Normandy itinerary

I will totally disagree with staying in Caen. It is an industrial city that was bombed out in WWII. There are many places to stay in Bayeux and a quick search of this forum will produce many results. Good that you are getting a car. I have never taken a tour, but from all reports, you will have limited time at each place and may wish to return to some places to spend more time. Plus, that area is just fairly rural with zero usable public transportation. How long is your total stay in Normandy? IMHO, one night in Mont-Saint Michel (on the island proper) is sufficient but well worth it. I would spend the rest of your time in Bayeux as a base for exploring other parts of the area. Rouen is a real nice city too, but farther from the D-day areas if that is of interest to you.

P.S. Nine times to Normandy, never without a car or with a tour.

We stayed in Caen both times we visited Normandy and loved it. Now, it's a real French city, vibrant and youthful (there's a large university there) whereas Bayeux I feel caters more toward tourists. It's whatever you prefer.

The first time we stayed, we rented an AirBnB about a mile outside of town for ease of driving. The second time, we stayed in the heart of downtown, but parking was trickier. We enjoyed both.

We took the train to and from Paris and rented our car from the Caen train station.

We stayed in Bayeux this past October at Reine Mathilde hotel. Bayeux was absolutely charming and picturesque. The Cathedral is stunning and so close to the hotel.

The hotel had a beautiful breakfast spread. Our room was directly over the restaurant area which wasn’t optimal due to some noise so I would get a room away from restaurant or inquire about their annex which is located away from street. We did not see the annex rooms.

We had a full day tour of D-day locations; our guide was named Pascal and he was excellent. His English was excellent as well. The name of the tour company was Bayeux Shuttle and pick up area was a mere 5 minute walk from hotel.

We got to see the local hospital though, only a 10 minute walk from hotel. Stitches received by my husband in his arm at the ER. Total cost was $78 USD!

We loved Bayeux!!

I will be traveling from Mannheim to Caen this coming May and I will be renting a house a few minutes outside of Bayeux.

I found the house on Expedia and after checking Hotels in the area, I found that renting the house was a far better and less expensive option. 3 beds, 2 baths, washer and dryer as well as kitchen and free parking for less per night than the Hotels in Bayeux.

This started in December and as of 1/24/24 you can now get your train seat reservations for April/May 2024 online at Raileurope.com. Our total Seat Reservation price from Mannheim to Caen was $22.00 total per person. I believe that the leg from Paris St Lazare to Caen was $1.50 or $2.00 and didn't have the $10 price gouging that I have read about on this and other sites.

I've been looking at overlord tours which seem to have great reviews
and yet the choices are a bit overwhelming.

How many days do you want to spend on Overlord Tours?

What are you most interested in, USA, British, Airborne?

We will be taking 3 Tours through Overlord Tours and did not want to be seeing many sites twice. Overlord recommended we take Tours #2 Omaha/Utah Beach, #5 101st Airborne and #4 British/Canadian Sectors.

Thanks for all your tips. I think we'll probably only take 2 tours, unless my husband decides otherwise.

River cruise allows afternoon tour to Normandy
I visited a full day which was enough for me. . Any recommendations how to spend this short valuable time in the area?

Another vote to stay in Bayeux. I’ve visited 5 times and never tire of the rich history of the area. I’ve stayed in different lodgings each time and each one has been fantastic. I suggest searching for your dates and budget and go from there. I took my sister a few years back, as we’re both very interested in WWII history. We did a full day tour with Overlord (1/2 Omaha Beach, 1/2 Band of Brothers) — with Yannick. He’s fabulous, and I believe he’s now a part owner of company. We spent one day exploring Bayeux (Tapestry, cathedral, British cemetery, D-Day museum, journalists memorial), then rented car for one day and visited war sites not covered in tour. It was the best 4 days of our 16-day trip.

We stayed at Villa Aggarthi in Bayeau and it was incredible. Eggs fresh from the owners chickens. When we opened our windows we were literally in the tree tops and overlooking the gardens. Only a block or two from the tapestry and some.really good restaurants. Yannick was mentioned in another post and he is now part owner of HQCompany tours. For our Normandy visit he picked us up promptly at our B&B and returned there eight hours later. We had opted for the private tour but understand they also have tours for up to eight people..it was by far the best money we ever spent.

We stayed in Bayeux at the Le Lion D'Or. It was a fabulous location and close to everything. Highly recommend it for location, comfort and price

I would choose Bayeux over Caen. It’s charming.

If you're looking for quaint, go for Bayeux. If you're looking for a modern French city with more going on, go for Caen.

Caen for years has been undergoing a remarkable renaissance. There's construction all over the place. The last time I was there in December I counted 14 large construction cranes scattered over the city as we drove over the Orne River bridge from Mondeville. We'll be making the trip over to Caen for shopping in a few days, and I suspect I'll see more of the same.

Wondering how your trip worked out. Did it go as planned? Would you do anything differently. I am especially interested in the car rental pick up and return as far as convenience etc.

Steve Smith has NEVER recommended staying in Caen and there are NO hotel listings for Caen in the guidebook. He recommends RENTING a car in Caen, where there are five rental agencies within walking distance of the train station.