Normandy, slow style

Do you plan to rent a car? I did not, so I was somewhat constrained in getting around. I spent about a week in the Bayeux/Caen area. I took a one-day small-group (van) tour of some of the D-Day sites. Some companies offer multiple itineraries, so you could take more than one tour with little, if any, duplication of areas covered. I do think if you are not an expert on the subject, it's helpful to take at least one tour. Most of the D-Day tours depart from Bayeux. After taking a tour or two, there are some places reachable by public transportation you could see on your own.

Bayeux itself has a number of worthwhile sights: the historic center (not damaged during the war), the cathedral, the local invasion museum, the British war cemetery and the Bayeux tapestry. The tapestry will be going off display sometime this year for a change to the exhibition venue. I don't know the timing of that, but I'm sure it's readily available via Google.

In order to see other places in Normandy, I spent several nights in Caen, which has better transportation connections to places like Rouen, Deauville/Trouville, Cabourg and Falaise, where there's an interesting museum about the civilian experience during WWII, which also covers Resistance activities. Trying to see any of those places while staying in Bayeux would have required me to start each day with a trip to Caen, and it didn't make sense to me to do that over and over again.

Of the places I've mentioned, Rouen has the longest list of tourist targets, I think. It also has a very beautiful historic center (reconstructed after dreadful wartime damage).

Caen was plastered during the war and doesn't have a great deal of tourist interest. There's the very large (as in full-day commitment) Caen Memorial museum that covers the period leading up to WWII, the war itself and the Cold War. I liked it, but many people find that museum overwhelming, crowded and expensive. Also in Caen are the Chateau de Caen and two historic abbeys.

Mont-St.-Michel sits basically on the dividing line between Normandy and Brittany. There are also interesting towns in eastern Brittany, not far from Normandy, though some are quite touristy. To me these were worth seeing: St.-Malo, Dinard, Dinan, Fougeres, Vitre and Rennes.

We have a similar travel style, and find it exhausting to move too frequently from one city to the next. It is rare for us to have a 2-night stay, and those are less likely when visiting a place with so much to see and experience. Bayeux is one of those places.

It really depends what sites are of interest to you while staying in Bayeux (which is a great home base), but a full week there is probably not too much for you. We stayed in Bayeux for 5 nights, meaning we had 4 full days. That was not too much time for us, and I wish we had another day. We loved it. On the one hand, it is easy to become saturated with D-Day history at the many museums you could visit (and you might not have time for all of them, even in a week). On the other hand, If you are really into it, you won't have trouble finding things to do during a week-long stay.

It's important to make peace with not being able to see it all. Not possible.

I assume that you will have a car for the Bayeux portion of your trip. Without a car, you will be much more limited in where you can go to visit D-Day sites, and would need to rely on day tours to get to the more remote areas. In that case, a week might be too much. There is plenty to do in Bayeux itself, but if your goal is to focus on D-Day sites, it's best to have a car.

You'll find that most locals in Bayeux (especially at hotels and restaurants) speak English very well. That said, you can easily get by with your high school/college French.

Oh, and the food! The cider! The calvados! You will love it!

Normandy is marvelous. You'll wish you had 2 weeks to explore Normandy and Brittany. You must rent a car though. Otherwise it just doesn't make sense. Too much to see and experience. Bayeux is a charming small town and a great center for exploring many different areas in the region. But, you wouldn't want to be limited by being without a car. The DDay sites aren't even in Bayeux, though you can take an organized day tour for the sites. I might even consider breaking your trip into 2 different locations.

It's very easy to drive there. Very nicely paved roads. We spent 1 night near MSM; 3 nights Bayeux and 3 nights Rouen last spring.

What kind of location are you looking for? Bayeux is fine. It's pretty and has some good restaurants. It's certainly convenient for driving to D-Day sights. But if those aren't your focus, though you plan to visit some of them, other towns like Caen or Cherbourg (for a bigger city experience) or Granville (farther from D-Day sights but close to the coast and Mont-Saint-Michel) might be a better choice. If you're looking for a dramatic seaside setting, though smaller, Barfleur or Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue might be worth a look.

It depends on what you're looking for.

Oh -- and in response to an earlier comment indicating it's easy to drive in Normandie: that's true, to an extent. But if you find yourself on smaller rural roads called routes départementales ("D" roads) be aware that many of them are narrow, have blind curves exacerbated by hedgerows and can even lead to your having to back up to find a wide spot so that a large piece of agricultural equipment or cargo truck coming from the opposite direction can get past you. Above all, learn and observe the principle of priorité à droite (yield to those entering from the right). It'll reduce your chance of being T-boned in a collision and will at a minimum reduce the number of people honking their horns at you.

If in doing " Normandy slow style" and you want to focus on the British and Canadian beaches and their D-Day and Overlord history, then I would recommend staying in Caen. What do you plan on seeing, ie #1 priority?

True about the Museum of Peace in Caen, it can strike viewers as overwhelming, over-kill and even ponderous. It is expensive, the ticket is valid for 2 days, at least that was the case when I was there the first and only time in 2001. Still, I liked the museum, over-kill and all.

If you're looking for D-Day museum that covers the history more concisely and succinctly, that in Caen is the very opposite. In that case , I recommend the Bayeux museum.

I would suggest checking out the Tourist Office in Caen for suggestions on tours singularly devoted to covering the British and Canadians, where battlefield atrocities committed surrendering Canadian troops took place near the city of Caen.

A total of 6 years of French, that means at least 4 semesters in college....bravo ! I wish I could claim likewise. Still, I would not let my linguistic deficiency in this area deter me from doing a "slow" Normandy visit with D-Day sites, as you stated above, as priority.

One thing I noticed in Normandy was how accessible the WWII-related museums and sights were to English speakers.

One thing I noticed in Normandy was how accessible the WWII-related
museums and sights were to English speakers.

Yes, and this is especially true at the American Cemetery and Visitor Center. Remember, you are on American soil; many staff members are American. We spent the better part of a day there (with a break for lunch, offsite) because there is so much to appreciate, including the 5 pm flag ceremony, which is very moving. We returned again the next afternoon (which was our own Memorial Day in May 2023) to spend time in the Visitor Center. We found that those exhibits as well as those at the Bayeux D-Day Memorial Museum the next day complemented each other nicely. That would be waaaay too much for some people, but for those of us who like to dig into the historical details, it can be rewarding and moving.

We did not go to Caen, so I cannot speak to that. From earlier travel forum posts, I can tell that many love the Caen museum, and many don't. Apparently a rather polarizing topic! Here are some older posts that I saved from when I was planning our time in Normandy, which you might find helpful:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/normandy-itinerary-advice-32835c68-c3a8-4ef2-9b4c-9e858bc2fa88
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/four-days-in-normandie

I am struggling because of the temptation to “see it all,” and am
trying to learn that doing that means I enjoy myself less.

I wanted to say more about this because many of us struggle with this while trip planning and traveling. In addition to figuring out what your "must see" priorities are during your stay in Bayeux (for however many days you decide to stay), pacing yourself will be important. But that's just another argument for a longer stay in places that call to you.

I first went to Normandy to "check it off my list." I spent a few days there and got totally hooked. Now I return every other year (usually on the D-day anniversary) and spend about twelve days there. I never run out of things to see—particularly in regards to D-day. I concur with the suggestion/requirement to get a car. Most of the sites are not at all, or at least not well served by public transportation. But once you have a car there is so much to see. And most of it is not on the beaches proper (while those are very worth the visit). Keep in mind the the battle of Normandy basically went from June 6th (June 5th for the paratroopers) to late August when Paris was liberated.

Bayeux is a wonderful place to base yourself, and you will not run out of things to see or do (if you have a car). There are so many battle sites, gun emplacements, churches, etc. I disagree with those that think Caen is worth a visit. As for the museum there, there are so many more and better museums related to the Battle of Normandy (high on my list are the Utah Beach Landing Museum at Utah Beach, the Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux, and the Overlord Museum outside of the entrance to the American Cemetery). For non-WWII sites, there are Mont Saint-Michel, Rouen, Cherbourg and many wonderful Calvados distilleries and cider makers. In Bayeux proper, the Cathedral and the Tapestry (closing soon for renovation) are must sees. Traveling further afield you could go to Cherbourg, Avranches, or Giverny. For a little peak at Normandy rural history, I loved the Ferme-musée du Cotentin in Sainte-Mère-Église, which detail the farming culture through the centuries in this area.

Thank you! We would be fine renting a car.

Our top priority is experiencing somewhere different, and to have a chance to reflect and honor the sacrifice of D-Day.

We love food experiences, and I love the chance to revisit a favorite spot, wander streets without a real plan, etc.

I studied abroad in college for four months, and I think that really colors my desires for travel. I am looking for a chance to go deep, understand the rhythms of a place, more than I am looking to check sites off a list.

Given all you have said, wondering if day trips to some places make sense — should we decide we want to do them — from Bayeux. Things like MSM, Honfleur, Rouen. Or if we should divide the week
between two cities.

To add more info with your latest question. After MSM/Bayeux we moved on to Rouen for 2 or 3 nights. On our way to Rouen we explored Honfleur, and we also did the cider route, visiting some abbey's along the way, which was charming. I'd probably change locations rather than go to Rouen as a daytrip out of Bayeux.

Since you have the rental car, you need to decide where or which area you want to see given this extra motorised flexibility. Seeing something different in Normandy?

How about the villages south of Caen? The city was not captured until 6 weeks after D-Day when it was expected to be taken at the latest by D+1.

Sounds like a great trip!

I have a different travel style, I don't enjoy too many day trips because I feel like you are always backtracking and arriving at your destinations with the hordes of other day trippers. I don't mind 2 and 3 night stays, especially because I travel light and don't totally unpack.

I always like the quiet mornings and eating dinner in the town I am staying in, and moving around a little gives you different experiences. When we went, we stayed in Rouen, Honfleur and Bayeux. I would suggest for you that you stay in Honfleur or Rouen, and then do visits to Rouen, Honfleur and Etetat.

Then move on to Bayeux and do your WW2 visits and MSM. I highly recommend getting a guide for some of the WW2 for at least half a day. Their knowledge and expertise adds so much to the experience. Enjoy!

I strongly urge taking a full-day rather than half-day D-Day tour. There's considerable transportation time required between the sites, plus time from and back to Bayeux. On a half-day tour, that really eats into the time you'll have at the actual stops.

My wife and I spend 5 days in Bayeux some years ago, and found it to be an enchanting town. In addition to what others have said about it, I recommend trying to go to the open market on a day when it is open. Having a car is almost a must to see the other sights in Normandy. If you are coming from Paris, many have recommended taking a train to Caen and picking up a rental car there, and driving to Bayeux. We drove from Paris, but especially if you have just come off a long flight, taking a train is safer. We drove to Falaise and found it to be worth the trip, if only to see the remains of the chateau of William the Conqueror. Peter

We went to Normandy in 2019 and stayed in Arromanche. We absolutely loved it there. We went in mid-September so the summer craziness and tourists were gone but all the restaurants and the very excellent museum were open. We walked to dinner every night, which was so relaxing. From there it was a very reasonable drive to all of the D-Day sights, which we visited for 4 days. We were driving from Giverny, so we stopped at Caen on the way and saw the top-notch museum there. While in Arromanche, we also day-tripped to Bayeaux to see the tapestry, church and wander the town and we were glad to be staying in small, quiet Arromanche, right by the seaside.