Extra day in Bayeux

If the DDay Tour only goes to the US Beaches, I highly recommend a visit to the British and Canadian beaches and UK museum. Very interesting. Then you could continue to Caen to visit the Peace Museum. If time allows, continue on to pretty Honfleur.
Look at Mt. St-Michel from the shore on your way to Bordeaux. After visiting the Mont we preferred the view from shore.

"Honfleur? Beuvron and the Route du Cidre? Caen?"

While staying in Bayeux in 2016 (with rental car) we combined Honfleur, Cidre/Cheese routes and Beuvron in one day, and were back in Bayeux for dinner. As early risers, we were on the road to Honfleur by 8:00; no breakfast, only coffee in the car. We must have beat the crowd to Honfleur because we parked with no trouble, enjoyed breakfast at one of the many restaurants along the harbor (no doubt the most touristy thing to do, but the scene was terrific), and wandered the streets for at least an hour (my wife shopping; me taking advantage of the great photo ops). We failed to visit the famous church; that was a senior oversight. Still, we had plenty of time for a freelance drive through the Pays d'Auge. With some planning we could have been more efficient, but still managed to have a great lunch in Cambremer ( http://www.auptitnormand.com/ ) and enjoy the charming countryside. Here's a helpful website site if you want an itinerary more specific than ours : http://www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk/en/discover/tourist-trails/the-cider-route.php

For what it's worth, we were underwhelmed by Beuvron en auge: packed with tourists; difficult parking; seemed "Disneyfied", but certainly others will disagree for good reason.

We missed Caen entirely, but did MSM as another day trip from Bayeux. Again, we hit the road early (coffee and croissants in hand) and didn't feel crushed by the morning crowds. I think we benefited by resisting the omelettes and tacky shops just inside the entrance, and by moving at a comfortable but determined pace to the heights. (Our daypack included a picnic lunch procured the night before in Bayeux; we enjoyed it at a scenic overlook on the rampart trail down from the Mont.) If we could only do one (MSM vs. Honfleur/Pays d'Auge), it would be a difficult decision -- but the experience of seeing MSM loom on the horizon, grow as we approached, then unfold as we climbed up, was probably the more memorable event.

While the D-day tours are highly recommended, there is more to see of those sights than can be seen in one day. Consider visiting areas the piqued your interest during our tour, or other areas that your tour didn't have time for. Or simply driving into the Norman countryside. Normandy is huge—even if you limit it to the area around the D-day sights. Mont-Saint-Michelle is wonderful. But it is on the other side or the region. And personally, I wouldn't visit it again if it only meant showing up briefly during the peak mid-day tourist crush. The suggestion to see other beaches and cemeteries is good, as is seeing some Calvados distilleries, or Honfleur (never been). I originally visited Normandy for the history, but I return regularly for that and more. I leave for there myself in two days for my 6th visit! Enjoy.

If you have more than a passing interest in the D-Day battles, I would definitely take a two day tour of the D Day beaches and more inland sites.

Two choices and we've done both. Our D Day tour only stopped briefly at the American cemetery above Omaha Beach. We returned with our rental car and easily spent another 3 hours there, then returned to the areas all along the D Day beaches, ate a picnic lunch and essentially spent another day doing that. Lots of museums and other sights in the British and Canadian beaches.

We drove early to Mont St. Michel, arriving just as it opened and before the tour buses. It's around 2 hours or less if you take the motorway. We had the place practically to ourselves, spent around 2 hours there then left as the crowds grew very large. We then drove around the bay to Cancale, around 20 miles tops, for a marvelous seafood lunch on the quay with MSM visible across the bay. Cancale oysters are the cream of the crop say many who are raw oyster fans and we are not but all of the seafood at lunch was likely caught that morning. After lunch we drifted back to Bayeux along the back roads, stopping in little villages to buy cheeses, Calvados, local wine, locally produced items from little shops, take photos, etc. Our slow drive back from MSM was one of our favorite highlights. Either choice will be worthwhile.

For your third night, you could make make the easy move to Caen where there are plenty of hotels and restaurants to choose from. The "peace" museum gets good reviews, William the Conqueror's castle-fort in the centre of the city deserves a stroll and the city, which was badly damaged after the invasion, has churches and other relics worth exploring. Then you will be 20 minutes closer to Paris (or wherever) when you depart Normandy.

Hi there,

We visited this area in fall 2015 and very much enjoyed it. You can find our trip report here.

If I were you, I would definitely visit MSM. There is something absolutely breathtaking about seeing it as you approach. A very incredible sight. The Route du Cidre is lovely but MSM is unique. You could stop at Chateau de Pirou on the way, but getting there early may be preferable to avoid the crowds of people. Sounds like you can do that if you get there early enough. I definitely loved our stop at Chateau de Pirou though and would highly recommend it, as it is on your way to MSM.

We stayed a night in Honfleur. It was just ok for us. If I had it to do over again I think I would pick Dinan to stay in. Never been there, but the pictures look fabulous and I've read great things about it. It's definitely on my list for a future trip back to France. Happy planning! :)

We toured Normandy a year ago and spent 3 nights in Bayeux at the Churchill Hotel. We toured all day Saturday with Overland Tours, took Sunday to ourselves to return to places we wanted more time in- did the cathedral in Bayeux, the tapestry and were so glad we took the time to visit all 3 cemeteries......the American, British and German. After seeing Normandy those 3 cemeteries added so much to our WW2 tour. We also spent a night in Honfleur and loved its setting....enjoyed a wonderful meal there on a Friday night and saw the church there and loved shopping its streets the next morning. We drove through Beuvron-en-Auge driving around the Normandy area, had a delicious apple crepe and shopped its quaint streets. Cannot say enough about this beautiful area.
We drove to MSMichel after our Bayeux stay, spent a night there after touring all afternoon when the crowds left and left the next morning on our way to the Loire Valley. Our MSMichel stay was a bucket list goal.....a night I will never forget.

Mont St Michel was very memorable for us, maybe September won't be too crowded to enjoy?