My husband and I are visiting Normandy this March. We will be joined by our two young adult boys. We are staying in Deauville for work. We would like to find a tour for our sons to do of the American beaches. Most of the tours I have seen leave from Bayeux or Caen or even Le Havre. Are there any that leave from Deauville itself or will they have to hop on a train to Bayeux to catch the tour? Alternative option? Should we just rent a car and go visit the sites on our own without the guide? Thank you for sharing your expertise and experiences!
Posted by
Washington DC
30134 posts
I haven't seen any references to D-Day tours from Deauville. I know Overlord Tours has a tour (#2FS) designed for people staying in Paris who are willing to take the early train up to Bayeux. That tour picks people up at the Bayeux train station and returns them there at the end of the day. The schedule is such that you get a full-day tour that includes most (maybe all) the same stops as the company's regular full-day tour designed for people staying in Bayeux. I don't think this tour is offered every day, so I'd contact Overlord immediately to see whether this could fit your timeframe.
You'd need to check the train schedule from Deauville to Caen and on to Bayeux to see whether your sons could meet Overlord's pick-up time. A quick look at the SNCF website suggests this is probably possible on a weekday; I didn't check the weekend schedule. I cannot say how reliable the train schedule is, but I day tripped from Bayeux to Deauville back in 2017 without a problem. The tour company should be informed that the clients will be arriving on a specific train from Deauville/Lisieux/Caen, not from Paris.
https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en
I enjoyed my Overlord tour and think a tour is a far better idea than driving around, unguided, unless someone in your travel party is an expert on the invasion. With a tour you have a driver/guide who provides a lot of background information. An extra day with a rental car to access a few places not included in the tour, museums (Bayeux has a good one), etc., could be very worthwhile.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1526 posts
As I am sure you know, Deauville is well East of the Battle of Normandy Beaches. A quick check of Google Maps show it to be 2–3 hours each way by train to Bayeux with one or two changes (through Caen or Lisieux and Caen). But is is only around a one hour drive if you can access a rental car. Driving in Normandy is very pleasant, but it may depend on how old the "young adult boys" are.