Flying in to Paris. Then my wife and I train to Bayeaux. Best train / route??
We read Bayeaux was a good stop for D- Day Beach tours by “Overlord” guides??
I understand Overlord guides will pick you up at your hotel and shuttle back & forth to Normandy beaches.
Any comments/suggestions on train/ hotel/ and Overlord are greatly appreciated!
We plan 2 days at Normandy beaches- one in Continental sector, one in American sector…as suggested by Rick Steves and Steve Smith.
After those two days, our plan is to stay one night on Mont -Saint- Michel. !!
Will we need a car rental from Bayeaux?Any suggestions on hotels on the Mont?
Then, I think , back to Bayeaux and train back to Paris. Thank you.
Posted by
Chicago
1465 posts
The Paris to Bayeux trains leave from Gare St Lazare. Check an app or website like SNCF for schedules. Multiple times per day. Easy.
Overlord doesn’t pick up at hotel for their small group vans, but a very central location near the Churchill hotel. Easy to find. Other tour buses leave from there also.
I wouldn’t know about RS’s suggestions (and who is Steve Smith???) on how many days or tours to the Normandy beaches. Best to choose yourself based on your interests and research. (What is a “continental sector” - did you mean Canadian?). Lots of info on Overlord website. https://www.overlordtour.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20472918647&gbraid=0AAAAADHWXs1agB6ICkhglogJnpebEnEEV&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo9vwhP6PjQMVKQetBh2a2h-GEAAYASAAEgKpbfD_BwE
Overlord also has tours to Mont-Saint-Michel. If you DIY, you will need a car, practically speaking.
Bayeux does work great as a base if you want a tour and prefer no car rental. You can train to Caen easily if you want to see the Memorial there. Other spots of interest such as Arromanches aren’t as connected by train so the tours are quite handy. I found Overlord excellent last fall after reading glowing reviews in multiple forums for years.
Posted by
1284 posts
I'd take the train from Paris to Caen; pick up a rental car and drive to Bayeux. (Make sure your accommodations have parking.)
All tours meet/pick in the city center square on Pl du Quebec. Bayeux is very walkable. Then drive to MSM. Drive to Rennes to drop the car off at Rennes train station; taking the train back to Paris.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1931 posts
ORD Traveler, fyi, Steve Smith is Rick's co-writer of his France book. He can be seen in some of Rick's older videos on France.
leejoe, an Overlord all-day tour is about $150.00 per person. There are several good companies that posters recommend, Overlord and HQ Company are two. We have always driven ourselves and done lots of research on our own, but most posters here seem to use tour companies with success. I would suggest being at the American cemetery when they lower the flag at day's end. The ceremony is very moving. Info can be found at abmc.gov (American Battle Monuments Commission). It's a good site for info about the DDay sights (and others).
Bon Voyage!
Posted by
Chicago
1465 posts
Thanks, Judy!
Seconding the DIY suggestions above, I have also driven Normandy and Brittany in past years. Last fall, solo short trip, I wasn’t up to driving and the day tour worked well - no complaints and I’m much more of a DIY than tour traveler. That might be the first question to answer - which approach is personally preferred.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2597 posts
We stayed at Villa Aggarthi in Bayeau in 9/23 and used HQCompany tours. We opted for a private tour for the two of us as a splurge. My son and his wife did the same thing two weeks ago. We had used a train from.Paris but they chose to drive. We got a taxi right at the train station to the b and b. The b and b had on site parking. We were picked up.and dropped off at the b and b for the tour.. Recommend watching the old movie the Longest Day before traveling there. Enjoy..