Read up on the subject (Stephen Ambrose, Cornelius Ryan, Time-Life, etc.), then rent a car and stay in one of the Normandy villages near the coast. I highly recommend Arromanches-les-bains, and the wonderful Hotel de la Marine.
Buy your Michelin guide and maps and explore Normandy yourself.
Please don’t try to absorb this experience through the window of a coach bus, and for heaven’s sake, remember the first rule of travel: if you try to see it all, you’ll enjoy none of it.
Don’t be a tourist, be a traveler.
I like that idea.
Does it matter that I don’t speak a word of French?
I have read every Ambrose book about WWII at least twice. I own “Band of Brothers.”(DVD) Now, I’m re-reading Martin Gilbert’s “The Second World War - A Complete History.” Very clinical, but complete and accurate. I have, I think, a pretty good WWII library, and I’m always looking to expand and increase it.
But now I’m getting restless to see for myself what I only know through books.
And I want to give thanks; to God and, somehow, every young man who interrupted his life to put on the uniform of Our Nation.
Then and now.
Just for the record, the coach bus tours are more than just driving by and looking out the window. All of them, even the 1 day quick ones like I did, give you a fair amount of time to wander the beaches, the cemetery, and museums. Obviously you can’t spend hours in one place but you are seeing these historic places mostly on your feet, with the bus being the means of transport between them.
Smaller tours like Battlebus use small vans with about 8 people and give you more time and more stops. I think you can find a tour to suit your needs no matter who you are. If you do it on your own you must have done your research. That is great. I would just not want to miss something I could have seen and not realize it until back in the States.
Keep in mind that driving in France also can be an adventure. I lived in France for 2 years and had my own car so I know how the frogs drive. It takes a while to get used to the flow and chaos, at least in the larger towns.