Caen or extra night in Paris?

Getting from CDG to Bayeux is going to take 4-6+ hours by train. At least an hour to get out of the airport (probably more), 30 min+ for the train from CDG to Gare du Nord. Walk to Gare St Lazare train station, wait for train to Bayeux, 2.5-4.5 hr train to Bayeux. Caen saves only 15 minutes on the train ride. If you decide to go straight to the coast, I would continue on to Bayeux for 2 nights instead of staying one night in Caen.

To be clear, I am not asking to save time. My question is value/experience. Is Caen that different than Bayeux? Is seeing Montmartre a better experience than Caen, when we are already staying in Bayeux two nights?

Oh! And I should add we are picking up a car in Caen anyway.

I assume you are using a train and not renting a car. Caen has the WWII museum, but other than that, I think other places would be more interesting for an overnight. I would stay in Bayeux, if you had a car and wanted something other Bayeux, I'd recommend Arromanches. It's beautiful and has a wonderful museum overlooking remnants of the artificial harbor constructed for the D-Day invasion. The museum takes just a couple hours to cover.

EDITED TO ADD: I see you are picking up a car in Caen. If you are interested in the museum which takes much of a day to experience, then go to Caen. Otherwise, I'd drive to Arromanches or Bayeux.

Is Caen that different than Bayeux? Is seeing Montmartre a better experience than Caen, when we are already staying in Bayeux two nights?

On a trip a few years ago we stayed in Bayeux for 2 nites and 0 days. Or that's almost what it felt like! We stopped in Caen on the way and saw the great WWII museum there, ended up spending a few hours and got to Bayeux late in the day. The Tapestry museum was closed by then and so were most of the shops in town. The next day we spent a full day on the Overlord tour of the D-Day beaches. Another dinner in Bayeux. The next morning before we left town we finally went to the Tapestry museum, which is great. I wish we had spent an extra night so we would have had more time to wander around town. So if your schedule is not allowing enough time to see Bayeux itself then I'd spend another nite there.

This is all a little confusing, but if your question is Paris vs. Caen for the 16th (if you get there soon enough), my answer would be definitely Paris -- Montmartre or elsewhere that interests you. This makes sense from a sightseeing standpoint but also because you won't want to take on too much the day after an overnight flight if you don't have to. Spend that jet-lagged sleep-deprived day in Paris, get a good night's sleep, and take the train to Caen the next day.

I'm a fan of the WWII museum in Caen, officially the Memorial de Caen, though not all in this forum agree. It's best reached by car on the way out of town to Bayeux. The website says there will be renovation work next month that may affect your experience there. But I'm a bigger fan of the Bayeux Cathedral and Tapestry, and there's a good WWII museum there (which I haven't visited but others here praise). Hopefully your two nights in Bayeux will give you time to see those sights. If not, I'd prioritize them over the Caen museum for whatever time you can give them.

Caen is an industrial city that was nearly totally flattened during WWII. It was rebuilt in modern style and--with the exception of a few structures that managed to survive the war--is not particularly attractive. The Caen Memorial (of which I am also a fan) is basically a full-day experience. Caen is otherwise useful primarily as a base for seeing coastal towns to the east via public transportation (not your plans or your situation).

Bayeux, by contrast, is a smallish town that came out of the war intact. It has an attractive historic center, an invasion museum of manageable size, a nice cathedral and the Bayeux Tapestry. During peak season the tourist office offers a walking tour, but I don't know that it will be doing so at the time of your visit. Stay in Bayeux.

First, after a long flight and then a train ride into Gare du Nord, you have a choice..you can spend about 30 minutes walking while dragging your luggage to Gare St. Lazare or take a taxi for about 8 Euros. (I did this last month and that's what it cost.)

You will be in Paris for four days st the end of the trip so I would head out to Caen right away.

Where to stay that night? With two nights in Bayeux, all you will have time for is your tour . (I'm assuming it's an all day tour so you won't have time for anything else.) You will miss the Bayeux tapestry, the Bayeux Cathedral and the Bayeux WW II museum. Bayeux is a charming town to wander around.

With Caen, you have the WW II museum there. Caen is a small city.

You have to decide which is more important to you. I stayed an extra night in Bayeux to see the above mentioned places and I'm glad I did.

One other suggestion. Why not pick up a rental car in Bayeux on the 19th or even if necessary head back to Caen on that day as it's only a 20 minute train ride. If you are taking a tour of Normandy, you won't need a car while in Bayeux.

Stay in charming Bayeux two nights. Caen is not worth a night.

I like Caen, putting me in an obvious minority here. Being bigger than Bayeux means more choice of hotels and restaurants and car rentals. Its WW2 destruction holds a certain interest for those who follow the history of that cataclysm, as the Caen region was central to the campaign once the troops were off the beaches. And what seems unfairly overlooked is the castle-fortress of William the Conqueror, from which he invaded what is now southern England in 1066 (and all that). The massive pile dominates the centre of the city, and its displays are worth strolling for an hour or two.

If you are arriving on the 16th from North America on a long flight, definitely stay in Paris since you will be jet lagged. Montmartre is a great place to stay if you're jet lagged, since strolling the streets (and stairs) will keep you awake. As for Caen, as others have noted, it was devastated during the Battle of Normandy. Why stay in a modern town that looks like it could be in New Jersey when you can stay in a historic Normandy town--Bayeux? I'd pick up the rental car, drive to the fabulous WWII museum on the outskirts of Caen, and then head to Bayeux for the night.

Comment about the jet lag recovery. When it works in the itinerary, I like to do a train trip imediately upon arrival, if I do not plan to be in the arrival city, anyway. We end up dozing a bit on the train and feel refreshed enough to do a bit of sightseeing before going to bed a bit early on that arrival day.