France with a family of four-need ideas where to stay to visit D-day beaches and mont st Michel

Amri,

All i can offer is Bayeux. I thought it was a really cute/charming town. I stayed there when i was in the Normandy area and took the shuttle from Bayeux to Mont Saint Michel. It was a longish ride, but worth it. I enjoyed Bayeux and wouldnt have a problem staying there again. however, staying on the mount would be cool.

happy trails.

Amr,

Bayeux is probably the most central location for visiting the D-Day sites, and also a good range of accommodations. In addition to the D-Day sites, there's also the famous Bayeux Tapestry which describes a much earlier battle and an excellent WW-II Museum.

Were you planning to visit the D-Day sites on your own or with one of the excellent local tours? I've done both and while it's possible to get to the various sites by car, you'll have a much more rewarding and interesting visit with a guided tour. The guides are exceptional and have a wealth of knowledge and information from Veterans that aren't included in some of the history books. There are a few companies that provide half-day tours, but many are a full day (about nine hours). The tours aren't cheap, but I felt they provided excellent value.

If you have a copy of the France guidebook, there are listings there for accommodations in various price ranges. You could start with the Churchill Hotel, which I believe provides a car park.

Thank you for all the advice! First time to Europe and it is a bit overwhelming. Bayeux is area I was looking at for us. Our family member wanted to stay in saint mere-eglise but for a family of four it was slim pickings.
As for a tour or guide , sounds wonderful. Will discuss with our family member that we are traveling with. She is French :)

Amr,

The tours in that area are excellent, and if you need information on some of the tour firms, post another note. I suspect your French relative would also find them interesting. Many of the guides actually live in Normandy, so they're exploring sites and learning all the time. St. Mere Eglise is one of the locations covered by many of the tours that focus on the American experience, as that's where the 82nd Airborne landed (Pvt. Steele is still hanging by his parachute on the church steeple). There's an excellent airborne museum there (the roof of the two buildings is shaped like a parachute). Taking at least a half-day tour would probably be a lot more interesting for your children.

I'm assuming you're from the U.S.? Most of the tours visit the American cemetery (as seen in the movie Saving Private Ryan). If you visit there, ask the guide for the location of the graves of two of the Niland brothers, who were one of the stories the movie is based on.

We stayed at La Ferme du Pressoir at www.bandbnormandie.com. It's just outside Villiers-Bocage, about 10 miles east of Bayeux. It was delightful, Odile's breakfasts are to die for, and you can easily drive to the beaches, MSM, or explore the small towns around there including Villiers-Bocage and Bayeux. With a car we had freedom to explore the Normandy countryside.

I'm going in March and my group of 8 is staying in Bayeux.
There are several small hotels there and they all look great.
We found that there are also several 1 day tours to both the Beaches of Normandy(and museums) and also to Mont St. Michel.
I am sending you a personal email with data that I compiled re tours.

We have a family of 5 and plan to stay at the home of Dale Booth, the tour guide recommended by Tripadvisor and Rick Steves. He and his wife run a B&B and he has his own hands-on WWII artifact museum there. Check out http://www.dday-experiencebedandbreakfast.com/ for more details.

For visiting Mont St. Michel, hotels on the Mont did not have good family accomodations so we have decided to go with places at the bottom of the Mont in Ardevon. Several places there and you can see the Mont lit up at night.

The German guns at Lounges sur Mer is a must do. The Lounges Battery is one of the last places where German artillery are still in place. Reference here. [http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1075717-d1729069-Reviews-Longues_Battery-Longues_sur_Mer_Calvados_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html][1

Depending on your schedule and if you choose to tour yourself our with a tour company. Start at Longues Battery then head west finishing at Point Du Hoc.

I would encourage you to spend the night on Mont S Michel if possible. It's a completely different experience when the day visitors go home. And that would be particularly true in June, in the middle of the tourist season. The buildings, including all the hotels, or medieval structures, so you might need to get two rooms or find a family room. I found it to be worth the effort to stay on the island at night. If you decide to do that, book a room as soon as possible, since they fill up early.