I will be travelling from New York to Normandy in July and want to stop in London on the way back. The plan is to fly into Paris, get to Normandy by either rental car or train, and then get from Normandy to London either back thru Paris or take the Eurostar from somewhere in Normandy. If anyone has done this, I would appreciate any suggestions and itineraries. We are planning on spending 4 full days in Normandy and want to see both WWII sights and historical sights. I have been to Paris recently and do not plan on spending any time there this trip. Thanks!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
The option by train is to go back through Paris and take the Eurostar to London; book Eurostar tickets now for the best price. By ferry, you can choose a route such as Cherbourg to Portsmouth (both towns served by train). See www.seaview.co.uk for ferry routes and tickets.
Posted by
Blair, Nebraska
34 posts
Rivry,
We are doing this same trip end of May. We are renting a car from CDG and driving to Caen where we have a hotel booked because it's between Normandy/Omaha beach and Mt. St Michel. We are returning to Paris to catch the Eurostar to London St. Pancras because it was the least expensive of all the choices between dropping the car at a port and catching the ferry, or flying on one of the smaller airlines or the train. So if you have the time and funds you might look at dropping your car and catching a ferry but if your short on time and funds the train will get you there quickly. Good luck and enjoy which ever way you choose!
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2186 posts
The Eurostar only runs to London from Paris or Lille. Your best option for the Eurostar is the train back to Paris, since there didn't used to be a train from Lille to Normandy area. We took the ferry from Cherbourg to Portsmouth. It was the hydrofoil and only took about 1 1/2 -2 hrs., I think. I get horribly seasick, so I can't vouch for the time. But, we did not allow for enough time to get from the train station to the ferry terminal and there weren't enough taxis on a Sunday late afternoon. The forced-march to the ferry will go down in the family lore.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
1974 posts
Best for the four days in Normandy is to use a car. You can for instance drop-off the car in Rouen, pay a visit there and go by train to Paris and further with Eurostar to London. You can also drive further to Lille and drop-off the car near railwaystation Lille-Europe if other places more north are of interest.