup location or service station. We operate a passenger interchange at Folkestone Services, where you will meet the tour coach you are holidaying on and then continue on with your outbound journey. Similarly, on the way home, you may also change transfer vehicles at another location, to take you to your final drop off point.
One medium sized suitcase per person, which should weigh no more than 20kg when full. We may refuse to carry larger or heavier cases. Hand luggage can be stored in the overhead racks aboard the coach.
It could be either - This will be confirmed in your travel documents.
When it comes to getting to the Battlefields, Leger Holidays make it easy, with a selection of travel options for you choose from.
Luxuria Coach
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The pinnacle of luxury coach travel
Exclusive to Leger Holidays, these exceptional vehicles blend state-of-the-art features with sophisticated design, offering business-class comfort on the road. Try Luxuria once, and you’ll never look back – the journey will stay with you long after the holiday ends.
With just 31 spacious seats, enjoy a calm, unhurried atmosphere from the moment you step on board – because true comfort means more space, more privacy, and more time to relax. You’ll also benefit from a choice of seating, allowing you to travel in a way that suits you...
- Double Seats Designed for two, double seats are great for couples or friends travelling together – offering comfort, connection, and a relaxed way to share the journey.
- Single Seats Offering privacy and comfort, single seats are perfect for solo travellers who prefer a little more personal space.
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Face-to-Face Seats
Face-to-face seats with personal tables are the sociable way to travel, ideal for card games, coffees and conversation.
With a superior average seat pitch – 32% greater than many leading short-haul airlines – Luxuria double seats offer unmatched personal space. Enjoy comfort that’s built in, not added on.
Luxuria Features
Entertainment at your fingertips
Immerse yourself in your own touch-screen TV, offering a world of films, TV shows, music, and games – entertainment designed around you.
The perfect pour
Our crew serves a selection of hot and cold beverages directly to your seat – ideal for staying refreshed throughout your journey.
Relax in unmatched comfort
Recline in spacious, ergonomically designed, armchair-style seating with generous legroom and experience a refined sense of luxury, crafted exclusively for your relaxation.
Stay connected
Keep your devices fully charged throughout your journey with USB ports and plug sockets at every seat – perfect for capturing memories and staying connected with loved ones.
Travel Extras
With an overnight stay or the option to meet us at the interchange, our travel extras allow you to create a travel experience to suit your needs...
Join coach at Interchange
+ Find out moreJoin your tour coach at the interchange.
On most tours if you’d prefer to join your tour coach at Folkestone Services, you can park your car in the car park which is accredited by the Park Mark safer parking scheme and is monitored 24 hours a day by CCTV. Payment for the parking is made on arrival using the self-service machines.
Excludes tours to Ireland and the U.K. and tours travelling via Brittany Ferries.
