Transportation from Carentan to St Mere Eglise

You can't rely on taxis waiting by the small, Carentan trains station. I highly recommend renting a car in this area. And if so, it is much better (more options) to take the train to Caen and rent from one of the many rental places there. October in Sainte-Mère is fairly quiet, and without a car, you will be unable to visit many of the sites associated with D-day (Utah Beach, La Fiére Causeway, the Churches at Angoville-au-Plain and Cauquigny, etc.).

You could, yes, but I agree having a rental car would be easier for you if you have a driver's license.

Allo Taxi, Taxi des Marais, Grandcamp-Maisy Taxi, and Carentan Ambulances all serve the area, along with others. You'd have to call one to arrange a pick up.

Regarding that last one -- one of the purposes French taxis fulfill is to transport people for medical reasons, hence the "ambulances."

You also could take the local bus service, Nomad, which operates ligne 301 connecting Carentan and Sainte-Mère-Eglise. It runs on an approximate 30 minute frequency. The trip takes about 18 minutes and costs 1€90.

Thank you both Bob and Phil. We were hesitant to drive. I thought a full day tour would take us to most of the D-Day sites? And Bob, I wasn’t aware of the buses. Might be the way to go.

A full-day tour may take you to most of the major sites. But I would confirm what you want to see ahead of time. Even though, there are other places to see, and places you may want to return to at which you had limited time. Driving in Normandy is easy. Just pay attention to the speed limits (some posted, some not). But this is a fairly rural area without a lot of traffic. It is nothing like driving in Paris.

One idea you could consider is to take the train to Bayeux and then use one of the excellent tours to see Carentan and St. Mere Eglise. This is one firm that's frequently recommended here on the forum - https://www.overlordtour.com/ .

You could also hire one of the other local guides for a custom tour to visit the places you're most interested in, and much easier if they do the driving. However these will be somewhat expensive. I've found that I learn a lot more and have a better understanding of the history with a knowledgeable guide than if travelling on my own (I've done both).

A couple of other guides you could check out.....

• https://www.dboothnormandytours.com/
• http://www.visitdday.com/home.html

PharmerPhil, our only concern about driving in Normandy is that we know VERY LITTLE French. We’re going to work on that but, would we have issues reading road signs, etc.? Also, since you enjoy St. Mere Eglise, can you give us any recommendations RE: restaurants or hotels?

I think a guided tour out of Bayeux -- which is the next train station after Carentan, and a nice place to stay - would be perfect for you.

Most of us simply don't have the knowledge and don't have the time to do the research to get the most out of a visit to the D-Day sites. Pharmer Phil is an exception and a real specialist who has been to Normandy several times.

For most of us - and was certainly the case for me -- most people's experience of the Normandy sites will be immeasurably enhanced by taking a guided (driving) tour. Let the experts share their expertise and enthusiasm with you. The tours are a little expensive, but they are an investment in your brain and heart and your memories.

Plus, they worry about the driving too !

Overlord comes highly recommended on this forum, and some other companies / guides too. The groups are usually quite small, just 6 or so, enough to fit in a minivan.

Will some people gain much more by renting a car, doing their own research, planning their own several days in Normandy ? Absolutely. Do we all have the time and ability to focus like that ? No. There is no shame in hiring an expert to help you see into a place.

Kim, thank you for your input. We have booked an all day tour with Overlord (we are excited!), and are staying in Bayeux both the night before and the night after the tour. My husband wants to stay in St. Mere Eglise one night so we’re mostly concerned about getting to St Mere Eglise from where ever we get off the train from Paris, and then from St Mere Eglise back to Bayeux the next day. I understand that the area would be easier to see by car, but we would rather not drive any. Still thinking about it though. Someone mentioned the Nomad bus service, so we are exploring that. We are open for any suggestions.