Hello all and Happy New Year!
Next December 2nd my wife and I end a river cruise in Paris.
We have spent time in Pairs, but not the D-Day sites.
Thinking of taking the train, or maybe rent a car, from Paris to the area.
How much time is needed there to give it a fairly thorough look?
Is Caen a good home base for a few nights?
Any suggestions are most appreciated (RS book on the way).
RC
If you go to Normandy to walk the beaches in December you won't have to worry about crowds. Of course, many of the museums and sites will be closed for the winter. But you can still see many of the monuments, and the AMBC American Graveyard will be open. The weather is going to suck.
You can, with some luck and perseverance, visit most of Juno, Sword, and Gold in a day. But the monuments are right up in the towns, and take a bit of hunting down. If you do go this way make sure you stop in the Canadian Cemetery.
Utah and Omaha are further out, and quite different. Utah is in the middle of wide open dunes, Omaha has the large seawall and cliffs. Again, you can visit both in a day, depending on what else you add other than just walking the beaches.
Caen is good for the British/Canadian sites, but a fair drive from the US positions.
I would stay in Bayeux. It is IMO a more charming town. I don't know how many restaurants, etc will be open in December. Caen is much bigger and will have more places open, but Bayeux is closer to the sights you will probably want to see. Take the train to Caen (2 1/2-3 hours) and pick up your car there, then drive to Bayeux, visit the beaches, cemeteries, museums, etc. (About a half-hour drive between the two towns). In the summer I would spend two days visiting the beach sights, but in the winter, which may have pretty sucky weather, I don't know. Get a guidebook from the library that discusses the beach sights and pick what you want to see the most. Remember that it will get dark earlier in December also, so you will have fewer daylight hours. Pharmer Phil is a contributor to this forum and really knows her stuff about the Normandy beaches and history, etc. Maybe she will offer some advice for a December visit. If it were summer I would definitely give the area more days. There are other towns worth going to, such as Ste. Mere-Eglise.
If open, I would try to find a place to sample cider. Bayeux has a nice cathedral. Caen has an extensive WWII museum.
If you have extra days, I would drive to Rouen (about 2-21/2 hours) drop the car, and stay a couple of days. You can then take a train back to Paris (about 1 1/2 hours).
Bonne chan ce!
We did this in the fall and really enjoyed it, although I don't know what it will be like in December.
We took the train from Paris to Caen, rented a car in Caen, and stayed in Bayeux. Staying in Caen would have worked fine.
There are several companies that do tours of the D-Day beaches and they all leave/return to Bayeux. We did a full-day tour of the American beaches with Overlord Tours, it was great. If you look around this forum, you will find A LOT of praise for Overlord, it's well-deserved. They have several tours depending on how you want to break it down.
As far as "how much time is needed," I could have stayed a week with no problem. Since you have a car, there is A LOT you'll be able to see and do in Normandy. Visit Arromanche to see the Mulberries, Mont Saint-Michel is an hour or so away and it's awesome, and there are a lot of beautiful scenic towns. Again, i don't know what will be open in December, but you should be able to find something.
Enjoy!
In addition to the weather, the Sun will set in Bayeux around 5:00pm in early December. Still, book as much time as you can. I usually stay over a week, but I haven't visited later than September.
Caen has its Memorial, which some like and some don't, but I think it's worth a visit. it's also a short drive to Bénouville, where the Pegasus Bridge museum is located -- small but definitely worth it even if you're unfamiliar with its taking by British troops in the early morning hours of 6 June. It's open until mid-December before closing for the season, so if you're in the area in early December you should be fine.
Caen is a pretty large city, though, with accompanying traffic headaches especially during rush hours. If you're solely focused on American-related sights, I'd probably pick a smaller town. closer to Utah and Omaha Beach. Many recommend Bayeux. Carentan or Sainte-Mère-Eglise also would be candidates.
Unlike a lot of folks who visit in the summer or shoulder seasons, I live in the general area year-round (a little less than an hour's drive to either Omaha Beach or Utah Beach). Had the pleasure of living through tempête Goretti just last night.
If you have specific questions in the future as you firm up your plans feel free to send me a direct message and I'll do my best to respond.
I'd recommend starting with a one-day, small-group tour running from Bayeux. Overlord is one option. Then you can use your car to hit some other places of interest. Bayeux has a good invasion museum of manageable size and an interesting cathedral. Although I liked the museum in Caen, it is really a full-day affair, and many folks find it too time-consuming and too expensive.
There's lots to see in Normandy beyond the D-Day sites. I split my nights between Bayeux and Caen. Without a car, Caen was a better base for places to the east, which included Falaise (interesting WWII museum), Cabourg and Deauville in addition to Rouen and Honfleur. However, my trip was in the summer; I have no idea what conditions will be like in December.
We traveled to Normandy a few years ago and loved it! Great choice. Few thoughts...
Time - we spent 3 days in Normandy. Two of those days visiting Normandy WWII sites and one day in Bayeaux. I wish we had one more full day to spend at the WWII sites. We stayed in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, which was a convenient location for visiting the sites. Bayeaux is lovely and would be a great launching point as well. The tapestry may be on tour when you visit - something to check if that is a big draw for you.
Car - highly recommend renting a car. You will be able to see much much more of the D-Day beaches/memorials then if you relied on public transportation. I don't even know how much public transportation there is around the sites along the coast. It could be difficult. Parking is very easy and convenient at all the major sites. We drove straight to Normandie from CDG - it is a lovely drive.
My family is very knowledgeable about WWII history. We ended up hiring a guide for one day. Hands down - best decision. I was skeptical since we were all very well read on Normandie, but we learned so much about the war, soldiers and some of the smaller less known sites to see. Our guide was Boy Eysbroek, he picked us up from our hotel and gave us a really impactful tour.
Some sites to keep in mind for your visit:
Longues-sur-Mer naval battery
-World War II German artillery battery
Arromanches
- Arromanches museum, 360 video, German 88 canon, Sherman tank
Gold Beach
-British 50th infantry
-artificial harbors used to bring troops and transports ashore
-only fully intact remaining German gun installation
Pegasus Bridge
-Held by British at beginning of war to weaken counter attack by Germans
Saint mère église
-John Steele of 505th Paratrooper Infantry Regiment
Utah Beach area
Point du hoc
-exhibits the Atlantic Wall, with complete bunkers and fortifications left alone since the 1945.
Omaha Beach
American cemetery
Have a terrific trip!
We were there in September 2 years ago. RS book on Normandy was extremely helpful. We drove to Avarranches and stayed in an historic hotel on the beach, good restaurant, and the museum in town was very interesting. Was able to look out of our room and see the remains of the mulberries on the beach. Also visited Juno beach and the Canadian museum, college guides were very helpful. Next stayed two nights at LaSapiniere in St. Laurent-sur-mer, this was very convenient, right off Omaha Beach, could easily walk to the beach and on the beach. Close by was a statue of an Indian medic that spent Day going out into the water and beach and rescuing wounded Americans. Quite a feat considering “Bloody Omaha”. LaSapiniere was our best find as far as accommodations go. The food was better than in Paris. The mussels in cream sauce were absolutely fantastic. The family that runs the place was great. With a car we were able to drive around and see most of the sites. Utah beach with the gun emplacements and the bombardment potholes were amazing. The American Cemetery was heartfelt. The museum at Dead Man’s curve was very interesting. Took a simulated DDay parachute drop from a C-47. Driving around Normandy could see all the hedgerows Normandy was famous for causing all the Allied casualties in trying to break out of Normandy. Lastly took a side trip to Saint Mihel. That was like stepping back in time, spent the night in a hotel on the island, felt like we were back in medieval times. Food was great. Would definitely stay at LaSapiniere if we ever go back.
Be sure to include Pointe du Hoc in your plans. Definitely rent a car. Renting a car makes it fun to stop in any little town you drive through. It's not hard to drive around at all. I stayed in Bayeux (tapestry museum is closed til 2027 though). Consider Mont St Michele. That's such a gorgeous site...not much open during the off season though.
