Home base Normandy after Paris

Wife and I loved staying in Bayeux. The tapestry and the old buildings are amazing of course, but there is also a beautiful river walk through the town. We too took the train to Caen and picked up a rental car there.

1/2 day for the D-day tour might be cutting it a little thin. We went first to Arromanches (quite close to Bayeux), then worked our way along the coast all the way to Utah beach. This was a very informative and moving experience, especially the American cemetery at Omaha Beach.

I agree with Joel, Bayeux is the best base imo. A small, charming town. In addition to the Bayeux Tapestry, there's a cathedral, the best WWII museum (imo), and a British WWII cemetary. I also agree that a half day tour is too short, I'd recommend a full day and even that will only cover a small portion.

I highly recommend Hotel d'Argouges in Bayeux. It's listed in the RS France guide and it is wonderful.

Enjoy your trip, we absolutely love Paris and Normandy. You're in for a treat!

I agree with the others, Bayeux is a great home base for that area. It's a smaller town with some nice hotels and restaurants, and while there you can also see the famous Tapestry. Many of the tours leave from that area also, which is another good reason to stay there.

If you can split your days, I suggest you spend a couple of nights in Honfleur. You can't beat it for charm and there are some nice museums as well as views of the inner and outer harbors. We like to stay at the Cheval Blanc, which I believe is now a Best Western right next to the outer harbor.

If you're tallying votes, I agree with Bayeux as a base and that 1/2 day for the D-Day tour isn't enough. I used Overlord Tours, thought they did a great job. You don't say what "a few days" is, but I would stay in one place unless you can spend 2-3 nites somewhere else. Moving for just 1 nite is tiring. The RS book coverage of the overall area is skimpy, although what he does cover is covered well. I thought the Rough Guide was useful, and the Michelin guide is good but very detailed; almost too much. Since you have a car get another book and consider driving thru the Norman countryside to some of the beautiful towns and perhaps Calvados tasting. You could also go to Etretat and along the coast there.

I also like Bayeux and with a car there were a few hotels right by the highway that had easy parking. I can't remember the name (I think they changed) but it was a chain.... While there was little ambiance it was convenient with your car and also very reasonably priced. Loved the whole area.

We fall into the Bayeux/Hotel D'Argouges camp. It's still one of our favorite cities in Europe, especially at that time of year. It's charming, easily walkable, friendly and has wonderful food, both in restaurants and bakeries. Not only is the launching spot for many of the small group D-Day tours, but there is the Bayeux Tapestry and an amazing cathedral and well as some fun places featuring Calavados tastings. You'll be visiting outside the heavy tourist season, so the town will be a relaxing break.

My husband and I, also 60 yr olds, loved staying in Bayeux at Hotel D'Argouges last summer. Bonus is that they have parking, which is hard to find in Bayeux. We cut out a trip to Honfleur to stay another day because there is really that much to see. Take at least 3 days to do all of the WWII sites. Be sure to take the Open Air tour out of the tourist office in St. Mere Eglise. It's wonderful.