We will be staying in Paris for a week in September. We are interested in visiting the Normandy Beaches. We are not planning on having a rental car and wonder if it is possible (advisable) to make a day trip via train to the Normandy Beach area.
Tom
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
The thread further down from yours titled "Normandy in a Day" might be helpful to you... https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/normandy-in-a-day
Posted by
OP
Ann Arbor, MI, USA
6 posts
Thanks! You are right, it was very helpful. Net result, the area definitely deserves more than a single day.
Posted by
Mission Viejo, Calif., USA
1010 posts
We used Gray Line Tours for day trips such as: around Paris, Versailles, Giverney (totally recommend), Normandy Beaches, Mont St. Michel, etc. We were very happy in all our day tours.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32206 posts
Tom,
It is possible to take a day trip from Paris to the Normandy beaches with Paris City Vision Tours or other agencies. However, it will be a long day (and a bit expensive) and you'll only have limited time at a few of the sights, given the travel times back and forth to Paris. That may be all you're interested, but if you'd rather spend more time there to have a more detailed look, the best solution is to spend a night or two in Bayeux and take one of the excellent local tours.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Birmingham, AL, USA
222 posts
Oh yes, it is quite possible. My husband and I actually made a train trip from Paris to Bayeaux and joined a mini van tour by Victory Tours for 8 hours and back to Paris. We left Paris around 7 AM, arriving in Bayeaux around 8:45 in time to meet Raol(?), our guide. Visited a number of sights, including Omaha and Utah beaches, churches, St. Mare Eglise, Arromanches, etc. We stopped at a local cafe for lunch and sampled local specialties. Back to the train station to meet our train back to Paris. We had a wonderful and deeply moving day, despite rainy weather. I highly recommend this experience. Victory Tours is mentioned in the RS France guide. He has a wealth of knowledge about the D Day events. Our group was only four so we had plenty of opportunity for dialogue.
We did not feel the need to join a group trip from Paris as this is so easily doable on your own. Be sure to check the weather for Normandy before leaving your hotel. We would have added another layer had we known it would be cool and windy in early May.
RS provides good info on visiting Normandy.