Please sign in to post.

Bayeux and d-day tours..Mont st Michel shuttle?..itinerary help and how to get around the last day

We are going to Bayeux in early October via Paris. Our first visit to the area and we plan to be in Bayeux for about three days. We arrive in CDG/Paris in the morning at about 9am and off to train station (probably by taxis or maybe shuttle). We should arrive in Bayeux early afternoon. I think we can walk from the train station to Vila Lara. If we have any energy, we will look around Bayeux that afternoon/evening

Day 1 Thusday Overload full day tour of Omaha/Utah

Day 2 Friday Thinking about Mont st Michel . It looks like all the group shuttles are all day? Leave in the morning and arrive back in the late afternoon. Are there any afternoon shuttles? I was thinking that later in the day it would less crowded and we only need a few hours. Would Thursday be less crowded?

Day 3 Saturday The Normandy trip is for me as I have always liked WWII history. We will head back to Paris in the late afternoon on this day. I think the last train leaves Bayeux at 6:40 pm. I was planning to try and either revisit Omaha Beach and then see other sites. I would like to see the British/Canada beaches and Pegasus bridge. The question is how? We could rent a car but getting and returning it to the Hertz/Total station requires time as it is outside Bayeux. I was actually thinking of renting a car but dropping it off in Caen as there are more trains back to Paris. There is a drop off charge for a rental. Another option is to hire a Taxi. I have a price of $200euros for pick up at 9 am and drop off at Caen in the afternoon from the Bayeux taxi service. The last option is to hire a guide and have them drop us off in Caen. A guide for only two people isn't cheap. I am leaning towards a taxi or a guide. It is pricey but this is a bucket list trip for me and I want see key things and suspect the one day group tour is not enough. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.

M

Posted by
1540 posts

There is another thread on this forum that has a lot of good info about things you want to do.
The title of the thread is "Normandy for three days - tours and/or car rental"

Several folks have stayed in Bayeux and done a full day doing the Beaches of Normandy, Cemeteries, small villages with ties to the D-Day operations.
Also 1 day tours to Mont St. Michel
You can search for the thread by name.
Happy Travels.

Posted by
1175 posts

Here's how we did it. Reserve a car in advance to pick up at Caen, right across the street from the Caen railroad station. Take the train to Caen then drive to Bayeau, about 15 miles. We took the full day D Day tour and like most tours, some places barely got 15 minutes. We then used our car to return to the D Day sites mostly overlooked, like the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach. We also got up early and drove to MSM on the four lane motorway, arriving before the hordes from the tour buses. About 2 hours was plenty and we drove around the bay to Cancale for a great seafood lunch. We then drifted along the back roads to Bayeau, stopping in little villages to buy cheeses, Calvados, and picnic supplies for that evening. Return the car to Caen and take the local train back to Paris. No need for a taxi or a guide to haul you around. It's way easier than you might think.