We're (hopefully) planning a trip to France in October to visit Normandy - finishing up with a week in Paris.
I've tentatively planned a couple of nights in Honfleur before returning the rental car in Caen and catching the train from there to Paris.
While idly going over our itinerary for about the 20th time I finally realized that there's a Europcar return location in Deauville, from where it looks like we can also catch a direct train to Paris. From what little research I've done thus far it looks like Deauville might be a better option as a base from which to tour the nearby countryside ... including a day in Honfleur.
Thought I'd throw the question out to more experienced French travelers who are familiar with the two places. What do you think - stick with my original plan, base in Honfleur, and take the train from Caen or base in Deauville? TIA
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7039 posts
Why not just go ahead and stay in Honfleur and drop the car at Deauville and train to Paris, rather than dropping the car at Caen. Deauville is closer to Honfleur than Caen. Unless the train schedule doesn't work for you of course. I've not been to Deauville but I loved Honfleur, especially in the evening.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
682 posts
I found Honfleur to be more charming. It is smaller, for certain, with a beautiful port with multi-color buildings giving a distinct northern charm. Deauville feels even larger and is more of a beach resort, with large stretches of sand and the boardwalk that will be empty in October. We have friends with a gite in the area. (I'd rather add Rouen as a destination daytrip from Honfleur, at that time of year -- but it is a much larger city)
Posted by
Washington DC
27172 posts
I'd go along with Gooster: I enjoyed day-trips to Honfleur, Deauville and Cabourg (all by public transportation from Caen), but I'd choose Rouen over any of them--especially over Deauville and Cabourg.
There's a rail connection from Deauville/Trouville to Caen.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7383 posts
Our trip 10 years ago, we turned in our Europcar rental in Caen, before taking train to Paris. We’d driven farther west, into a bit of Brittany, chasing the Tour de France, before coming back to Normandy for D-Day sites and other locations. Never considered Deauville, or Rouen, but Caen car return sure worked for us. Have a great trip.
Posted by
51 posts
Both have their charms, but Honfleur is the ultra-quaint and special... but also touristy. Deauville is the boardwalk and has all the glamour that the jet-set brings to it. It can also get very crowded with day-trippers from Paris during summer time. Parisians treat Deauville like a weekend getaway the same way New Yorkers treat the Hamptons etc.
As far as an itinerary is concerned, your best bet is to arrive in Caen, rent the car right there at the station, and head out into the countryside. To the west, Bayeux is worth a stop (the tapestry is fascinating and the town is charming), as are the fortifications at Longues-sur-Mer, Arromanches, La Pointe du Hoc, the Cimetiere Americain at St. Laurent-sur-Mer, and even the Mont-Saint-Michel if you can get that far. Caen itself is worthwhile for the castle, which was William the Conqueror's stronghold. The rest of Caen looks industrial, because the allies bombed it to rubble in the night of June 6, thinking there was a ball-bearing plant and part of Rommel's general quarters nearby (Rommel had left weeks earlier). My family is from Caen.
To the East is the charming Pays D'Auge back country behind Deauville, Trouville, and Cabourg. Cabourg is fanous because of Marcel Proust, who wrote A La Receherche du Temps Perdu at the Grand Hotel de Cabourg. The Pays D'auge is famous for its charming landscape, cheese, Calvados, and Cidre Bouche. It is worth a day of poking around in a car among the hedgerows. There are excellent restaurants there that are Michelin-starred...
If you have time, Rouen is worth a vist as well for its medieval architecture. It is known for having the oldest restaurant in Europe, La Couronne, established 1345, I think.
There is a lot more to see, but that should keep you busy for a while. Bon voyage et bienvenue en Normandie!!