Help for Normandy!!!

Can't help you with a tour. I did it myself - took the train to Caen and rented a car, stayed two nights in Bayeux and a third in Caen. I wanted the complete freedom to see places on my own schedule, but I can see how a tour with a good guide would work well for many people. Staying in Bayeux seems to suit most people (though it was a better preserved old town than bombed-out-and-rebuilt Caen, I preferred Caen because it was vibrant and lively at night, whereas Bayeux seemed like a tourist town that was dead at night other than the other tourists.)

They won't need to rent a car if they take a good guided tour - they can take a train to Bayeux - but driving in Normandy is easy. It's beautiful countryside, in addition to the World War II stuff.

This is a tour operator from either Caen or Bayeux that many recommend.
They do the driving and the narrating so you do not have to.
https://www.overlordtour.com/

I was also going to suggest Overlord tours. They offer several tours with different lengths and picks up in Bayeux.

We rented a car at CDG airport and drove to Honfleur for a couple of nights, then to Bayeux, which is a very nice town. We booked a full day band of brothers tour with Overlord tours, and it was great...very, very informative. I believe there is a guide named Booth that Rick Steves recommends, and he is supposed to be excellent. He was already booked, when we tried to get him for our visit. We stayed in Bayeux for two nights then drove to MONT St Michel for one overnight, before driving back to Paris and dropped the car off just inside the periphery road at Hertz. It was very easy and we took a taxi from there to our Paris hotel. In Bayeux, we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast and had a wonderful triple room (son met us in France)....breakfast was awesome and the owner was great. Send me a private message if you want more information. Oh, and the tapestry museum in Bayeux is really interesting...and that is coming from someone who is not that interested in spending a lot of time indoors.

Likewise a WW II history buff. We flew into London, had www.aquacars.com fetch us at Heathrow and drive us to Portsmouth for two nights. Car and driver were less expensive than two train tickets and door to door was great to our hotel on the waterfront. Lots of WW II history there plus Admiral Nelson's flagship and other British naval history to visit. We took a ferry over to Quistreham, the ferry port, and there are buses that go to the Caen railroad station, about 10 minutes away. Right across the street from the railroad station are 3 or 4 car rental agencies. We booked in advance with AutoEurope, had our own GPS, and drove the 20 miles to Bayeux for a tour then returned on our own to spend more time at places we only got to see for 15 minutes on the tour.

If that's too much planning, fly into CDG, spend one night to shake off jet lag, then take the train to Caen and fetch a car there. We like to return the car back at Caen and take the train back to Paris for a few more nights, then fly home. Three or four nights in Bayeux would be about right plus they can drive to Mont St. Michel, about 2 hours via a four lane motorway and arrive when it opens to beat the hordes from the tour buses. Two hours there was plenty and the place was packed when we left. We even drove around the bay to Cancale, in Brittany and around 20 miles, for a seafood lunch with MSM in view across the bay. Lots of choices.

My husband and I toured with Dale Booth in 2005. It was just the 2 of us plus Dale-and it was one of the most memorable days of travel that I have ever experienced. He combined the American D-Day tour and the Band of Brothers tour to give us a truly personal day. While not cheap, we felt it was absolutely worth it. We also stayed 2 nights at the B & B that he and his wife Debbie run. It was lovely! We had dinner with them as well after touring (paid extra) and it was just a wonderful evening. FYI-we took the train from Paris to Caen and rented a car there. My husband drove during the tour with Dale as he gave directions with frequent stops. While in the area, we also visited the Caen Peace Museum, the Bayeux tapestry, and spent a night on Mont St. Michel (another memorable experience) for a total of 3 nights.
https://dboothnormandytours.com/

The Normandy beaches, and their surroundings, deserve a full-day tour. It will not be cheap but the perspectives and details provided by the guide are well worth it. Your research on the net will show that tours oriented to the British Commonwealth look at some different aspects of the campaign. Either Caen or Bayeux can serve as a base and each offers its own local attractions. Assuming you will start in Paris, either bus or train will take you to Caen, and the train continues to Bayeux, although some services require a change in Caen.
https://en.oui.sncf/en/
Some find it easier to use www.trainline.eu
www.seat61.com for all rail info.

Going elsewhere in Normandy, such as Mont St-Michel, is more difficult without a car (which you can rent in Caen) but the local tourism offices may know of day trips by bus. Viator, an on-line agency, sells private tours (with independent operators).
Flixbus, increasingly competitive, offers simple bus transit between Caen and Mont St-Michel, leaving Caen in the morning and returning late afternoon. About $15 US each way. https://www.flixbus.com/bus-routes/bus-mont-saint-michel-caen

The easiest way from Paris to Normandy is train from gare St-Lazare.
https://en.oui.sncf/en/
www.trainline.eu (some find this service easier to book.)
www.seat61.com for all rail info.

You could consider a loop by public transit. SNCF runs both bus and trains ex-Paris to Beauvoir, a 5-kilometre taxi ride to St-Michel. Then Flixbus to Caen; SNCF back to Paris.

Hi - I've taken Dale Booth's tours twice (the full day American tour & the full day British tour several years later). Worth every penny in my opinion. It's a once (or maybe twice if you are lucky) experience. One full day tour will show both American beaches, the American cemetery as well as some other sites. Dale gives a very personal experience.

We spent the night before in Caen & took an early train to Bayeaux. We walked to the Churchill hotel (there are taxis as well). We took the hotel's shuttle to Mont St Michel. Afterwards we saw the tapestry & explored the town. We took the full day American tour the next day. Dale dropped us off at the train station after the tour & we took the train back to Paris.

I would highly recommend staying in Bayeaux - it's very beautiful, lots of good restaurants & has a comfortable feel.

-L