Road trip Rouen to Bayeux - should I do a detour for Honfleur?

We did exactly that in April (though in reverse order). We checked out of our accommodations in wonderful Bayeux with our luggage in the trunk of our rental car. We then drove to Beuvron- En- Auge because I had heard that it was cute and quaint village on the cider route. And that is true! But it was rather early in the morning and we were only there for an hour. Then we drove to Honfluer. There is a huge paid outdoor parking lot between Quai de la Tour and Quai Tostain, and is also where the tour buses park. We enjoyed lunch and a stroll and then headed on our way to Rouen for a few nights. I never gave it a second thought about parking with luggage in our trunk out of view.

But, you can never have too much time in Bayeux, so if you decide to skip Honfleur, you'll give yourself more time in Bayeux. Whatever you chose, you win! Enjoy!

Honfleur is a cute town and a good place for a brief stroll and lunch; we stayed there two nights ourselves and used the full day to visit Etretat which was wonderful. The old church and the harbor are great photo ops.

If you are going to leave luggage in a car it is imperative that you have your electronics, meds and ID in separate backpack or smaller bag that you carry with you. Theft is not common but as a traveler you have no idea if where you park is a hotbed of local theft or not. I know people who had their car stripped of all their luggage which included their passports and valuables on a stop. The odds of it happening are not huge but the stakes are high. When we stopped at rest stops, we either took turns visiting the rest rooms or we carried our messenger bags with our valuables. And certainly for short tours or lunch.

Honfleur has several paid lots one after the other as you approach the center of the city. The price goes up, the closer you get. It is a very interesting place with an old center and unique church, and some very interesting museums: regional art museum has many Eugene Boudin paintings, an Eric Satie museum, and a heritage museum.

Thanks. I carry this time a lot of electronics, including laptop, camera, batteries, charges, adapters. It's all add up a quite a weight.
Looks like there is a possibility to book online a storage with hotel using nannybag.com. They charge $4.50 per bag plus $6 some service fee. Apparently they partnered with hotels where the actual bags will be stored. Well, probably worth the cost for me. Like insurance policy.

Last June I drove from Rouen to Sainte-Mère-Église. I stopped at the Abbaye de Jumièges and highly recommend it. it is the ruins of a old monastery that supposedly was consecrated by William the Conqueror on his return from England in 1067. The drive through this part of Normandy is also very pretty. I also stopped at the Ranville Battery—which was the site of a heroic attack by British Paratroopers on D-day eve. If you are concentrating your D-day site visits around the American Sector near and inland from Omaha and Utah Beaches, you could easily add on some British and Canadian sites en route to Bayeux from Rouen.

I second the Abbaye de Jumieges. Magnificent in its ruinous state. We stopped on the way to Bayeux from Rouen, driving along the smaller roads, partly right next to the Seine. It was in the spring, so everything was green and lush. One of my favorite stops in Normandy.