Paris and Normandy

Have you done any reading about possibilities in Normandy? It is a large area with spread-out things people like to see, for example, the gardens at Giverny and Mt. St. Michel. You can do it without a car, but I think you'd want to find a tour guide in that case. When I went, we stayed 3 nights, arriving by train in Caen in the late afternoon, renting a car (easily done across the street from the train station), driving 25 minutes to Bayeux and walking around Bayeux for a bit, and then driving to the Chateau where we stayed 2 nights (I decided to do this as a unique experience, but it did require a car). We spent one day seeing the Bayeux tapestry, and then taking a long round-about drive to Mt. St. Michel, arriving there at 5p where everyone was streaming out and the parking lot was empty. We entered at 5, stayed until closing at 7, and it was VERY un-crowded, then had dinner in the town below the abbey, and drove back to the chateau, arriving by 9:30p. The other day, we went to the American cemetery and to Omaha beach for lunch. We slept in Bayeux the third night, and departed early for Caen to catch the train back to Paris. I was with a 13yo. You could see a lot more, albeit with more driving, if you desired. I really liked having a car, I enjoy driving as a way to see the area and not just to get from one tourist site to another. All of it was a highlight. I highly recommend Mt. St. Michel at 5p and later. The American cemetery was very moving and the museum is very powerful (my daughter spent 2 hours looking at and reading every.thing.), and the Bayeux tapestry was wonderful.

I will only be in Bayeux in September somhaven’t tried this yet but research on this forum indicates that La Rapier is an excellent restaurant in Bayeux though one should book far in advance. A local also suggests Le Grande Manger which is more like a bistro. I’ve sourced what looks like a good B&B in Bayeux, if you are looking for one feel free to message me.

Depends on if you want to see anything other than the DDay beaches, how in depth you want to explore the various DDAY related sites ( museums, cemeteries, etc), and if you are interested in any non DDAY attractions like the Tapestry, Mont St Michel , St Malo, etc.

With only a couple of nights, and not exploring any of the nearby towns, you can get a train to Bayeux and then take a tour like those offered by Overlord tours.

Otherwise, you'd want to have a car for more flexibility. We also stayed in the area for 3 nights and explored on our own each day. MSM is easily done from Bayeux as a day trip. You could train to Caen and pick up/drop off a car there as described earlier.

Yes, we have been to France a few times before, so I have researched this leg in the past. We also have the RS France guide book. I was just looking for some personal suggestions and these all sound great so far. Renting the car sounds easy enough from Caen.

I highly, highly recommend one of the van-tours operating (usually) out of Bayeux. There are one-day trips that cover sites of special interest to Americans (also one or two tours focusing on Canadian/British sites). You'll cover much more ground and get much more information that way. Last year the cost was about 100 euros per person, and well worth it. I used Overlord Tours. Dale Booth is also mentioned positively on this forum. You'd need to contact the company to set the date. I don't know that every tour is offered every day.

Most people prefer to stay in Bayeux for the D-Day part of a Normandy sojourn, and it's the most convenient place for picking up most of the van tours. It also has a good WW II museum, the Bayeux Tapestry, the cathedral, and a picturesque historic district. I was traveling by public transportation, so I also spent a few nights in Caen, which is nearby but has better transportation links. So I can't say exactly how convenient it would be to travel east to places along the coast from Bayeux; there would be the extra step of getting from Bayeux to Caen. However, I managed to see (on separate days, because I am slow) Honfleur, Deauville and Cabourg.

If you opted to rent a car for just one day in Caen (probably better) or Bayeux, you could cover ground a bit more quickly. However, I am not suggesting this as a substitute for a D-Day tour, and I'm not sure it's worth fiddling with a rental car if you have only two nights in Normandy.

On both of our trips to Normandy we have taken the train to Caen and then rented a car. During our last trip, we focused on the Operation Overlord sites, so we based ourselves in Bayeaux. For our interests, a car was necessary so that we could really explore on our own timetable. We enjoyed our stay at Hotel Particulier Poppa. Phillipe and Sophie are wonderful hosts; large suites, a parking spot is available and it's a few blocks from the cathedral.

I agree with acraven (happens a lot!) that taking a tour of DDay areas is absolutely worth the money--and I'm a frugal traveler. And, yes, Bayeux is a good home base for that. Rick Steves has some recommendations for tours, as does Tripadvisor.

Thank you everyone for your feedback. Yes, acraven always seems to have the answers. 😊

We will land in Paris on Friday and stay until Monday in the 1st. We will then take the train from Paris to Caen (possibly stopping at Giverny), rent a car a drive to Bayeux to stay for three nights. We will take the Overlord Tour for the D day beaches one day and then either take the Overlord tour or drive on our own to Mont St Michel the next day. Then back to Paris for the rest of the week and I am looking at either the 4th or the 6th.

So excited! April in Paris in April!!!

Thank you for all of the suggestions.