Question about Normandy/Paris Itinerary

Are you renting a car at some point? In Normandy? I assume there's bus connections between Caen and Bayeux, but I don't remember - I rented a car (in Caen) and drove around. It was easy, and Normandy is very beautiful (D-Day beaches aside). There are guided day tours of the D-Day stuff so you could do that without a car, but getting back and forth without one might be fun.

I don't know if it makes sense to stop in Versailles on the way to Bayeux or not. I'd guess not. But you can check the train schedules yourself online: check Paris to Bayeux, Paris to Versailles (by RER anyway I think), and Versailles to Bayeux. If there's direct train from Versailles to Bayeux, maybe it is worth doing it that way - assuming you have a place to leave your bags at Versailles. If you have to backtrack from Versailles to Paris to go back to Bayeux, maybe it's not worth doing.

My personal opinion about Versailles: not worth seeing if you have only one day in Paris. I am just not blown away too much by big palaces. Versailles is really nice and beautiful of course, but it doesn't rank near the top of my favorite things I've seen in Europe or even France. But if you love palaces, and you feel you've seen as much of Paris as you really need to see, maybe you should go to Versailles. Only you can answer that, because you may not have the same travel interests as I have.

Flying out from Paris: an international flight out of Europe? I've done stuff like that - train in from say Normandy to CDG airport and fly out the same day - but many would consider it a bit risky. How late is your flight? How long would the train be? I don't recall there being direct trains from Normandy to the CDG train station but maybe there are. If it requires too many changes in Paris or something, that might complicate the return that last day and I probably wouldn't do it.

We love Paris, Versailles and Normandy. Asking which of these three to choose from is incredibly difficult. They are all well worth your time. If I HAD to choose, I would choose Paris. It's very unfortunate you will not have more time. Is there anyway you can add time? You are going so far, it's a shame to only have a minute there.

Caen... hated it. I wouldn't spend one minute there. Bayeux is very charming, I'd spend time there instead. They have the best WWII museum of all imo, and exploring the town is wonderful.

We also love Mont St. Michel, but it's best before 10-11 am and after 4-5pm. I would not drive all that way for the very short time you have. I'd spend that time in Bayeux and the American Cemetery and the beaches.

If you don't get tickets to the final event, yes, I would absolutely go back to Paris to see more

If you haven't booked a hotel in Bayeux yet, I highly recommend Hotel d'Argouges where we've stayed 6 or more times. Love it.

The weather should be great in September. You can Google for historical data.

" We have one night in Paris. We arrive around 1pm, so imagine that we could hit the streets to sight see around 2:30, and go until we drop. Thursday I was hoping to see Versailles on the way to Bayeux- is that on the way? Our first event is Thursday evening, so we just need to be in Bayeux by 4pm. Would you recommend trying to see more of Paris or Versailles? I have been to Paris, but my mom has not. I did not get to see Versailles the last time I was there, and we are staying in the Opera district so I think we have a decent location for sightseeing. Or should we get straight to Bayeux and start touring the beaches?"

will pass on this q.

"Friday we don't have a WEG event, so was hoping to take the bus to Mont St Michel, spend the day there, return around 3pm and maybe see some beaches, the cathedral and the tapestry."

If you take the Tour Bus from Bayeux, you may get in a little later than that. i dont know about driving since it took the bus. Beaches ? if you drive yes, public transportation? I would check on the Cathedrals hours.

"We don't have a WEG event until the evening on Saturday, so would you recommend seeing the tapestry, cathedral and then head off to explore Caen? Is there a train from Bayeux to Caen that runs regularly?"

Caen is a more modern town. The only thing i went there for was the museum. But that was the only thing i had plan on seeing too. Dont remember what else is down there.

If i remember correctly, there are "regular trains". I know there is a online time table somewhere and is how i checked.

"If we can't get tickets to the final event on Sunday, would you recommend staying in Bayeux another night, or returning to Paris to sight see more? If we do get tickets (its a lottery system) we have a hotel for the night in Bayeux."

I think you will need another night anyway if you go to MSM and try to see the other things that day. If you do, do the cathedral first and head on out to the beach, but my guess is that its going to be dark - hows your night vision or are you going to be on horseback?

there is alot to do/see in Paris. But if you dont have the time, so be it. I get the feeling that the WEG was the #1 reason for making this trip so i would consider anything else you can fit in as gravy. SInce i didnt know about the WEG until a year or so ago, i will make a trip for it, but also plan on other things to do/see.

"We fly out of Paris on Monday afternoon, so was going to take the train from Bayeux to the airport in the morning if we do get the tickets to the final event. Hoping this isnt cutting it too close?"

when i did the Paris-Bayeux-Paris train it was like an express one and if i remember it was like 2 hours + 15 minutes or so ride. Depending on what train you get, i would expect to be at CDG at least 2 hours early.

"I know it is a ways in advance, but what is the weather typically like in Bayeux in September? (first week, if that matters"

Prepare for the worse and hope for the best.

have you hugged your horse today?

happy trails.

You are going to have such fun! I would recommend you think about renting a car, probably in Caen. You say most of your events are in the evening and I am concerned about taking a train back to Bayeux at night. If my recollection is correct, there aren't hotels within easy walking distance from the train and cabs were not plentiful the last time we were there. I think the best you get is an hourly train and I'm not sure how late they run. There might be a bus option. Having a car would allow you to maximize your time for things like the beaches, which are not in walking distance.

If your mom has not been to Paris I would show her as much of it as possible and forget Versailles, but I am also not a fan of yet another palace....I would only go if you have seen all you want in Paris. Agree that a car would be nice for Normandy. It is easy to drive there. To really enjoy Mont st Michel try to spend the night, but if not possible I would still go. It is a pretty amazing place. Have a great trip:)

Thank you for the responses so far! We are excited. My mom is leaving the planning up to me, but I want her to see as much as possible. Due to the crowds I'm anticipating at the WEG, we weren't going to rent a car bc I wasn't sure where to park- but sounds like we should focus on Paris and bayeux and head into Caen only for the equine events. That should free up some time. My pop pop fought in WW2 and was part of the military that came into Normandy and helped clean up after the invasion so would love to see the beaches he worked on, just not sure where he was- hoping my uncle can tell me that!

According to the RS Normandy guide there is a MSM tour that leaves bayeux early and gets back around 3- sounds like it will be crowded, but we can't add more time to our trip- the trip is really focused around the WEG, so anything we can do around the events is a bonus.

I'm hoping our concierge can help us, but even though I've been brushing up on my French, I'm afraid I'm going to struggle. Has anyone stayed at the Mulberry Hotel in Bayeux?

Thanks again for any additional advice! We aren't exactly leisurely sightseers, so we don't mind starting early and staying out late, I just want to maximize our time.

Oh, and I hug my horses every day!

vwunder,

Horses need hugs everyday!

with regards to the Mont Saint Michel tour bus, i took it when i was there. Its spendy, but i don't care to drive so i pay for my comfort. the tour bus is a "van" so, if you want to go, i would book as early as you can since i would bet a set of new set of horse shoes, others will be doing the same. I can't remember if it was a 15 passenger van, but i don't think so. The time you have there was enough for me as long as you didn't get stuck somewhere. I also had time to grab some food in one of the shops too.

with regards to parking for the WEG, i would have to assume that the organizers would have some plans for that.

With regards to walking from the Bayeux train station into town, its about a 5~10 minute walk if you're not hindered.

if you don't want to drive you may want to see if the WEG has any shuttles from the Caen train station. There are taxis at the train station too, but i would bet another pair of shoes, they will be busy. just for your info, there are buses and trams in Caen too.

regarding speaking french. My vocabulary is really small but i was able to get by in both Paris and Bayeux. I think you will find most of the service people will have better english than your french.

happy trails.

During your time in Bayeux, I hope you won't miss the impressive Bayeux Tapestry from the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Versailles is not on a train line that heads toward Normandy, but if you depart from Versaille Rive Droite station, you can make the trip to Bayeux in 3 hours with one connection at Paris St. Lazare station.

From Bayeux to CDG airport, the simplest connections take 3.5 hours, such as leaving Bayeux at 8:30 and getting to the airport about 12:15, including a taxi or metro connection from Paris St. Lazare station to Paris Nord RER. Don't cut it too close; there are earlier options, too. How to Look Up Train Schedules Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.