My family and I would like to visit Normandy Beach and Mont St. Michel while in Paris for 3 days. We arrive Sunday around 9 am and depart Wednesday am. What is the best way to get to Normandy Beach and stay the night near there or Mont St Micel the next day then back to Paris. I see a few 2-day tours but most seem to leave at 7 am which is too late. Thanks for the help. Also any suggestions where to stay the night?
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Normandy is a region of France and it has many beaches. Which one do you want to visit?
If you arrive Sunday 9 am (is that landing time at an airport, arrival time at a station or what?) by the time you get to your hotel you will only have ½day maximum. So it is only 2½ days. Doing both one of the Normandy beaches and Mont St Michel on the same day will be a very long and rushed day. I guess this is why you are seeing tours that do both are 2-day tours.
Either stay in Paris for your 2½ days (plenty to see there), or dedicate this whole trip to Normandy and Mont St Michel. Head straight there on Sunday (Caen? Bayeux?), base yourself there and tour either in a car or take an organised tour.
Where are you going at 07:00 Wednesday?
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Our hope is to head straight to Normandy (Dday) beach on Sunday and stay somewhere there or closer to mount st Michel depending on ease to see the next day or visa versa depending on time needed at each over the 2 days. Is it best to take the train from Paris ad get a car? Or maybe pick up a tour in the towns you emotion.
Posted by
shingle springs, CA, USA
782 posts
If you stay in Bayeux at the Hotel Churchill,the pickup point for D Day tours is 300 feet from the hotel,the same hotel runs a shuttle to Mt St Michel daily.You could do this by train.I had a car because we drove to Mt St Michel and Honfleur and other destinations in Normandy.
Mike
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
bp,
You can easily get to Normandy by train. You'll depart from Gare St. Lazare in Paris and I'd also suggest staying in Bayeux. The train may have one change in Caen (depending on which departure you choose). You may want to use a Taxi from the station in Bayeux to your hotel, as it's a short distance from the centre of town. If your departure from Bayeux will be early in the morning, I found it's a good idea to ask the hotel to pre-arrange a Taxi back to the station.
The Normandy D-Day beaches cover a front of about 50 miles and extend some distance inland, so you'll need a car to visit them unless you take one of the excellent local tours. Overlord Tour is one popular option, especially as they offer both half and full day tours, but there are many other tour firms in that area. Taking a tour will not only provide transportation, but will also provide you with a much more interesting look at the history. In most cases, it's a really good idea to reserve the tour online, as they can book up fast. There's also a good WW-II Museum in Bayeux and of course the famous Tapestry, which describes a much earlier battle in 1066.
The previous suggestion to stay at Hotel Churchill and take their shuttle to Mont St. Michel is a good one, although keep in mind that it only provides a few hours there.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Thanks a bunch!
Posted by
139 posts
We had great Dday tour with Normandy44 Tours and they also do a shuttle to Mt St Michel.