D-Day Trips from Paris - Recommendations

This has been asked multiple times on this forum. I am one that doesn't recommend trying to fit this wonderful area into a "day trip from Paris." You should really spend at least one, and hopefully three nights in the area (2 full days that is, I usually stay a full week). It is like staying in NYC and taking a day trip to Cape Cod. It is well over 3 hours each way driving from Paris to Bayeux (where many tours originate), and over two by train (once you are at the correct train station in Paris, which is Gare Saint-Lazare). And the time between sites once in Normandy are considerable enough to factor in (38 minutes driving just between Omaha and Utah Beaches, and hour and a quarter from Utah to Pegasus Bridge). You will spend the bulk of your day not visiting Normandy sites, but sitting in a van or train. And your few hours in Normandy will be so limited as to only briefly stop at a couple of the highlights. If you want to just post a selfie to say "I was there," you can do it. But however much I love Normandy (nine visits so far, more planned), I wouldn't give up a day in Paris for this sort of excursion. But give it the time it deserves and you will be well rewarded.

Have you made it clear to your friends how much overhead is involved in a same-day runout? Do they know that Caen is not a suburb of Paris? You're talking about six hours, minimum, transportation. Have you checked Caen climate in November?

https://goo.gl/maps/FoYCCJvgVAEmU7RK6

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/day-trip-from-paris-to-d-day-beaches-acf8ace3-7773-4e57-b464-b178dcd45e1f

Among the difficulties of a tour originating in Paris is that the coach will only be on-site for a few hours. Trains from Paris won't get to Caen or Bayeux in time for an organized day tour. You are right to seek out a full tour; otherwise you will be rushing around getting only superficial impressions. "Seeing" the beaches as they are now doesn't give much insight into what happened. The military cemeteries speak for themselves but the rest of the vista does not. You've been there so you can insist that your friends take a full-day guided tour staying overnight. If they insist on doing it their way, you can stay in Paris and enjoy an extra day solo. That way you won't be forced into serving as a volunteer guide.

Overlord Tours runs a tour on weekdays (but I don't know about the month of November) that's designed for folks staying in Paris. You take the early train to Bayeux and are picked up right at the train station (saving the walk into town). At the end of the day, you're dropped off back at the train station to get the train to Paris. You are responsible for buying your own train tickets. This tour seems to cover about the same things as the regular full-day tour to US-related sites (which I really enjoyed), because your travel between Paris and Bayeux is mostly completed outside standard touring hours. It would be a long day.

Overlord Tour #2FS

If you do do this, definitely take the train and pick up one of those Overlord tours as acraven recommends. The cost involved for someone to actually take you to Normandy and back is astronomical.

And Overlord is a great, serious company.

November is indeed a rough time for this as the days are so short. But I know sometimes you simply have to fit things in as you can fit them in. But this is a looooong time on a train, then in a mini-van, then on a train.

Our friends have booked with this company: https://parisluxurytours.com/about-us/. It will be a 13 hour day.
It is well-reviewed and their communication with Shahin has been excellent. For example, they were looking to visit Normandy on a Sunday but he suggested they move it to a Monday due to the heavy traffic returning to Paris at the close of the weekend. They will be transported directly from and back to our Marais vrbo. DH and I have opted not to join them, since we don't arrive from the Dordogne until Sunday afternoon and want to enjoy Paris before we depart on Tuesday. The grand total for the 8 of them is @1600.

Have a look at this thread on the same topic:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/recommendations-for-normandy-tour-from-bayeux

Hi all,
Thank you.
Points well taken and noted. I'm especially grateful for the input from the Parisians who always seem to give spot on, hands on, local advice.