Hello, my husband and I will be traveling around France and during our last part of our trip in May, driving from Ambroise to Bayeux in mid-May 2023 and staying 3 nights in Bayeux, then moving to a Guesthouse (Le Domaine du Plessis Luzarches) for 1 night before boarding a plane at Charles de Gaule airport to come home. While in Bayeux, we plan to designate 1 day for WWII tour (1/2 day tour and then visiting the Caen Normandie Memorial museum). I would like to visit Giverny and thought we could do this on the day we are transitioning from Bayeux to the Guesthouse. We have been to Bayeaux once before (have seen the Bayeux Tapestry and the town) and we have already visited Mont Saint Michel. We enjoy history, architecture and of course, good food. Our goal is on vacation is to see sights and have experiences that we do not have in the Pacific Northwest (WA). We have not been to any other places in Normandy or Brittany. We have heard the white cliffs of Etretat are beautiful but unsure if it is worth the trip. Is there another place that you recommend that we visit while in Normandy?
Posted by
Washington DC
27138 posts
I would not opt for just a half-day tour of the invasion sites. They cover a lot of ground, so on a half day tour you'll spend a high percentage of your time sitting in the van or bus to get from your starting point (Bayeux or Caen) to the first stop, and then from your last stop back to the starting point. A full-day tour is a much better idea.
I liked the museum in Caen and spent practically the entire day there--which is one of the reasons many other folks don't like it. It covers everything from the lead-up to WWII to the Cold War rather than focusing just on the Normandy invasion. (Bayeux has a good museum that does just that.) In addition to being time-consuming, the museum is expensive and often quite crowded.
Many people like Honfleur. I haven't been as far as Etretat, but perhaps you could see both of those in one day, since you'll have a car.
Rouen has an absolutely beautiful (restored post-WWII), large historic district and some good museums.
Posted by
Guernsey
734 posts
Having just spent the Easter weekend in Honfleur I definately recomend it. But the place I never here mentioned on this sight is MUMA in Le Havre, a modern museum that houses Frances largest Impressionist collection, Monets, Renoirs, Duffy and Boudin to name a few. We were so impressed by this small museum, it was amazing!
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
1980 posts
As you have already stayed in Bayeux before I would only spend the time there needed to join a D-Day tour and visiting the Caen Memorial Museum. The most interesting part for you to see to my opinion are located between Caen and Giverny. Thinking about places like Honfleur (as already noticed), Beuvron-en-Auge, Le Bec-Hellouin, the abbeys of Jumièges and Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville on the way to Rouen.
East of Rouen Lyons-la-Forêt and Château Gaillard with it’s panoramic view of the Seine with Andelys on the background on the way to Giverny. Not so easy to reach as the places mentioned west of Rouen. The same for Étretat, is touristy but nevertheless certainly worth a visit. Near Giverny is La Roche-Guyon worth the detour.
I liked driving along the coast from Deauville to Honfleur (D513) and from Étretat to Fécamp (D11 + D211) years ago. Worth considering to my opinion if having enough time and energy.
Posted by
PA, USA
67 posts
I can enthusiastically second all of Wil's suggestions in his first and second paragraphs, and probably I'd like the third paragraph too, but I've never done it.
While you are near the Seine, take the opportunity to ride on two of the short ferry rides that take cars across the Seine. The crossings at Jumieges and La Bouille are particularly scenic.
https://sites.google.com/site/shippingseine/the-bacs
Also if you drive up into the hills near the Seine you'll find some excellent viewpoints (Forest of Brotonne, Barneville, the hills above Vieux-Port). Vieux-Port itself is a sleepy, tiny village right along the Seine of mostly half-timbered houses with irises growing on the roof ridge. Totally charming.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1140 posts
I can also recommend La Roche-Guyon. If you walk all the way to the top (many stairs), you will be rewarded by amazing views of the Seine. This was Field Marshall Erwin Rommel's headquarters when he was in charge of the Atlantic Wall fortifications in Normandy. Also, the Abbey at Jumieges is very thought provoking and beautiful ruins of a 1000-year old Norman Abbey. Doubtful there are many things like either of these sights in the Pacific Northwest.
I am not one who cares for the Caen "museum" personally. And if your interest in modern history is of the Battle of Normandy, there are other, much better museums. The Bayeux one is great and very easy to access, but my favorite is the Utah Beach Museum. It is about a 45-minute drive from Bayeux, but is right on Utah beach in the ruins of the German bunkers there. It is hands down my favorite WWII museum in Normandy. And I also agree that dedicating a whole day to touring the sights is much better than a half-day, which as pointed out will mostly be spent driving from one place to another. Keep in mind that the D-day beaches are 50 miles apart as the crow flies, and you won't fly. To get between them you need to go well inland and join the larger motorway. Plus, do not ignore the places not on the beaches such as the airborne operations, and battles that took place after the beach landings. As a refresher, the "Battle of Normandy" (i.e., Operation Overlord) is generally accepted as being everything from June 5th to the recapture of Paris in September. "D-day" (June 6th) was simply the first day.
Final note. When I drove from the Abbey at Jumieges to Ranville (one area of the UK's airborne operations to the East of Bayeux), my GPS directed me down to the river and instructed me to drive on the ferry. Nice little diversion and a different, but pretty way to see this area.