Driving Around In Normandy-D Day Beach Sights

You could also consider travel to Bayeux by train, and then book one of the excellent local tours which provide transportation. As I recall, some of them use large vans that may have the capacity for 8 people. The D-Day sights are spread across about a 50 mile front and extend some distance inland so that's an enormous area to cover. The guides know the area well and are experts at getting between sights in the shortest time possible.

One other point to remember is that for driving in France, each driver listed on the rental contract will require an International Driver's Permit or a certified translation of the terms of your D.L. in French. It's very easy to obtain an I.D.P. at any AAA office for a small fee. These must be used with your home D.L. and are valid for one year.

Hi Ken

Thanks for the quick response. I've driven many times in Europe (as well as France), so I am definitely going to get the IDP from AAA before I leave. My family and I prefer to rent a car and drive around by ourselves rather than taking a tour bus, but I do see the point you are making about the fact that many of the tour operators drive around in vans, so the roads must be able to handle them.

Penn

Many of the tours don't use a Bus but rather a large (8 passenger?) van. You could also consider renting your own van and then arrange for an expert guide to travel with you for the day. If you're interested in something like that, you might contact - http://www.visitdday.com/

Hi,
I agree with others about going with a private company to tour the area. However, D-Day stops are not crowded and can take large or small vehicles. Roads were easy to navigate. Still, what made our time so special was touring the American D-Day area with one of the best guides ever! JR

Put aside the question of drive-ability. A tour will cost lots more and be worth every penny/euro for the guide's information, context and anecdotes.

We rented our own vehicle just as you will do - and we hired a private guide to ride around with us and guide us to sights. He provided a wealth of information and of course perfect driving directions. We got our guide through www.toursbylocals.com which provides local guides in MANY destinations. We've used them several times all over Europe.

Where will you rent your 9 passenger minibus? You do know that you may be able to squeeze 8 people into the minibus, but you won't be able to accommodate all of their luggage, too. So hopefully you'll be arriving by train with your luggage, checking into your hotel, then renting the minibus just to transport your family around to the sights.

I drove from Rouen to Etretat then down to Bayeux and MSM in September. I never noticed anything I'd consider extremely tight driving. If you have a big van, I'd avoid the old centers where the narrowest roads will be - find parking and walk in. I had a little car but didn't experience anything I'd call claustrophobic where I drove, including many town centers, in Normandie.

Hi Penn,

You can rent 9-seater vans and drive them with a regular (international) driving license. It's not hard to navigate or park these vans in Normandy. You indeed might have a problem taking your Luggage. We operate long wheelbase ones (L2) and might work, if traveling fairly light. I did it with 8 customers' luggage, but was tight. Most 9-seater vans you can rent are the short (L1) wheelbase ones and you can forget taking luggage for 8.

Good luck.

Regards,
Rene van Oirschot

50-passenger tour buses do also drive easily between the typical D-Day sights. Most of these have designated parking lots, too, to corral congestion. When Rick Steves tours visit Normandy, our big bus has not seemed to limit us.

We spent about a day and a half driving around the area on our own. While we probably missed some information a guide would provide, we were able to see what we wanted to see at our own pace. We found Major and Mrs. Holt's Battlefield Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Normandy-Battlefield-Guide-Major-Guides/dp/1848840799) to be a good resource.

You didn't mention it but if you arrive and depart at different times and places, you might consider two cars. Also 8 people don't always want to go to the same place all the time. Two cars would allow for choices. Maybe some wish to get back to the hotel, and others want to spend more time at a site.
The roads are fine for either a van or two cars.
Also I see some people say you need an IDP for France. Here are Rick Steves' thoughts on it.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements
I did buy one for Italy a couple of years ago (required there), and I agree it looked like a small document designed to make the policeman's life easier to write you out a ticket.

"Also I see some people say you need an IDP for France."

An International Driver's Permit IS required for France, or in lieu a certified translation of your home D.L. in French. Regardless of the information posted on the RS website, this is the official information from the Embassy of France.....

http://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article376

As stated in the first paragraph....

"You may drive with a valid U.S. driver’s license if it is accompanied by a notarized translation in French. It is strongly recommended that you carry an International Driving Permit. You must be 18 years of age or older to drive in France."