Normandy sightseeing train issue

Why don't you go the night before and spend the night? There is a train at 20:44 that gets you to Bayeux at 23:05 has Intercities Prem's ticket for 15 EUR per person. Don't know why the night before is not possible. Renting a car for the day is another possibility.
You say we, but how many people are doing this?

The day before is my 70th birthday. My daughters bought dinner for me and my wife at the Eiffel Tower starting at 18:30. I have tickets for the top of the Tower at 20:30. I have five night room reservations costing over 250 Euro per night and this is my third night there.

There are four of us. My wife and two youngest kids 17 & 22.

Take the half day tour but check the finish time and train schedule first! There's plenty to do in Bayeux and consider yourself lucky to have a free morning outside Paris. See the Bayeux Tapestry, the Cathedrale, the WW II museum, a market and a quick bite to eat before joining your group.

I don't see any Paris-Bayeux train this year departing before 7:06 on weekdays and later on weekends. Also nothing better to end in Caen. (So your original plan isn't going to work for any other readers, either.) I'm sure you'll enjoy visiting Bayeux attractions in the morning.

Is your tour refundable? Honestly, as much as I think a tour is a good way to go in Normandy (I've been twice), if all but one has been before, I would rent a car in Bayeux and do it on my own this time. That area is easy to drive and then you won't miss anything.

Failing that, Bayeux is a lovely town and you could see the cathedral and the Tapestry in the morning then do your tour.

Have a great time!
Melody

joseph,

As mentioned in previous replies, you shouldn't have any trouble filling-in a few hours in Bayeux. There's an excellent WW-II Museum there and the famous Tapestry which details a much earlier battle. You also might want to plan at least an hour for lunch prior to the tour.

"I would rent a car in Bayeux and do it on my own this time. That area is easy to drive and then you won't miss anything."

With such a very limited time frame, that would not be my suggestion. Keep in mind that you'd also have to allocate time for renting and returning the car, adding fuel, and perhaps getting lost once or twice. In addition, each driver listed on the rental form would require either an International Driver's Permit (which is used in conjunction with your home D.L.) or a notarized translation of the terms of their D.L. in French.

The major sites are spread out along about a 50 mile front, and extend some distance inland. The guides know the shortest routes and can get you from one site to another very quickly to get the most from the short time you have. You'll probably find that taking a tour will be a much more interesting and rewarding experience than just driving by the sites in a rental car.

See the Bayeux Tapestry and then the Cathedral and catch the tour. Bad scheduling but stuff happens. Seems easy enough to remedy if they allow the switch to the half day tour.

www.toursbylocal.com provides local licensed guides all over Europe. When we hired our local guide for the day I don't think it was 600 Euros (it was far less). Perhaps you could hire a local guide and have them meet you at the Bayeux train station.