Hi...planning a trip from Paris to caen or bayeau to get a small group tour of Normandy. Suggestions???? 1 adult, 1 senior and 1 12 yr old. also, planning to train from Paris to the Black Forest. Is train to Strasbourg best ?? Then, shuttle across to Germany??? Help appreciated.
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
653 posts
Hi, you wrote:
"planning a trip from Paris to caen or bayeau to get a small group tour of Normandy. Suggestions???? 1 adult, 1 senior and 1 12 yr old. also,"
My husband and I and our two sons booked with Dale Booth for a private two-day tour of the American beaches. It was pricey but absolutely fabulous. He's very much in demand so we planned the trip around the dates we were able to book. I've read in this forum that Overlord is good too.
We took a train from Paris to Bayeux, stayed there five nights, and trained back.
I haven't been to the Black Forest but I see seat61.com recommended for train travel questions.
Hope this helps,
Marty
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hi from Wisconsin,
Given a choice between Caen and Bayeux, I would take Bayeux every time. Caen was destroyed by Allied forces during WWII. Major tank battles in the area. Aerial bombing flattened the city. Anything that looks old in Caen was built since 1946. Bayeux on the other hand was captured so quickly that it wasn't much hurt at all. And it was so important to get men and equipment beyond Bayeux that the Allies built a "ring road" to avoid the city center. So heavy traffic didn't go through the city center. To this day you can avoid the city center by taking this eye shaped ring road around the city. It is a beautiful city with a nice cathedral. It is close to the beaches (well reasonably close).
Sorry to knock Caen. We enjoyed our two days there.
wayne iNWI
Posted by
Paris
7304 posts
What do you want to see in the black forest? It's a large area, there are many suitable railheads. Freiburg is one, so is Baden Baden at the other end.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7887 posts
The Black Forest doesn't pair particularly well with Paris. Can you sketch your overall itinerary? Are you flying home from Paris? What is your next stop after Black Forest? Are you considering a car for any of the trip? What time of year (the Black Forest is primarily an outdoor and light hiking destination.) What do you mean by "shuttle"? Train service in Germany is superb, almost everywhere. But changes of train can be required. Many people deliberately stay in a town that provides the KONUS public transit pass with a hotel room in the BF.
Posted by
Philadelphia area
97 posts
For the small group tours from Bayeux, we used Bayeux Shuttle. We took 3 separate all day tours - the American sector, the British/Canadian sector, and Mont St. Michel. We rode in vans that held between 6-12 people and the guides were excellent.
Posted by
USA
2 posts
After having listened to Rick Steves conversation about Normandy by the owner of D-Day Battle Tours we decided to book a shared tour with his tour company. Download the Rick Steves Audio Europe app and listen to all the audio guides pertinent to your trip. Through DDay Battle Tours you can make arrangements to take the train from Paris to Carentan. Spend the day touring Normandy and return to Paris in the evening.
http://www.ddaybattletours.com/mobile/index.html
We have not taken our trip yet, but we are very excited.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
It's unclear from the original post whether you are trying to do a day-trip to Normandy for a D-Day tour or can spend one or two nights there to allow for a true full-day tour. If it must be a day-trip, I think one of the best options is the tour Overlord offers (I don't know how frequently) for people taking the early train up from Paris. The tour begins at the Bayeux train station just a bit later than the regular tours begin downtown. The tour ends back at the train station to facilitate your return to Paris. To be clear: You are responsible for buying your own train tickets to and from Bayeux.
I stayed in Bayeux for multiple days and took one of the regular Overlord tours. I was very happy with its coverage. There have been many positive comments about other tour companies as well (including in this thread). I'm specifically mentioning Overlord because of the option of a tour designed for people who don't have time to spend a night in Bayeux.
Posted by
196 posts
I agree with the poster who recommended that you stay in Bayeux rather than Caen. We really enjoyed our stay in Bayeux, and took a tour through the Churchill Hotel (I think that is the name of the hotel) the tapestry museum is also impressive, as is the cathedral. And it has a nice outdoor market, although I cannot recall which day(s) it is open. Peter