CDG to Bayeux

Take either a taxi from the official taxi queue at CDG, to Gare St Lazare - 56€, or the RER B to Gare du Nord and transition to the RER E to Gare St Lazare - 11.80€. From Gare St Lazare, take the train to Bayeux:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/

I expect people to give the Month and Year when they post, but not their Ages (!) Ask yourself if this will be your last time in Paris in your lifetime. We did not see the D-Day Beaches (let alone "the rest" of Normandy) until our sixth time in France, counting business trips.

As your previous replies indicate, you are mistaken to consider Bayeux well-connected to CDG. It is also true that it is difficult to make the most of Normandy without a rental car. (And I do not "like" driving on vacation.) Our visit actually involved a few days in Paris, TGV to St. Pierre des Corps, three nights in the Loire, three nights in Dinard, three nights in Bayeux. Then back to Paris for a few days including Quatorze Juillet. Unlike many others' similar trips, we did not stop at Giverny on the way back to Paris because we had been on our first trip to Paris (1988), by commuter train.

I would not drive from CDG after a transatlantic flight. But starting from Paris does raise the question of where to rent to avoid driving in downtown Paris. And nowadays, you have to book cars well in advance.

The PPs have raised valid points about car rentals. It would be helpful to know when you are travelling and how many days you have allocated to Normandy. What do you want to see/do there?. As mentioned, public transportation in Normandy is not plentiful, and is targeted for locals going to/from work, school, etc. Without a car you will pretty much be limited to doing day tours. If a car IS an option, then you can still take the train- to and from Caen (which has a variety of rental agencies near the station). It's less than a half hour drive from Bayeux. Just something to consider.

I appreciate the information! We are traveling beginning of November 2024, 4 adults (3 active, healthy in 50's and a 24 year old). We are arriving on the 5th, and leaving on the 12th, splitting time between Paris and the Normandy region. I am rethinking our schedule. Will probably start in Paris, spend 3 full days, then take the train to Bayeux, spend the night, visit Tapestry, etc, spend another night, then have Dday tour guide pick us up for a full day of WWII sightseeing. I would like to fit Mont St Michel into this, but not sure if that works. Would take the train back to Paris, maybe stay over at an airport hotel, to catch the flight home. I think this sounds doable(?)

That seems like a doable plan, though it's too bad you won't have more time in Paris. CDG to Bayeux requires either driving (not safe imho after an overnight flight) or a trip into the heart of Paris to get a train out of it, which is a lot of work on arrival day.

You could probably take a morning train to Bayeux, spend the rest of the day there with the tapestry and cathedral, then the next day take your D-Day tour and either take an evening train back to Paris or spend one more night before a morning train back. That is, you could get away with just one or two nights in Normandy instead of the three your latest plan seems to suggest.

MSM seems like "a bridge too far" for your timeframe. It's a pretty full day from Bayeux and back. Many people recommend spending the night there to avoid the midday crowds, but those may not be such an issue in November.

Yay you for your first trip to France! I hope you have many more, with time to explore this wonderful country more fully.

Not sure it's best for your trip. I took a train to Rouen and rented a car from there to explore Normandy (then Brittany and Loir Valley) before dropping the car and returning to Paris by train.