How Many Days in Caen with a 16 & 12 year old?

Let me put my grumpy Grandma hat on. IMO, children should have some input into any vacation, but the ones who pay the bills have final say. It appears you will have 4 nights in Paris before heading to Normandy. So if one or both parents want that extra night in Normandy, then do it. Presumably you will have at least one more night in Paris before leaving. Your 16 year old will have a lifetime to return to Paris as often as she wants, God willing.

Could you even get back to Paris after the tour on Tuesday? I think don't understand the question.

CJean another grumpy grandmother here who survived the teen years. Totally agree, teens should look at tour books and have some input. However my money /my choices. Our first trip to Europe was to Paris with teens, one of them had just fallen madly in love and had to leave her behind. And it was Valentines Day! I made the final choices and this teen could not leave the Louve and Normandy. He had a fantastic time.He survived and I lived and did not end up being arrested for assault. Bottom line for me is to do what you feel is best for all of you, not just one teen.Paris will always be there hopefully! Best wishes.

I am in accord with CJean and Gail. The visit to France is for the whole family. We took our son and daughter to France when they were 8 and 10, again at 18 mand 20. We saw a variety of things, some of which one would think would be boring to them, especially when 8 and 10. They surprised us by enjoying and being very impressed with cathedrals, artworks, historical sights, and even some unusual foods. We balanced things for kids with things for us. We all had a grand time. Your teen will probably surprise you also. Open up their world. They may surprise you. Our two have both been to Europe on their own more than once and their interests are broad, I am happy to say.

Of course, I am a history major, so WWII sights and sites are of great interest to me, but I bet your teen will find out they are more interesting than they thought. A good prep for the kids is to watch "The Longest Day" before you go. (I am assuming when you refer to "the Normandy", you mean the DDay sights around Omaha Beach. Normandy is a very large area of more than 11,000 square miles, encompassing Le Havre, Rouen, Honfleur, Caen and more. Even the British Channel Islands are part of Normandy, just not a French part.)

Have a wonderful trip! Bon voyage! Amusez-vous bien!

P.S. From what I have read here, I wouldn't visit the WWII museum in Caen. I haven't been, but it would probably be more boring for the kids than the actually beaches, battle sites, cemeteries and smaller museums, such as the one in Bayeux. Is that what one of your tours is about?

My only concern with leaving Tuesday evening for Paris would be the tour that day. Sometimes they run late or must be cut short to catch a train. If you are doing Normandy beaches or Mount St Michel, traffic can mess with tour timings.

Sadly, even as quite a history and WWII scholar, I did not think much of Caen Memorial - just adding my impression to others you’ve collected. If you end up there, the bunker outside is interesting- the best part for me.

William the Conqueror’s Norman castle ruins are easily reached from city center. Might be worth a short exploration if you are looking for an activity. I thought the art museum there was surprisingly very good and small Normandy museum interesting. It all obviously depends on interests.

Agree with thoughts of others on input from kids with veto power of those carrying the purse!

It's only two days, they'll live. The area is beautiful and there's plenty to see and do. I firmly believe it's important that children be exposed to history, even if they aren't military buffs. As others have echoed, the beaches and bunkers are a great start. There's a total of 32 DDay related museums and 29 WW2 cemeteries in the area, surely one would speak to them?

I'd stay in Bayeux. It's so charming.

I'll pile on with the tough love approach, and with the Caen museum being underwhelming. If your 16yo likes nature (and cities? ironic), I highly recommend a nice walk North of Utah Beach where there is some wonderful coastline and some cool bunkers that can be climbed in and around. There is also a hike you can take at the East end of Omaha beach along the coast beyond the roads, and eventually up the bluff to the memorials near the American Normandy Cemetery. Beautiful coastline and a good way to get your exercise in. As with most of Normandy, these sites require a car. This is a fairly rural area with minimal to non-existent public transportation. As for cities, Caen is mostly a post-WWII industrial city. Save your city enjoyment for Paris and base yourself in Bayeux for your Normandy visit instead.

Thank you, all. Learning that the tours can run long and the traffic can snarl and delay the return from the tour was valuable. Thanks!