Sights including the beaches of D Day?

Of the 3 towns/cities you mention in your Question, Bayeux is arguably the best location in relation to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery, which are, generally, two locations of great interest for American travelers wanting to experience the D-Day beaches.

Great Thank you. I am actually a Canadian and BAyeux is of great interest. I just wondered if I should stay in one location for the week or break it up ( 2 nights in BAyeux and then 2 or 3 nights in Rouen with some time in Paris on one end). Thank you.

Janet

Since you're looking for a home base in the D-Day Beaches area, it may be better for you to stay in only 1 home base in that area. Many travelers rent a car, or sign up for a tour, to see the D-Day Beaches area, the battlefields are not well served by public transportation.

What I don't know is whether your requirement to connect to Paris by train--whether that requirement would suggest you research, or get advice, on which of your 3 potential home bases would be better considering the need to connect to Paris by train.

What has worked for me, on trips that didn't include Paris, is renting a car at the airport, driving to the D-Day beach battlefield sites, and then returning the car to the airport. A traveler who has not had their fill of Paris in previous trips, would of course want to plan an adequate time for Paris, or plan to do Paris on another trip.

As you may already know, I think that the Canadian assault was focused on (what the military referred to as) Juno Beach, which is north of Caen.

July 2017 we stayed in Paris for 3 nights then rented a car. We home based for 5 nights in Port en Bessin (Golds Beach) which is a small fishing village. It was a great location to travel throughout the Normandy WWII area. My friends father was a paratrooper in the Airbone 101st division so he was very interested in other sights throughout Normandy, not just the beaches, but we did it all. As mentioned we did rent a car so the towns he wanted to go to would not have been on a tour. Our last night was in Rouen before heading back to CDG.

Although there are exceptions, most of the D-Day van tours depart from Bayeux, which is an attractive small town. If you're taking one of those tours, I think Bayeux is the best base for at least part of your week. I think you make Caen work (nearby, and with train service), but I didn't want to have to worry about commuting into Bayeux for the early starting time of my tour. While staying in Bayeux you can also see the cathedral and the Bayeux tapestry, plus the WW II museum (see below). Bayeux wasn't significantly damaged during the war, so it retains some lovely historic architecture.

I enjoyed my Overlord Tour very much, and others have also been pleased with that company. But there are other options, and I don't think I've read a negative review of any of the local companies that run small-group tours. I know there have been multiple positive comments about Dale Booth as well as Overlord, for example. Overlord has more than one tour itinerary, so it's worth checking that company out if you think you might want more than one full-day tour.

The Peace Museum in Caen (bus from city center or taxi) is huge and is not limited to the Normandy invasion. I spent essentially a full day there; some others find it overwhelming and prefer more-targeted museums.

The WW II museum in Bayeux is good and more manageable in size.

The Airborne Museum in St-Mere-Eglise is something I was able to just about see in its entirety during the Overlord lunch break in that town, but I am not interested in war materiel such as planes, so a hardware junkie would probably wish for more time. This museums is fairly small and has a less-modern feel to it. I found it the least interesting of the four museums I visited, but it depends on what your focus is.

There's a relatively new museum about civilian life during the war (also covering the Resistance) in the town of Falaise. I visited that museum while I was based in Caen, traveling by bus. The town was basically leveled during the invasion, so there's not a lot to see besides the museum itself.

Caen is a transportation hub and is a workable base for coastal towns to the east (Cabourg, Deauville/Trouville, Honfleur). I stayed there--despite its proximity to Bayeux--because it is also connected to Falaise and I knew I would be spending a lot of time in the Caen Peace Museum. Otherwise, to split time between two towns as close together as Bayeux and Caen seems silly.

Note that some of the coastal towns east of Caen have only bus service, but the train stops at Deauville/Trouville. The bus service is fairly frequent, but it varies by day of the week, so you'd want to check the schedule carefully. There's also an express bus to Honfleur.

I also stayed in Rouen to see the sights and museums in that city. The (rebuilt, post-war) historic district is large and quite beautiful, there are at least three museums, and then there are the Jean d'Arc-related sites. It would take more than a full day to see everything, but a half-day stop on the way to or from Paris (if you can check your luggage somewhere) would be worthwhile if you don't have time for more. You'll have to be brutal in selecting what to focus on, though.

Some good advice here, and I second the recommendation for Bayeux (I find Caen just a boring newer town with limited history). From Bayeux it is fairly easy to get to all the D-day sites, and it is close to Juno Beach too. Don't miss the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery a few miles inland from Juno Beach in Reviers. It is small, but contemplative.

The only thing I would add is a caution about when you are going. You say "early next summer." Keep in mind that next year is the 75th anniversary of D-day and most recommended places to stay and guided tours around June 6th have been booked for well over a year. I booked my favorite b&b in Sainte-Mère-Église for next year in 2016 when I checked out for that year's anniversary.

I recently spent six nights in Bayeaux and found it to be a good base to visit Mt St Michel (van tour), DDay landing areas (Canadian and British beaches, full day with Overlord). Both day trips were excellent as were the activities in Bayeux itself. Aside from the well known Bayeux Tapestry, there are numerous war related places of interest, an amazing cathedral and tree of liberty planted during the revolution and, some excellent art and architecture. I didn’t get to Honfleur which I regret but the connections via train/bus just didn’t seem to make sense for me. Having been to Rouen before, suggest one could have Bayeux as a base for 3-5 nights (hope you’d have better luck getting to Honfleur, sounds so pretty) and balance in Rouen. Been there before, interesting place for sure and perhaps you could stop at Giverny for a few hours on your way back to Paris. I stayed in a B&B in Bayeux so found the local market and people great!

I took the train from Gare St Lazare upon arrival at CDG from BC Canada so a long day but, doable. Train back to Paris where I then stayed for three weeks. Easy connections.

A tip re train bookings. I was unable to find direct trains to Bayeux till the B&B owner suggested I google the train schedule on the French site and it worked! After a long haul flight just didn’t feel like connecting in Caen. Just so you know that if you do decide on Bayeux as a base, direct trains are available,

I'd suggest Bayeux as a base for the D-Day sites, preferably with one of the guided tours (Overlord is often recommended here though I haven't done). Rouen is worth a separate overnight stay. Honfleur could be a day trip from either.

A train from Paris to Caen would require no changes and there are rental cars right by the Caen station. Then a quick drive to Bayeux, or, if you're up for it, the Peace Museum north of central Caen. By the way, for the record, it's not a newer city as one poster suggested, it's quite old and has some good medieval ruins. But it was heavily bombed in WWII so most of the center is postwar and not that attractive or interesting.

While in Bayeux, don't miss the Norman cathedral and the nearby Bayeux Tapestry, one of the wonders of the medieval world. You can see both in a few hours.

janet,

Especially with such a very short trip, I'd suggest having one home base for exploring Normandy and the beaches, and (IMO) Bayeux is the best choice. You can easily reach Bayeux by train from Paris (Gare St. Lazare), so a car isn't necessary.

As the others have mentioned, using one of the excellent local tour firms is the best way to see the beaches. You'll learn more about the history and it will be much more interesting with an expert guide. There are numerous tour firms operating in that area, and which one to use will depend to some extent on your budget (some are very expensive). The best option is a shared group tour with about eight tour members and the guide in a small van.

One of the most popular tour firms is https://www.overlordtour.com/. They offer a variety of tours for different interests. As I recall, the Canadian tour stops at the Canadian cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer and at the Abbaye d' Ardenne which is a must-see (IMO).

You didn't say which aspect of the D-Day events you were most interested in. If you have the time and/or interest, taking a full day Canadian / British tour and also an American tour will provide a good overview. The American tour stops at St. Mere Eglise which was shown in The Longest Day and also the American cemetery which is also well worth a visit.

Pre-booking whichever tour you want to take is highly recommended.

In addition to the famous Bayeux Tapestry, there's also an excellent WW-II museum in Bayeux.

At least three nights (and perhaps four) would be good for Normandy, depending on what you want to see. After that you can return to Paris by train for the last few days of your trip.

One final point to mention. If your trip will be taking place near the anniversary date of 6 June, that may not be the best time to travel in that area. Next year will be the 75th anniversary of the landings, and it's going to be busy and crowded there, and hotels may be at a premium.

'acraven' has given excellent advice. I was not bored in Caen, a lively university city devastated in the battles following the D-Day landing. In its centre is a far earlier relic, the fortress chateau of William the Conquerer, an invader himself (of England) in 1066, and all that. Caen offers a wider range of hotels and other services. The Peace Museum runs its own tour to the beaches, but a tour of the Commonwealth battle sites may require the quick commute to Bayeux. Such a tour should reach the farming area outside Caen where Canadian tanks were locked in a bitter struggle with the SS trying to close the Falaise gap, and maybe the chateau where captured Canadian officers were murdered. The floating docks that looked so odd but worked so well for the British could be another worthwhile stop.

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