Paris, Normandy & Mont Saint-Michel

While you can do the D-day tour on your own, a tour might be a good choice. A good tour can provide a better overview of events and a deeper understanding of events and where they occurred. We had a great guide on my RS tour, he really immersed you in the invasion. Do a search but it seems overlord comes up frequently.

Have fun.

Three days is probably doable. You could take the train to Bayeux (or Caen, if that gives you more timetable choices and better rental car options) and pick up a rental car.

The RS Guide to France provides ample information to tour the American Cemetery and Normandy beaches on your own, I think. The American Cemetery has a free walking tour at least once a day, but be aware there's a security check before you enter and that might hold you up for 15 min or more. (It caused us to miss the tour.) The Hotel Logis du Casino in Vierville-sur-Mer is excellent.

Once you leave Mont St. Michel, you could drive back toward Paris by way of Chartres. Last time I checked, rental car options in Chartres were quite limited, so that might not be a suitable place to return your car, but if so, Chartres has good train connections to Paris. If Chartres doesn't work, you might see if you can return your car in Versailles. Or just drive all the way to Orly Airport and return your car there.

I think this is a great idea. We based in Bayeux last summer for 3 nights to see the beaches, Bayeux itself, the tapestry, and had a wonderful time before moving on to St. Malo.

Given how expensive French tolls are, I would consider doing what's suggested above and buying train tickets in advance to take the fast train to Caen and pick up your rental car there.

We like to pick up and return our rental car in Caen, with 3-4 rental agencies right across the street from the Caen railroad station. The trains from Paris and back are easy. We use AutoEurope at Caen. We've stayed at a great B&B just outside Villers-Bocage, about 12 miles east of Bayeux. Check out www.bandbnormandie.com. We left La Ferme Du Pressoir early, drove on the motorway about 90 miles to Mont St. Michel and arrived before the tour buses packed the place. Around 2-3 hours was plenty and we then drove around the bay to Cancale for a marvelous seafood lunch with MSM visible across the bay. Returning, we drifted along on the back roads, stopping in little villages to buy wine, Calvados, and food to have for supper. We had our own GPS with the Europe maps plus a Michelin road map of Normandy. Driving in Normandy is very easy but now I think you must have an international drivers' license.

Here is another vote for Bayeux. There are several great hotels there and it is a lovely town .