Paris to Giverny to Caen/Bayeux. Train/car rental? Suggestion??

It all depends on how much flexibility you'd like in those places. Giverny (Vernon) does have car rental, or at least one, Hertz. If you are going to Rouen, you'd have more options. You could manage without a car in Giverny and then proceed via train to Caen/Bayeux where there'd be plenty of options for rental

Hi,
A few comments on my side.
1. How long are you planning to stay in the Caen area? Depending on your answer, I would consider spending a night near (or even in?) Mont Saint Michel. This would let you explore the Mont in the evening with fewer crowds. Otherwise, Caen is a three-hour round trip drive from Mont Saint Michel, I do not know about tours (but others might).
2. Visiting Giverny on the way to Caen is difficult logistically if you do not drive, for two reasons:
- I am not aware of luggage storage facilities at Vernon station (the one near Giverny).
- Vernon Station is not on the train line to Caen. You need to backtrack either to Mantes la Jolie or even Paris.
So if you are intent on visiting Giverny, I would recommend hiring a car, in Paris (near Porte Maillot if you want to avoid city driving) or in Vernon. But this brings me to...
3. Three days in Paris is not much, with such limited time I would skip Giverny altogether and simply head to Caen in the afternoon of day 4. By train in that case.
4. I cannot advise on staying in Caen vs. Bayeux or on WWII tours.

Plan to spend likely 3 nights in Caen, that will be base for our time in that area to explore the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, Mont Saint Michel, Bayeux.

Correct, train to Giverny would pose issue with luggage. Perhaps just a half-day trip to Giverny via train from Paris. Then train from Paris to Caen. Rent car there. Perhaps, as you say, skip Giverny.

The most important part of the trip for us is the WWII sites, the museum in Caen, the Bayeux Tapestry and Mont Saint Michel. So, maybe not much time in Paris, but can return one day.

Three nights in/near Caen will make for a tight schedule. You will want to arrive in Caen early enough to visit the Memorial on your arrival day, otherwise you will not be able to fit Memorial + Bayeux + Mont Saint Michel + D-Day beaches with three nights.
So I would skip Giverny and take an early train to Caen, drop luggage in hotel, and go to the Memorial.
Next day, I would either take a tour (not knowledgable on tours) or hire a car (if you do hire, do so the day before and use the car to go to the Memorial) and go to Mont-Saint-Michel.
The day after would have to combine Bayeux tapestry and D-Day beaches. I let other advise whether tour or self-drive is best.

I would skip Caen altogether. The city was largely destroyed during the battle for Normandy, and there are much more convenient locales for visiting the D-day area (i.e., Bayeux). Despite RS adoration of the "museum" (mostly for its political slant), I find it very underwhelming and a waste of precious time. Forget spending a day or even a half day inside a museum where everything you learn you can learn before your trip. Get out there and see the real sights instead. If you must spend time visiting a museum, I recommend a much shorter visit to the Bayeux Museum, or the wonderful museum at Utah Beach (the best in the area IMHO). As for train or car, Normandy is a large and fairly rural area with almost no public transportation. If you want to be able to tour the area rather than just being guided in a van, a car is a must.
My too sense...

Just pick up your rental car in Caen and drive to Bayeux and spend your time there. Many nice places to stay and the beaches are at your doorstep.

www.toursbylocals.com to find a guide

We were in Caen just yesterday and choose to skip the museum because after 3 days, we are on overload! Caen lacks charm, overall. We are staying on Bayeux which is quite pleasant and you can rent a car here if you like. I am picking one up shortly for our last three days here so we can get to Honfleur, Arromanches (D-Day tour didn’t go there), and points on the Cotentin Peninsula. Debating MSM.

We are staying in VRBO property #1505838. May be the best vacation rental we have ever had.

We did the Caen museum. We enjoyed it and learned a fair amount but it was definitely a duplication of some of the other things we did. I would say people should do it if they have plenty of time and are big WWII buffs. We also did Arromanches (artificial harbor, great little museum), Utah Beach Museum (could have spent a whole day) Point du Hoc (don't miss) American cemetary, a small museum close to Arromanches which was good but I can't remember name. We did do the paratrooper museum and weren't huge fans and would have preferred more time at Utah Beach. There were also small monuments, etc., we stopped at. We liked the flexibility of a car.

We drove much of the coast, and stopped in Cherbourg for the Liberation Museum. It was small and it was the first of the museums we went to in Normandy so it was a good intro. It is up on a hill and had great views of the harbor. It was interesting to compare pre/post WWII.

Also in Normandy, we were thrilled with Honfleur and Etretat(only beach, didn't go into the little town)

jules m is right in recommending Arromanches. This is something I did not know a lot about prior to this trip and it was amazing to see and understand more fully. Great museum there!

Laurel, yes, its a great museum! I love being able to see the artificial harbor out the window with a models right below the window that describes everything, and when we were there, there was an employee describing everything, too.

I think many people who start with your idea (Caen or Bayeux via Giverny) often reach the conclusion that Giverny would work better for them as a day trip from Paris.

or another option I just thought of is to do Giverny on the way back to Paris, and then turn the car in there, which is the way we did it. Whether or not it works depends on your other stops and the way you route them

rent a car. Skip Caen. Stay in Rennes or St Malo or Arromanches. Add Rouen.

Many thanks for the information and recommendations you have provided. I love this forum!

Research, ask questions and amend plans accordingly. Giverny will now be a day-trip from Paris. Found a lovely apartment to rent in Bayeux, and tour guide driver. Will also rent a car to visit Mont Saint Michel and Caen and see sights along the way. Excited beyond belief to get there. Cheers!