Bayeux during spring break

Hi! A lot to digest here. We used Bayeux Tours for the D-Day area tour our first day. They were great with lots of information and a lay of the land. We had a rental car, so went back and saw what we did not see on the tour and spent time in museums the second day. We could have used a third day, but I think 3 days will give you and your nephew plenty to see. I don't know about public transportation, but it will be hard to get to some places without a car. You could consider renting a car for a couple of days at the Bayeux train station. Another neat day drive would be to Honfleur and Etretat on the coast, and Rouen. Maybe there is a tour or maybe use the rental car and pick two of the three cities. All three would be a long day of driving, but all 3 are really neat towns and very different. Honfleur reminds you of a New England seaport village whose buildings were not destroyed in WWII. Etretat has the white cliffs you can walk up and is a nice coastal village. Rouen is a middle age city with lots of timbered structures. Another great day would be a day tour to Mont St. Michel. Bayeux Tours has one. And finally, don't forget the Bayeux Tapestry! I'll let someone else advise you on your second week! Bon voyage!

There are also the British and Canadian beaches. What sites has he found that he wants to visit?

We went to Bayeux with our sons in Nov. 2019 when they were 16 and 13. My oldest is a huge WWII buff. We spent 3 nights in Bayeux. We had a car and toured the area independently.

Full day 1: Arromanches des Bains (loved the 360 Cinema), Longues sur Mere, and the Overlord museum. 9 am - 2 pm-ish. We got hungry but NOTHING was open so we returned to Bayeux and stopped at the grocery to make a late lunch. Note that restaurants close from about 2-6!

Full day 2: Airborne museum at Ste Mere Eglise, Utah Beach & museum, Omaha Beach, Pont du Hoc. This was a long day. The sites are spread out, and my husband reads every. single. sign in museums!

The last morning in Bayeux we saw the Tapestry. This was plenty of time for us in Bayeux. Maybe one more day just to wander, but we would ALL have been bored.

We then spent 5 nights in Paris.

I would not plan on taking the train to Bayeux after an overnight flight. Between getting out of the airport, taking a train or taxi into Paris, changing train stations, then traveling to Bayeux, it could take 6+ hours. Spend a night in Paris, then travel the next day.

Also know that you may be traveling in off season, which means ALOT of shops and restaurants will be closed until summer begins. We ran into this in November. About half of all restaurants in Bayeux were closed, and even more were closed in the small villages. Even places right next to the museums.

In Paris, I would not do the hop on hop off bus. Traffic is horrendous and you’ll spend a lot of time going nowhere. Use the metro.

If you want him to enjoy himself, focus on stuff he would enjoy: street art vs museum art, maybe? A jazz club if he plays music. Checking out some of the big store if he’s into clothes. What is he interested in? Don’t drag him from church to church, museum to museum. They all start blending together. We easily filled 4 full days in Paris and only spent 2 hours in one museum. One of my favorite memories is walking up the stairs into Ste. Chapelle and hearing my oldest son gasp in awe. Definitely worth a short visit. He was pretty impressed by the big guns that the security team carried, too.

Have him do some research and let you know what HE wants to see.

There is more than enough war "stuff" to satisfy your nephew's interest for all 7 days. Aside from the museums listed above, there is the D-Day Museum in Bayeux, opposite of the British WW2 cemetery, the Museum of Peace in Caen, which takes most of the afternoon if you are seeing it thoroughly and you don't object to historical over-kill. I don't. With a rental car you can get out to La Cambe, the largest of the German war cemeteries in Normandy.

Ideally, one should see both museums, that in Bayeux (It features the PAK gun) and that in Caen. Take the train from Gare St. Lazare to Caen. Keep in mind that town was strategic in 1944 and was tenaciously held by the Germans, despite repeated British offensives to dislodge them for 6 six weeks.

If you want to work out this day trip from Paris going by train to Saumur to the see the French Tank Museum, probably the most extensive tank museum next to that in England, that can be done easily, if he is interested in doing that. The train to the Somme departs from Paris Gare du Nord. This was the region of horrific slaughter in WW1.

If you're getting a rental car, you'll see the area dotted with British and Commonwealth WW1 cemeteries, the largest German one is not far from Vimy the Canadian Memorial) located next to Arras.

I saw the surrender museum in Reims once, that was in 1984. Yes, it is worth it to see the site of the third (in date order) end-of-the-war surrender of the Germans in 1945. The table arrangement is exactly that of the event in 1945, plus a poignant exhibition of the horrors.

Part 2 here.....What areas or towns do you plan on visiting in the Somme? Towns like Albert and Peronne in the Somme have their WW1 museums. The big extensive WW1 museum is in Peronne, not a train stop. Since you will be going out to Reims, the other big extensive WW1 museum is in Meaux, itself the site of fighting in 1914.

Bottom line is depending on the level and depth of his interest in the war history, numerous places , ie, museums, he can go to. You mention the Invalides (French Army Museum). Not too far from that , ie walking distance from Les Invalides, is the French Naval Museum.

Welcome to the Forum!

Last April, I took a 9-day trip with an unrelated 19 yo teen (about the age of my nephews). We landed in Paris at 6 am, wandered the city for the day, hopped on a train to Bayeux late that afternoon, stayed there three nights and then worked our way to Berlin. Here is the trip report if you are interested: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/the-teen-and-i-a-normandy-and-berlin-trip-report

I agree with asking the teen what he wants to see. I tried to build our trip around what my teen wanted to see. I got a little carried away with full-day private tours to try to cram in as much as possible. it was hard for my teen (with ADHD) to make it through those to the end.

A day or two done by the seat the pants is good, too, I think. Both of us really enjoyed our one unscheduled day where we just went with the flow... like making a stop at the Berlin Zoo as we walked past it headed to a memorial the teen wanted to see. I could see the interest in his eyes and asked him if he wanted to stop. He said "Yes!" so in we went. It was great.

I would also suggest letting the teen lead as much as possible. Let him lead your way through airports, transportation, walking around, etc. Provide assistance, of course, when needed.

You may have already thought of this, but do something to memorialize the trip. From the beginning, I intended to make a photo book about the trip, the teen's first to Europe (though I didn't tell him about my plan). While we were on the trip, I asked him every day what his favorite thing of the day was. We would also laughingly reflect on any travel misadventures of the day, like him getting hit by bird poop twice in one day or me getting scolded by a French airport worker for not understanding his French request. It was a reminder that misadventures/failures are a normal part of a fun trip and usually pretty funny when you look back on them. In the book, I recounted each day in pictures and words, the latter heavily sprinkled with humor. The last page for each day included:

• [The Teen}'s Favorite Thing of the Day
• Dave's Favorite Thing of the Day
• Travel Misadventure of the Day

The teen was very surprised when I presented him with the book. He flipped through it, looking at the pictures, repeatedly saying, "This is cool!" Then he started reading some of the text and went back to the beginning and read every page. We spent a good amount of time reminiscing and laughing about our adventure. It was, as the teen says, super cool.

Feel free to message me if I can be of assistance in negotiating multigenerational travel!

In Baueux do not miss the amazing 900 year old Bayeux Tapestry telling the story of the Norman conquest of England.

If your nephew is a "WW2 buff," there is certainly a lot to keep him occupied and interested in Normandy. I personally go every other year for at least this amount of time. The beaches themselves are 45 miles apart as the crow flies, and you won't fly. So to get between them you have to take smaller roads inland to the main highway to get between them. And the battlefields spread far inland beyond the beaches, including the airborne areas of operation in Sainte-Mère-Église (for the U.S.) and Ranville and Pegasus Bridge (for the British). I personally think Caen and it's museum are highly overrated, but there are many other wonderful museums in the area. One of my favorites is the Utah Beach museum. There are also many contemplative cemeteries. Two often overlooked cemeteries are the small but peaceful Canadian cemetery in Reviers, and the Orlandes German Cemetery (half the size of the one at La Cambre, but still larger than the American Normandy Cemetery). Non-WWII things of interest include the Bayeux Tapestry and Bayeux Cathedral, and—if you are up for a drive—Mont-Saint-Michel.

There is very minimal public transportation in this area other than the Intercities trains that run to Normandy through Caen and Bayeux, and on to Valognes and Cherbourg. I can't imagine visiting this area without a car, and in fact, none of the sites I mentioned are accessible any other way, except you could see the Bayeux sites by walking if you were staying somewhat central there.

If you want to see a town with no foreign tourists, except some French ones, go to Beauvais, about half way between Paris and Amiens, very easy to reach from Paris by train (or Amiens for that matter. ).

Aside from the cathedral, there is also a WW2 site, the German Military Cemetery is there ca. one mile or so from the centre ville. I like Beauvais, was told of that cemetery located there, and did a day trip there departing from Paris Nord.

Thank you everything for your thoughtful replies. Luke would like to see the American, British and Canadian beaches. Caen is high on his list. We did not know about the tank museum or the naval museum and I am sure he will want to see both of those. Maybe we will stick with WW2 sites this year. It is up to him. I also like the advice to let him lead when we get there. I certainly will be visiting the tapestry. Thank you again!

Hi,

The French Naval Museum , Musee de la Marine, is close to Rue Cler and Les Invalides. Going to the Musee des Blindes (the tank museum) means leaving early for this day trip, take the TGV Paris to Tours, then the RER (regional train ) to Saumur, a place known for its wine and mushrooms. If he is very much interested in WW2 armour, I am sure this museum will fascinate him, the WW2 exhibits include also the famous German tanks.

Bayeux is beautiful town that is near many important sites including Dday beaches. Best would be to rent a car but there are also tours. You can also visit Mont Saint Michel, taste calvados, cheeses, visit a butter producer (Normandy is famous for apples, pears, horses, cheeses like Brie, WW2 and also medieval history) so plenty to see and do. Etretat is amazing. Some ideas here: https://theparisshortlist.com/best-day-trips-from-paris/

The Bayeux Tapestry itself is HUGE and very interesting for a teenager as it reads like a comic book. It is work of art and one of the most important historical artefacts for mankind. It tells the story of the FRENCH conquest of England, how William the Conqueror was promised the crown, was deceived then plotted his invasion, the invasion and battle of Hastings itself, etc. William was born, raised and died in Normandy, a vassal to the king of France. He spoke French and his real name was Guillaume. He is also NOT a viking since vikings had settled 200 years prior. We just translate everything into English and take the watered down tale from the English who are embarrassed the French conquered them. You will see in the tapestry both Norman, Breton and the King's own troops fought in Hastings. Besides setting the record straight, it is a fascinating piece of history and art which is so detailed and reveals much about medieval lifestyle.

Several trips to Normandy under the belt. There's a lot to understand about D-Day to get the context of what you see in Normandy. It kind of depends on how much of a buff Luke is. Some favorite sites:

American Cemetery & WN62 & Omaha Beach
WN60 & F-1 Exit
German Cemetery at La Cambre
Airborne Museum @ Sainte-Mere-Eglise
Pointe du Hoc Memorial - still excellent, though they won't let you go inside the bunkers anymore
Pegasus Bridge Memorial (museum)
Juno Beach Museum
Various British cemeteries out in the countryside. Try the one in Ryes if you're staying in Bayeux
Longues-sur-Mer Battery - look at the entry/exit holes in the gun shields and you can trace out actual shells' paths
Arromanches artificial harbor
Maisy Battery
Merville Battery Museum & nearby Rally Point (just a marker) - can get inside a real C47 there
D-Day Experience Museum - newer, flashier than some
Utah Beach Museum
Overlord Museum - lots of vehicles

There are a bunch of things that are only meaningful if you've done the research into the actual battles. Examples:
Col Wolverton memorial (near D-Day Experience)
Marking locations of various WNs behind Omaha and looking for remnants
Brecourt Manor - just a field, but it's where the Band of Brothers skirmish really happened
Beuzenville-au-Plain - site of 505th outpost on D-Day
La Fiere & Cauigny Church
Church at Angoville-au-Plain

If you're really nuts (like me), convince your party to go out in the middle of the night to the middle of nowhere and split up with a paper map, compass, a cricket, and no idea where they are. Then try to meet at a rally point noted on the map. Simulating a paratrooper's experience. Now that was fun! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Getting to Bayeux - in 2022 we landed in CDG at 930 and barely made the (last) 1340 train to Bayeux. It was a heck of a day with delays everywhere we turned. So be aware that can happen. We have also landed earlier, hung out for a while, and caught the train easily. If you want to play it safe, stay the night in Paris.

You'll have to have a car in Normandy. Hardly any question about that if you want to see much. I train to Caen and rent there. Better selection than Bayeux, and the Avis is right across the street from the train station.

Everything Bill Burke said.

...except the part about not being able to go into the bunkers at Pointe du Hoc. You can still do that at least at some of them. Did it last week while showing a guest from out of town around.

I also agree that it's difficult to make the best use of 7 days in this area without a rental car. Weather may be iffy in March, so you should bring foul weather gear.
https://weather-and-climate.com/caen-March-averages
While (expensive) tour guides can reduce the need for a car for a day or two, you still need transportation. While guides have their purposes (having only observed Normandy Beach Guides, not hired one), they have an encylopedic, vigorous, laminated-photo assisted affect that might be tiring for multiple days, and perhaps not quite the thing for a student who's taking a week off from "teachers." Just guessing there.

I strongly encourage the nephew to buy two or three paperback guidebooks specifically for this area. He may discover neat things he didn't know about, which might not even require extra local travel. As others have noted, this area is rich in individual destinations with their own histories. I'm talking about travel books, not war-history books.