WWII History: England, France, and Germany

Join a licensed local guide for an in-depth tour of London. See Buckingham Palace, where you may catch the Changing of the Guard, and stroll through Hyde Park, home to the famous Speakers’ Corner. View Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, then step inside Westminster Abbey, the coronation site of English monarchs. Continue to St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, and admire the iconic Tower Bridge spanning the Thames.

Explore this unique museum, dedicated to covering conflicts from World War I through the present. Tanks and aircraft, paintings, letters, films, and other exhibits trace the influence of modern war and its effects on our lives.

Explore the underground Whitehall bunker that served as Winston Churchill’s famous Cabinet War Rooms during World War II. Walk through the fully restored Churchill Suite, where the Prime Minister and his wife lived and worked during the air raids on London, and discover the story of his life from childhood through his finest hour and beyond.

Caen’s Mémorial, a contemporary museum for peace, tells a complete story of D-Day in interactive displays.

Step into the shoes of U.S. servicemen landing in Normandy on D-Day. Learn about their lives and experiences to gain both personal and historical perspective.

Visit key World War II sites along the Normandy coast, where Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944, to liberate France. Walk the D-Day beaches, still marked by German bunkers turned into memorials, and reflect at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, where white crosses and stars honor the fallen. Continue to the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer, the final resting place of more than 2,000 soldiers and airmen who fought to secure the beachhead.

Ingenious engineering allowed the Allies to land at Arromanches on D-Day, when 600,000 tons of concrete were sunk to form an artificial harbor. Barges, jetties, and 10 miles of floating roadways brought troops ashore. At the Arromanches Museum, dioramas, models, and interactive displays bring this remarkable feat to life.

Stand atop the windswept cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and trace the path of U.S. Army Rangers who scaled its 100-foot face under enemy fire on D-Day. Carved into the earth by fierce combat, this site offers a powerful glimpse into the courage and sacrifice that helped turn the tide of World War II.

Walk through Bois Jacques, the forest made famous by the Battle of the Bulge and the soldiers who held the line in brutal winter conditions. Explore the preserved foxholes and surrounding woodland to gain a deeper understanding of the terrain, hardship, and tactical challenges that shaped this pivotal moment in World War II.

Walk in the footsteps of WWII history on a guided tour of Bastogne. Visit the Mardasson Memorial and Wood of Peace, then explore the Bastogne Historical Center, where immersive exhibits and artifacts bring the Battle of the Bulge and General McAuliffe’s famed “Nuts” reply to life.

Explore the EL-DE Haus, the former headquarters of the Cologne Gestapo that now stands as one of Germany’s most powerful memorial sites. Walk through its preserved prison cells and historical exhibits to encounter original inscriptions, personal stories, and evidence of the surveillance and persecution that shaped daily life under the Nazi regime.

Unearth the causes, connections and consequences of Nazi Germany amidst the remains of the rally grounds where more than a million people gathered to support the National Socialists between 1933 and 1938. The museum’s sobering Fascination and Terror exhibition takes a deeper look at Nazi dictatorship and the history of party rallies during the Nazi regime.

Join a licensed guide for a whirlwind look at Munich, from its medieval heart to modern landmarks. Stroll through Marienplatz to see the Neues Rathaus and its famous Glockenspiel, framed by the twin towers of the Frauenkirche. Visit the Residenz, then explore Olympiapark, built for the 1972 Games, and step into BMW Welt to experience innovation and sleek design.

Dachau, the first of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps, became the model for thousands that followed. Now a memorial and museum, it honors the 206,000 prisoners held here from 1933 to 1945 and traces the rise of the Nazi party, pre-1930s anti-Semitism, and the lives of those imprisoned.