Normandy sightseeing - Bayeux vs. Honfleur?

I'd say Bayeux, no contest. Honfleur has a lovely harbor and interesting double-nave church, worth a few hours if you're nearby. Bayeux has the wonderful Norman cathedral and amazing "tapestry" (actually stitching on linen) of the Norman conquest of England. We spent most of a morning on the tapestry alone, with the associated exhibits and film. The tapestry is very well displayed and you can look from inches away at the nearly 1000-year-old stitches depicting the winners' version of these events.

Also Bayeux is the best jump-off point for tours of the D-Day beaches and related sites, whether guided by others or on your own. And has an excellent museum about the Normandy landings (1066 in reverse). Also faster to get from there to Caen. Via Michelin shows about half an hour from Bayeux to Caen, an hour from Honfleur to Caen.

Check the car-return hours and arrangements in Caen -- you may want to drop the car the afternoon before and spend the night there instead of trying to return it so early in the morning. Caen also has an excellent WWII museum, "Memorial de Caen."

Thank you Dick, this info is very helpful!

I agree wholeheartedly with Dick. In May, we used Bayeux as a base for 6 nights, enjoying the features Dick mentions. One morning we: left early for Honfleur; parked without difficulty; wandered along the harbor ("Vieux Bassin"); breakfasted at one of the many cafes with sidewalk seating on the water); my wife did some shopping while I took photos. We were done before noon, and made only one regrettable error: we simply forgot to visit Saint Catherine's Church recommended by RS in his book and TV segment. This gave us the rest of the day to somewhat aimlessly wander through the Pay d'Auge region en route back to Bayeux, admiring the countryside, the cider and cheese routes, etc. (Great restaurant in Cambremer: Au Petit Normand.)

We just visited Bayeux and Honfleur in May. We loved both but I agree with the other posts. We spent a night in Honfleur after arriving there in late afternoon.....ate at Le Fleuron and it was grand. We were warned not to eat at one of the many harbor restaurants.....great views but not great food. The church and Honfleur streets were a treat to discover. We were done by noon the next day and drove on to Bayeux. We were pleasantly surprised by the size and charm of Bayeux. The tapestry, cathedral and British cemetery were well worth the 2 nights we gave it. Bayeux is a lot larger city than we were expecting. It is a treasure to enjoy.

We have stayed in both towns but Bayeux is more convenient as a base. If you have the time, split your stay. You can see our snapshots of both towns as well as Etretat (near Honfleur) here:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/normandy/
If at all possible get to Etretat for a morning or afternoon. It was a highlight of our trip. Both Bayeux and Honfleur were lovely towns, with an edge to Honfleur for charm but a night or two there is plenty. We had two nights and spend the full day between at Etretat. Two evenings were plenty to visit the harbor and enjoy the charm of Honfleur.

Thank you all!
We've booked the Hôtel Reine Mathilde in Bayeux and plan to day trip to see the rest of the area.
Great info and very much appreciated!

Bayeaux is the logical starting point for touring the Normandy Beaches. We stayed in Honfleur and drove to the Bayeaux Central Station to meet our tour (about an hour - 1 1/2 hours, depending on traffic). We found plenty of parking in the station's lot at 8:30am. We had signed up with Bayeux Shuttle for an all-day tour that took us to St. Mere-Eglise, and the beaches Utah, Pont du Hoc and Omaha, as well as the American cemetery above Omaha Beach. The tour also included lunch in a house once used as a German headquarters, and a walk through the memorabilia-laden Le Roosevelt Cafe at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, named after Medal of Honor Recipient Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Our tour was much more than expected, and we were completely satisfied. Our guide, Lloyd, was a true expert on D-Day, and went into detail about what happened where, the names of many soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle, and their personal stories, and the lives the survivors led after the war. Kudos to Bayeaux Shuttle for what they do to keep memories of the Normandy Invasion alive.

Good choice, Bayeux.

Honfleur, some thoughts if you visit: we hit the road early one morning from Bayeux and arrived at the harbor in time for easy parking and a light breakfast at one of the admittedly touristy restaurants on the water. It was fine; we were tourists; and the view was terrific while we waited for the caffeine to kick in. We found a morning to be sufficient in Honfleur. We spent the afternoon riding somewhat haphazardly through the beautiful Pays d'Auge area (on and around the "cheese" and "cider" routes), and enjoyed a memorable lunch in Cambremer at Au Petit Normand. It was about 45 minutes from Honfleur, and took us 1/3 of the way back to Bayeux. We were back in Bayeux well before dinner time. Have a great trip.

I hope one of your destinations includes the German Gun Battery at Longues sur Mer. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1075717-d1729069-Reviews-Longues_Battery-Longues_sur_Mer_Calvados_Basse_Normandie_Normandy.html

I skipped Honfleur because I was staying in other port towns. If you are traveling for D-day, Bayeux makes perfect sense. If you just want a relaxing port town, Honfleur is probably a good choice. Bayeux isn't on the sea but it's a nice town. Honfleur has a very old port town as the old center.

Not to put a damper on, but the original post was four months ago. Chances are that Chris has been to Normandy and back by now.

Not that we couldn't go on and on with our great advice and input ...... ;-)

You are correct that we could go on and on about the subject, which I took as a suggestion that we stop adding to this post. A couple of thoughts, though. I was in Normandy three years ago with my wife and her mother and agree with much that was said about Bayeux as a base. As I sit here planning a solo trip back to France in the spring I found it interesting to read about the question from the OP and the experience of others who not only helped him, but me as well by reminding me of what I enjoyed before and giving me new things to consider next year. Going back alone will be a different experience for me, one where all decisions are unanimous, and I can use all the help I can get. This also serves to bring the topic back to the top of the list Travel Forum in France and maybe others will benefit as well. Sometimes going on and on is a good thing. :)