15 nights Brittany, Normandy, Paris

Don't skip MSM, just arrive early or late and skirt the crowds during the busy middle part of the day (10 am to maybe 3 or 4 pm). I would give yourself time to get up hill to see the Abbey before it closes.

You should look for a Pardon in Brittany. They run all summer, in one town or another, so there will be at least one going on while you are there.

You can rent a car in Caen or Bayeux and drive from there. I think driving to MSM will be your best bet for skipping the crowded part of the day. After that you can continue into Brittany.

Thanks for the quick reply! Will plan on MSM early in the day then. One decision made since I last wrote is to rent the car & drop off in Paris. The rate was so good for 2 weeks! So we need a stop near Paris for the first night after the NYC-CDG flight. I was thinking Giverny-- not originally on my list b/c I've been there but husband has not.

Giverny would be perfect since you are flying from NYC. Perhaps just one night - see whatever you want to see in Giverny in the morning/early afternoon then drive to Honfleur, Rouen, or Bayeux. We stopped at Les Andelys to hike up to Chateau Gaillard for a view of the castle and the Seine before going to Honfleur for 2 nights.

I went to MSM in the evening, arriving at 5p. It was wonderful (this was June of 2016). Very few people - in fact, people were streaming out as we rode the shuttle bus in, parking lots were nearly empty. We had 2 hours to walk around and then ate there, walked around the mud flats, and still got back to our chateau outside of Bayeux by 9:30. We stayed in Bayeaux proper for our last night (the tapestry was a great experience), the chateaux for 2 (can't remember the name, but it was a base for journalists during WWII) and used that as a base for exploring the American cemetery and beaches (very moving). We took a train from Paris to Caen and rented a car there. I would not drive. Train is faster and easy. Had a great meal at a restaurant RS recommends (didn't realize it at the time, thought we'd found it) - can't remember the name but its en route to the beach just below the cemetery and is in RS' France book in the Normandy section.

Because the D-Day anniversary is on a Tuesday this year, a lot of the celebrations and ceremonies will be the weekend before. Being on beaches or in Bayeux shouldn't be an issue, but rooms might be a little hard to find depending on when you arrive. If you spend 2–3 nights in Paris beforehand, you won't arrive until many activities are over (I arrive in Normandy on May 31 and leave on June 7th for Paris this year). The Normandy "invasion" area is huge. 45 miles between the beaches as the crow flies, but you won't be flying. So it would be more like a drive of over an hour. The crowds at various sights aren't that thick in general. A great web site for activities around the Western end (Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église) is the tourism site for Ste.-Mére and Carenten:
http://www.ot-baieducotentin.fr/en/d-day-1944/73rd-d-day-anniversary-may-june-2017-normandy/

We would agree with Gail regarding Giverny. Or, if you are able to manage an early departure from Paris: Giverny -- as you probably know from your previous visit -- is an easy stop en route to Bayeux. (We picked up our rental car at CDG and spent the night at a nearby airport hotel (Marriott) enabling us to hit the road early enough to be at Giverny at opening time. We still arrived in Bayeux in plenty of time to find our apartment, settle in, and find a restaurant for dinner.)

Wow, thanks all for this valuable advice. It is greatly appreciated. So.. we are re thinking the DDay decision. Pending lodging availability. Maybe it will be the chance of a lifetime. And reading about 13 towns having simultaneous fireworks along the shore does indeed seem something to see. We will ponder and let you know our decision.

Wow, thanks all for this valuable advice. It is greatly appreciated. So.. we are re thinking the DDay decision. Pending lodging availability. Maybe it will be the chance of a lifetime. And reading about 13 towns having simultaneous fireworks along the shore does indeed seem something to see. We will ponder and let you know our decision.