National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures turns history into an everyday adventure, bringing us face-to-face with iconic places that enlighten our spirit of curiosity. Explore Second World War military sites along France’s beaches, where Allied soldiers famously landed on D-Day. Head to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the epicentre of the 1989 political protests that changed the course of a nation. Visit Sarajevo’s Latin Bridge, where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination triggered events that led to the First World War. With National Geographic Journeys, you don’t just learn about history — you live it.
Normandy, France
What’s there: D-Day beaches
What it is: Five beaches — Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword — where Allied troops landed on June 6, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day, as part of Operation Overlord. The invasion laid the groundwork for the Allied victory in the Second World War.
How you can visit: You can take a tour of D-Day sites on our Explore Normandy & Burgundy and our Paris & Normandy Highlights tours.
Beijing, China
What’s there: Tiananmen Square
What it is: The site of student-led demonstrations in 1989, in which Chinese citizens protested against government corruption. While the protests themselves lasted several months, from April to June of 1989, their cessation — in what is in China known as the June Fourth Incident — came with the massacre of hundreds of protestors, after the government declared martial law.
How you can visit: Our Best of China tour offers the opportunity to visit Tiananmen Square and learn more about the site’s history.
Berlin, Germany
What’s there: The Berlin Wall
What it is: A concrete barrier that divided Soviet-occupied East Berlin from West Berlin between 1961 and 1989.
How you can visit: Our Explore Central Europe tour visits sections of the Berlin Wall with a local historian.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
What’s there: The Latin Bridge
What it is: The site where Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated, in 1914, in what was then Austria-Hungary. His murder triggered events that led to the First World War.
How you can visit: Our Discover the Balkans tour, which comprises Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, includes a stop at The Latin Bridge.
