My wife and I are considering hiring a driver (just driving, not a tour) to take us from Bayeux to Beuvron-en-Auge then to Honfleur and back to Bayeux.
Just curious if anyone on this forum has any experience or knowledge with any of these companies:
Appreciate any feedback as well as any other recommended company.
Thank you
Thanks, Steve, for asking this question. My hubby and I wonder the same thing for later in May and don't wish to drive. We're using Bayeux as a base. Hoping others can chime in!
Great question! I was just coming here to ask a similar one.
Steve,
I used Bayeux Taxi to take me from the train station to the hotel and back. They were professional, reasonably priced, and easy to connect with on What’sApp. I don’t know about their long distance driving services, but I liked them enough that I would contact them to see what they had to offer.
Thank you SandyO
Steve,
Perhaps contacting the tourist bureau in Bayeux would help. They may have a list of those who would do chauffeuring for the day. Price? I have no clue.
Thank you Judy, I can also try that,
Still, I am curious as to anyone who can comment regarding the 3 companies I have listed. I also have prices from them, ranging from 350 to 500 Euros.
Do you have MSM on your list? I do not adore driving in foreign countries, but I found that a car was essential for a leisurely visit to the D-Day Beaches area. The problem is historic-site parking spaces at D-Day anniversary times, and all summer. We also enjoyed some public gardens, many former estates, that were a little farther from the coast. These inland roads were narrow, but much easier to drive than, say, comparable roads in England.
I'll second the vote for having your own car in Normandy. I find the driving fairly easy, and contrary to a previous reply, i almost always find decent parking near major sites—even during a D-day anniversary (I have been to nine including the 70th, 75th and 80th). The only exception is if there is a particular ceremony at the site you want to see when you want to go there.
Thank you PharmerPhil and Tim
Have you rented a car in Normandy?
Yes, we have MSM on our plan. Thanks to this wonderful forum, I have already reserved 2 seats on the Hotel Churchill shuttle.
I have seen conflicting feedback regarding parking and driving in Normandy. I suppose it greatly depends on where you go and when.
We plan to stay in Bayeux, so I have no issue paying for taxi/Uber to get to from the D-Day beaches (and not even deal with parking).
Thank you everybody.
PS-@PharmerPhil 9 D-Day anniversaries - wow! That is impressive
This has our itinerary:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/normandy-brittany-thoughts
It was a mistake to return the car inside Paris.
I'm a big fan of taking at least a one-day D-Day tour that will get you to some of the key sights with a driver/guide to provide background information. Unless one of you is an expert on the Normandy invasion, I think just Ubering from one place to another will be costly but not terribly informative--unless you're just going to go to museums. There's quite a good invasion museum right in Bayeux, which is a nice supplement to what you'd see and learn on a tour.
OK, I volunteer for the job! (I wish I was serious, but I would!) Unfortunately, I can't comment on the companies you asked about. We did exactly your itinerary staying in Bayeux. Then on departure day we drove to Beuvron-en-Auge, then on to Honefleur for lunch. Then final stop Rouen for a few nights. I found driving in Normandy so easy. Road conditions were fantastic.
I'm not sure what parking issues you think you'll find at the DDay beaches, but you could do a DDay tour, which would be very informative. An uber/taxi to the DDay beaches is just a ride to an open parking lot.
Thank you so much for sharing your details Tim!
Thank you acraven and KD (and @KD, please let me know if you change your mind! )
