My husband and I along with another couple have planned a UK trip this fall and we would like to add a side trip. We would like to take the Eurostar (Chunnel) to Paris, stay the night, get up the next day and go to the D-Day sites in Normandy, return that day, stay the night again, and return to London the next day. We are uncertain about a good area to book a hotel, and we also need some advice on how to get to the D-Day sites and back. Should we stay near the Gare du Nord station where the train will come in or somewhere closer to a few tourist sites to visit during the two evenings we are there? We need some guidance on what to do.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
If you take a morning Eurostar to Paris, you'll have time to get to Gare St-Lazare for a train to Normandy that same day. You could sleep in Bayeux and take a tour of the beaches from there the next day. I haven't done a tour but others here have recommended Overlord and others. Hopefully someone will offer a first-hand recommendation. After a second night in Bayeux (which also has a cathedral, museum, and the outstanding Bayeux Tapestry), you could take an early train to Paris, get to Gare du Nord and take an afternoon or evening Eurostar back to London.
If you want to tour the beaches on your own, take a train to Caen (before Bayeux) and rent a car there. Caen is a less interesting place than Bayeux but car rental is easier from the station.
This plan doesn't give you much time in Paris itself, and if that's an objective then it won't work. But if you need Paris just as a transfer point between trains, why pay Paris hotel rates and spend unnecessary time there? A day trip from Paris to the beaches and back is possible but very rushed.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32322 posts
It's not really feasible to do a day trip from Paris to Normandy to see the D-Day sights due to the travel times involved. Keep in mind that the sights cover a front of about 50 miles and extend some distance inland, so transportation is essential.
Arriving in Bayeux in the late morning or early afternoon is usually after the tours have departed. You could take a day trip from Paris using tour operators like Paris City Vision but it's not an ideal solution as these tours only cover a few of the sights and it's a LONG day. Spending at least one night in Bayeux is the best idea, as that will allow you to take a half day or full day tour with a local firm such as Overlord Tours (there are many other tour operators in the area). Pre-booking the tour is highly advisable!
If you can allocate a bit more time to this excursion, I'm sure the group here will be able to provide some Itinerary suggestions.
Posted by
Paris
7260 posts
Hi,
An effective way to do what you're looking to do, is to take an early morning train to Portsmouth and the morning ferry to Cherbourg (Brittany Ferries). There you can rent a car (very cost-effective since there's four of you) to tour some sights in the PM, sleep in Bayeux, maybe tour one or two more places in the morning, then drop car off in Caen and take an afternoon train to Paris. Spend the evening, sleep in Paris (close to Gare du Nord will be convenient for luggage storage!) and take a late Eurostar the next day.
Posted by
2 posts
We just returned from a European trip. We went to Bayeux for a weekend from Paris, and were very happy with the choice. We took a late afternoon train from Paris to Bayeux on a Friday, and did a full day private Overlord Tour on Saturday. We stayed overnight again, and returned by train to Paris on Sunday. It worked well for our family! We would highly recommend the private Overlord tour. We did it with our family of five and it was a highlight for everyone.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7757 posts
You may wish to add up the travel time to see if It is worth the effort. London is poorly connected to the D/day beaches.
Posted by
3395 posts
If I were you, I would spend two nights in Bayeux, giving your group a full day to enjoy D-Day sites. Take Eurstar to Gare du Nord, and then take a cab to Gare St. Lazare. We did this trip back in 2010. It would have been less stressful if we had pre-booked a taxi between the two stations, but we still made it with a little time to spare.
I did a dummy booking on loco2, and it definitely looks doable.
Posted by
New England
670 posts
Notwithstanding the excellent advice you’ve received so far, you CAN do what you originally proposed by taking one of Bayeux Shuttle’s D-Day tours specifically listed as “suitable as a day trip from Paris.”
http://www.bayeuxshuttle.com/summer-service/5.htm
You’ll take an early train from Gare Saint Lazare to Bayeux and you’ll get back to Paris late in the evening. A very long but hopefully rewarding and meaningful day. Bayeux Shuttle offers this itinerary from Bayeux as either a private tour or a group tour where you’ll join others in a minivan. Rick recommends the company in his Normandy guide book.
I am visiting London in October and also planned to do a day trip to the beaches from Paris, but I was able to lengthen my trip so now I’ll be staying in Bayeux, doing a full day D-Day tour with Bayeux Shuttle one day and seeing the Cathedral and the tapestry on the other day.
Hope it all works out for you!