CDG to Giverney, Honfleur, Bayeux, Caen

I like option 2 as it will give hou time to also visit the Canadian and British beaches. The British beach has a very interesting small museum telling their amazing story.
Also, you will want to see the Bayeux Tapestry from 1066 detailing William the Conquerors’s story.
I hope you do go to Giverney, and perhaps stop to see lovely Honfleur. The Peace Museum in. Awn is worthwhile too.

I would be hesitant to drive after a long overnight flight. I always feel like my brain is a bit scrambled :-)

Hi Steve,

There's a lot you aren't telling us, such as your whole itinerary. So I'll just observe that finding a car in Giverney (or Vernon) may be challenging, but you could always get one in Rouen, which also makes a worthwhile stop.

Meanwhile, if you are going to be spending time in Paris, it might make more sense to go to Bayeux and see Giverney as a day trip from Paris. I'll bet you'd enjoy a day trip to Honfleur from Bayeux better than to MSM, but perhaps I'm wrong about that. MSM is magical at night.

I would absolutely not choose Option 2.

First, I think it's not prudent to drive the day you arrive on an overnight transatlantic flight.

Second, if your flight lands at 1 PM, I don't think you're going to arrive in Giverny in time for any sort of afternoon tour--assuming you don't just mean "walk around outside and look at stuff".

Third, even if your flight miraculously arrives an hour early and you get to Giverny early enough to join some sort of tour, you may well be in no condition to benefit from it. I'm always brain-dead on Day 1.

It is a great idea to make Day 1 productive by traveling to one of the places you want to see.

I'll just add two items to the advice you've received:

1. It doesn't make sense to me to stay in Bayeux one night and Caen the other. These two towns are only 20–25 minutes apart. I'd just pick one or the other (my choice is totally Bayeux). If you're only going to Caen to get the train, just drive there right before your train. The rental car companies are closer to the train than any hotel would be.

2. I haven't calculated it, but I don't think a train between Caen and Mont-Saint-Michelle makes sense. But it is not a bad drive (done it a few times).

Enjoy!

Just to be contrary, I've rented a car at CDG after several transatlantic flights and driven to Normandy (once all the way to Brittany). It depends on how well you drive and if you've driven in France before. So I would do option two, but skip Giverny and go straight to Honfleur. Don't try to pack too much into your trip--assume you will be back.

Just to be contrary, I've rented a car at CDG after several
transatlantic flights and driven to Normandy (once all the way to
Brittany). It depends on how well you drive and if you've driven in
France before.

Just to be contrary, I don't think it has anything to do with your ability as a driver, or whether you've driven in France before. But it has everything to do with how your body (and particularly your brain) reacts to jet lag and a very long flight; especially if you're unaccustomed to both.

I wish there was more information, because I don't love any of the options. There won't be enough time to see the house and gardens at Giverny on the arrival day. Car rental in Vernon (especially an automatic) may be problematic in Vernon. Why must the OP stay in Caen on the 4th night, and where are they going after that? Might as well just rent a car in Caen and sleep there, day tripping to Bayeux, MSM, and Honfleur.

We are planning a similar trip to Normandy for the first few days of our France/Germany vacation this summer. Debating rental car vs. train. As of now...Flying into CDG, driving to Caen where we have an AirBnB for two nights. I have been to Normandy, Caen and Honfleur before...both as a student and later as an adult living in Germany. Now, bringing my son to visit. Honestly, we are skipping the Bayeux Tapestry. It was short and not worth a full stop. The photos on-line are enough.

We are planning to fly into CDG, drive to Caen and explore the castle, etc that evening. The next day, we are doing Normandy landing beaches, cemetery, Point du Hoc and then meander back to Caen along the coast. There are several beaches with WWII highlights along the way. Then, we are heading to Honfleur on our way toward Germany. Honfleur is beautiful!!! Deauville is also beautiful. I believe it is Honfleur that has an old church made from and upside down boat. It is very neat! I personally would not do Honfleur on the first day! It is so pretty. The cemetaries and beaches are more mindless and you can just take it in. Also, you could stay in Caen all three of your nights, as Honfleur and several other coastal towns are within a short drive. You would save on check-in/check-out times and just enjoy the days.

Food for thought.

I don't think you gave the month of your proposed trip, or whether D-Day anniversaries are involved. That makes a big difference. I would also like to know what happens after day 4, because you have a car plan and a no-car plan. What does "must stay in Caen on day 4" mean? You are keeping something private that is relevant to the quality of our advice.

I agree that Giverny (sic), which is easily reached from Paris as a train daytrip, is not worth creating a one-night hotel stay-especially when you state that (like me) you don't want to change hotels unnecessarily. In other words, Giverny is not "related" to your Normandy trip. MSM is related.

Are you planning to see the Normandy beach sites on your own? I only ask because if you are going to pay Sgt. Rock to drive you around and give you a high-intensity tour, you don't need the car so much. We did the area on our own, and enjoyed it - despite occasional parking hassles, and one-lane roads. You should use Google Maps or Michelin to see how long the drive to MSM might be (and then add 15% to 20% to their estimate. (We saw MSM from closer than Bayeux, but certainly many people make the longer trip.)