Home base for Normandy

Posted by Ellen (Darmouth, MA, USA) on 02/04/19 10:13 PM

We will be traveling in early September. I am tentatively planning 5 days of driving before we meet our biking group in Bayeux. We will see Bayeux, Omaha Beach, American Cemetery, Mont St. Michel and St. Malo with bike group. I am trying to plan driving west of that area. What might a good home base be? I was thinking Honfleur. We certainly could move but would prefer to keep it to one move (two Locations) for the four night.
My thoughts at the moment are:
1. early train to Rouen, two nights in Rouen
2. Visit Rouen on arriving
3, Next day visiting Etretat, Fecamp and ?
4. Move to Honfleur because we hear it's charming, small and we love harbor towns.
On the way visit Abbaya de Jumieges , Aimens and ?
5. Day 2 in Honfleur -Drive coast from Honfleur to Cabourg and ? To Caen?
6. Have reservation in Bayeux for this night but day is free- Utah Beach, Point de Hoc, Port en Bessin, Cherbourg

And of course what is not here is Giverny!
We have planned this as countryside driving tour and I believe Rouen and Caen do not fit that description but.....important to visit.
All any suggestions are thankfully accepted.

Posted by acraven

Washington DC

02/04/19 11:01 PM

28096 posts

I liked Rouen a lot. There's a large (rebuilt) historic area and some nice museums. Caen is more modern. I believe its major points of interest are the castle, two abbeys that managed to escape wartime destruction, and the very large Peace Museum (where one can spend an entire day). I wouldn't call Caen "charming".

I enjoyed walking around both Honfleur and Cabourg. I also liked Deauville. I did not have a car, so my options were somewhat more limited than yours.

Posted by Lane

Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

02/04/19 11:07 PM

1932 posts

I think you have a good plan.

A place I stopped when I drove from Rouen to Honfleur (in addition to Jumieges, which I loved) was Tancarville. There's a 12th-century chateau there that is worth a short visit.

Two other places I visited that are a bit out of your way but worth considering are Coutances and Granville. Coutances has a stunning 13th-century cathedral. Granville is a former fishing village that is now a bit of a seaside resort. I was there in the early 1990s, so it may have changed since then, but it was a lovely place to walk around with cliffs overlooking the English Channel. I seem to remember being able to see Mont-Saint-Michel in the distance.

Have a great trip!

Posted by PharmerPhil

Middletown, RI

02/05/19 12:41 AM

1229 posts

I'll echo the comment that Caen is somewhat modern. And not at all charming—particularly considering nearby areas that meet that description. Unfortunately, much of it was ruined in the many weeks of fighting for it's control in the weeks following D-day.

Your reservation in Bayeux offers tons of nearby areas to visit. Many relating to D-day, but not necessarily all. All the places you mention sound good. And Arromanches-les-Bains, Omaha Beach, Sainte-Mère-Église come to mind. Cherbourg is a little more distant, and it also doesn't fit your description of "countryside driving." I only spent one morning there before catching a train back to Paris, but it looks like it has potential for more. And I believe there is a museum regarding the German fortification of this important port city—but I have not yet visited it.

Some of my best times in that area have included driving through small towns during market day (you don't have to leave it to chance, there are web sites listing them). Someone mentioned Granville, which I have not visited. But I did spend a great mid-day lunch in Avranches on my way from Mont-Saint-Michel to Bayeux. And you could just barely see MSM from some hillside ruins in that town. Enjoy!