Given that we will only have seven nights, how many would you spend in Paris, Bayeaux (for Normandy), and would you even bother spending a night in Mont St Michel? We will be going August 31-September 7.
I am not sure what to do. In addition, I have no idea where to stay in Paris.
I would spend every night in Paris. However, f you do want to see the WWII beaches area of Normandy, I would leave Paris by train one morning, go on an organized all day tour, spend the night in Bayeux, and return to Paris the next afternoon, after seeing the lovely town of Bayeux, its cathedral and museum in the morning. Trying to see much of the Norman DDay sights in one day from and to Paris is an exercise in passing half the time on the train. I would skip Mont St. Michel. If you did go there however, I would go there on day 2 from Bayex and stay the night, returning to Paris on the third day out. IMO, Paris has a whole season's worth of things to see and do, so I would stay there the whole time. Seven nights is very short. I would save Normandy and Mt St Michel for another trip, where you could devote at least 4 days (5 nights) there.
Where to stay in Paris? Try the search bar above with something like "where to stay in Paris", then filter for forum, then filter for one year or less. There are numerous threads discussing this. Also, check a guidebook as well. My local public library has some to borrow, and the overall info about areas of Paris doesn't change a lot over the years. Thast will helpo you narrow things down.
Hint....Many travelers underestimate the size of France and distances between places, and even with the great train system, they underestimate travel time between locations. Just something to consider when planning one-day day trips from Paris.
Best of luck in your planning.
Thank you so much!!! To be honest, I am on a dragonboat team who has their "Olympics" in Aix les Bains in the French alps the week before. We are flying into Geneva and the extension trip to Paris was another $1000 per day for three days PER PERSON. No thank you. I can do this myself. I have never been to Paris, so this is, essentially, an excuse to go and I definitely wanted to see Normandy on this trip. I booked two nights in Bayeaux and I want to book a tour to Normandy out of there for a day.
Thank you for your advice on Mont St Michel. I have to agree with you.
You feedback is so appreciated!
I'm thinking an Olympian can do Paris & Bayeux in a week, if that's all the time you have. Bayeux is charming and many on this forum recommend Overlord Tours for the WW2 sites. There are a couple of other companies that come up frequently if you do a search.
We love staying in St German neighborhood in the 6th arrondissment (or 7th adjacent to St Germain), and the Le Marais in the 3rd or 4th, is another popular neighborhood. Just make sure to be near/walkable to the metro or bus, etc.
Have fun!
LOL. Well, we are breast cancer survivors, but it is in essence, our "Olympics." The team I am on is Indy Surviveoars (yes, the e in it) Dragonboat team.
I like that suggestion of the St. Germain area. Will look into that now!
Thank you so much!
Becky
We took the train from Paris to Bayeau, I seem to remember it wss maybe between two and three hours. There were taxis at the train station we took to our bed and breakfast, then we checked in and visited the town and museum. the next day we took a private tour of the beaches, picked up at the bed and breakfast at nine and returned about six. Returned to Paris the next day around noon. My son and his wife just did the same this last summer but they had a car so.went to the Mont for a whole day on their own then onto.Paris.It all.worked well.for us. The tour was expensive $650 total for the two of us but it was by far. . one of the best things we ever did. It was our treat to ourselves.. HQCompany is the name. Others have used them as well and were also very happy. They also do group tours. Best luck and enjoy it and Paris.
Hi Gail
We were thinking we would rent a car and drive to Bayeaux and be there two nights, back for another night in Paris and then fly home.
We are not sure where to stay in Paris. One person on here recommended St. Germain and I have a friend who loved Montmartre, but it seems a bit far from some places, but it has great views.
Thank you for the recommendation re: HQ company!!!! I will look at that now!
Thank you so much!
Becky
Becky, me too! 22 years. I consider that a gold medal. So dragonboat Olympian you are!
And Gail's suggestion about HQ Company is the other frequently mentioned company on this site.
Highly suggest taking the train to Caen, rent the car there. Drive the short distance to Bayeux. Bayeux has limited choices for car rentals compared to Caen. Do none of this on Sunday because trying to rent a car on Sunday in anywhere France is difficult, either closed or limited hours with the exception of the airport. We did all of this last April, (though we took the train to Rennes because we went to MSM first) so I personally know this Sunday experience. Very easy to drive in Normandy.
Becky,
Congrats on your dragonboat success! We have a long-time friend who was a team member on a survivor's team for several years. (In her eighties now, so it's a bit too strenuous.) We have watched some of the races here in Long Beach. You rock!
I think two nights in Bayeux is a good number. You can easily do a tour one day and then spend the next on places you want to see again, or that were missed. The American Cemetery at Omaha should be on your list, and the WWII museum in Bayeux is very good also. You're going to be right at the edge of apple harvest time so make sure you spend a little time checking out Norman apple ciders. You'll also find a lot of meals incorporate apples in the cooking.
In Paris I like to stay near the main sights I plan to see. Yes, the metro is good, and fairly easy to use, but I walk a fair amount also. If I was going to look at the Louvre, for example, I wouldn't stay in Montmartre. I'll be going for a weekend in a couple weeks and, as I plan to visit the paleontology museum, I've reserved a place just south of there. Every section of Paris is a little different, which is nice. I like the differences.
You're going to be going at the end of high season, so prices will still be high. I've used Marriott properties, Sofitel, and a couple others. Near the Louvre I like Hotel Moliere, and have stayed there 7-8 nights over the past couple years.
I suggest you pick the top three things you need/want to see, and plan around those.
I like all of these replies very much. One of you made a good point about staying closer to things you want to see. Given our limited time there, that makes a lot of sense. Also, congratulations to the 22 year survivor!!! I am 15 years out. Time flies!!!!
Your comments have been very helpful. What we were thinking of doing is renting the car when we left Paris for Normandy because a car gives a lot of flexibility. What do any of you think of Versailles? One idea when we came back from Bayeaux would be to stay on night in Versailles before flying home.
Thoughts?
I want to make sure you know the Bayeux Tapestry museum is closed until late 2027. I would go to Mont St Michel if you're in Bayeux overnight for 2 days. It's a beautiful sight. I would consider renting a car. Normandy France is not the hard to drive around. If you do stay only in Paris do a day trip by train somewhere. Very easy to do (Versailles, Giverny, Fountainbleau, Chantilly). My favorite area to stay in Paris is the Latin Quarter. Lively at night, lots of restaurants. My favorite hotel is the Albe Hotel. Reasonably priced in a great location. Saint-Michel metro stop is very close and easy to get anywhere in Paris including the airport. I would not stay in Montmarte area. Metro access is too limited. It can also get very crowded.
