Planning a trip next month to Paris and Switzerland. Would like to spend a few days in Normandy area before heading to Paris. Any suggestions on the best way to get from Heathrow to Caen? Trains, planes, ferries.
Posted by
Somewhere out there
167 posts
No really convenient way as you seem to define it getting from Heathrow to Caen. Perhaps consider the Portsmouth-Ouisterham ferry otherwise fly to Paris and catch a regional train to Caen or Bayeux. There are no direct trains from London to Caen…..connections must generally be made in Paris.
There have not been year round air connections from London to Caen in a long time.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
In traveling from Heathrow to Caen, is taking the ferry from Dover to Calais then renting a car a timesaving option over the ferry from Portsmouth?
Posted by
Lake District, England
10153 posts
No, because there are only 4 ferries a day from Dover to Calais which take foot passengers. The last of those gets you in too late to pick up a car.
From Heathrow to Calais is at least 6 hours so really a whole day.
Portsmouth to Ouistreham has day crossings, but also a night service arriving in time for breakfast, and the bus connection into Caen.
And you are right where you want to be, not in a different part of the country.
So it takes longer, but in a time saving way.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1948 posts
If you are already at LHR and you need to start your trip in Paris, why not fly to Paris, then take a train to Caen? And a bit of random information for the Switzerland part of your trip. Perhaps you already know this, but you can get a French rental car at the Geneva airport, drive it in Switzerland and France and return it in France. The drop fee when we did this was about $70. We flew LHR to Geneva and ended our trip in Paris.
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
35507 posts
if you drive a French car in Switzerland you will need to pay CHF 40 (just over 40€) for the Swiss Vignette.
Posted by
SoCal
1933 posts
Nigel is correct as usual regarding the Swiss auto vignette. As for driving into Switzerland from France, I don't recommend it, speaking as someone who did so just yesterday. It's road construction season in Switzerland and likely will be next month as well. Travel is quite slow on the motorways.