Transportation: Paris to Caen for D-Day and other cities. With Autistic son.

There is a similar thread a few spots down about getting to Caen for D-Day. That person is scheduled to arrive at 12:30 and the consensus is that they will not make the 3:05 train. The general rule is to allow 4 hours between ETA at CDG and the scheduled departure of your train from a Paris train station. Of course, that is allowing for delays etc. and I have gotten into Paris with time to spare and also barely made it so I feel like the 4-hour rule is a good one. That being said, it is highly unlikely (I'd even go so far as saying impossible) that you will make the 3:05 train especially if you are coming from outside the Schengen Zone and/or have checked luggage and/or do not have access to the priority immigration line. Figure on an hour from arrival to being on the curb for a taxi and then 45 minutes to an hour for the trip to Paris and you see the problem. If you have to get to Caen before 7 PM to rent the car, I am going to tell you the same thing I told the other person, change your rental car reservation to the next day, spend the night in Caen (or Paris) and pick up the car in the morning. The next train arrives in Caen at 6:55 and I think that you should avoid setting yourself up for failure. If you do not want to pick up the car the next day, rent the car from Avis using the program that has a SNCF employee get you the car so you can get a car as long as the station is staffed. It will be more expensive than any previously reserved rental because of the timing and Avis charges a one-way drop-off fee when many other rental car agencies in France do not, but it is awfully convenient. https://en.oui.sncf/en/car/train-avis I might even consider in your case, being that that you are with a travel companion who does not do well when there are lots of people around, spending the night at CDG renting a car there and driving to Noyers-Bocage on day 2 or renting a car on day 1 and doing about 60 minutes or less of the drive on day 1 and then finishing it up on day 2.
As to getting seats on the train, the trains from Paris to Caen do not offer reserved seating and do not sell out and you are traveling during a busy time. I've had to stand on that train. I would expect that standing will be a distinct possibility for your trip. The more I think about, the more I like the idea of renting a car in your particular situation.

I support the above recommendation to rent a car in CDG... You will not make the 3.05pm train if you have checked luggage and/or passport control, and even if you don't it is super tight. Later trains from Saint Lazare involve dealing with the rush hour crowd at the station: I find it stressful, I cannot imagine what it's like with any sort of stress-heightening condition.
The drive takes 3.15 hours. It's a bit long to my liking if jet lagged, but if you have all afternoon, you can always have a nap at a rest stop. A hotel on the way would of course be safer.

Do you already have lodging reservations? This is very soon, and the DDay beaches area will be packed for dignitaries there for the 75th anniversary of D Day.

Renting the car at CDG will be less stressful in your case, this is assuming you aren’t driving while jet-lagged. JHK is right about sleeping elsewhere instead of driving all the way the first day if you are tired. Also, there’s a good possibility that Caen will run out of cars during this period even if you have a reservation. I wouldn’t risk it.

The trains will be crowded, so you have no guarantee of a seat. I have stood in the past. Only TGVs have reserved seats. It’s unlikely you’ll make the 15:05 train. Taxis get stuck in traffic.

Does traveling to France June 4th mean you arrive the 4th or the 5th?

The commemorations (not celebrations) will be crowded, the roads crowded, and some areas blocked off. The assumption is that you are going at this time because you’ve been invited to honor a family member.

Do you need an automatic transmission car or can you drive a manual transmission? If you need an automatic, that is another reason to get the car from CDG. I am not saying that you cannot get an automatic in Caen at the train station -- just saying that the odds of getting one are much better at CDG. I know it is not Normandy but I once had a friend from the US visiting me when I live in France for a summer and I ended up driving her from Dijon to Lyon airport to find her an automatic car even though she had reserved one in Dijon.

I'm sorry to say that the D-Day ceremony could be less than easy for someone who is uncomfortable in crowds. Without guaranteed arrangements such as an official tour, seating may be scarce or completely taken. I'm basing this assumption on the proceedings I attended two years ago marking the Dieppe raid, which were very formal with lots of speeches and limited participation by the veterans themselves -- but of course Normandy may be handled differently.

I would consider what is best for your son in this situation. If crowded train stations would bother him, I'd rent the car at CDG instead of Caen and drive. It's difficult to drive after a long flight, but I've done it. If you do rent a car at CDG, be sure to look at maps and Google Streetview to chart your course out of Paris. As for your original plan, I very much doubt you will make the 15:05 train to Caen if you are landing at 13:10, even with carry-on bags. If you must take the train, plan on taking a later one. If you arrive too late for your car rental, take a cab to your AirBnB place and remember, despite the hassle and the cost, you are in France for D-Day!

Thank you everyone! We do have our housing accommodations already settled. We land on the 4th at 13:10. I had already booked our car rental from Caen. I booked an automatic. I booked it a while ago because my son loves trains. I thought the train would be a good start especially if we were jet lagged. Now I’m worried if we get there and they only have Manuel I won’t have a car. I did modify our car reservation to pick up the car on the 5th I stress of the 4th so we won’t be late. I also changed our accommodations from Noyers-Bocage to Caen itself close by the train station.

There’s no way to guarantee my automatic that I’ve already paid for?

We don’t need to be in the middle of the crowds for the commemorations. We have tickets to see the planes at the airport and I didn’t book any tours in case he was having a bad day. I was just planning to go at our own pace. He is a military history buff.

There’s no way to guarantee my automatic that I’ve already paid for?

I don't want to make you stress any more about this - you have enough things on your plate. I have friends with children on the autistic spectrum, and one adult who both is autistic and has two sons on the spectrum. I understand. I know that you are trying hard to make this trip memorable for your son in a wonderful way.

Let's look at this logically. You're going for the anniversary of D-Day. A fair proportion of the D-Day landings and consequential battles involved American military, and quite a few Canadians too.

So a fair proportion of the people headed to Normandy for the commemorations are likely to be Canadians and Americans. Of all the people in the world who only use automatic transmissions, Americans and Canadians lead the pack - by a mile. In the lead up to the 6th of June people will be taking cars out more than bringing them back. The rental folks can only give out what they get back before. If all the automatics have been taken they can't give out another (even if it is paid for) until they get one back. They won't be calling up CDG to send more.

I suggest that the closer you get to the commemorations the harder it will be to get what you need.

I don't ever suggest driving while jetlagged, and the train trip would be great for your son, but I think it likely that the place with the deepest choice (and availability) for automatics is likely to be CDG. They are far enough away and have a big enough stock that they will be less likely to be affected by the influx of people all looking for a scarce resource.

I hope I'm wrong, and that you get there and everything is perfect.

I really want you and your son to have a fabulous time.

Did you book through AutoEurope and specifically reserve an automatic? I am not trying to add to your stress level. I am trying to decrease it by preparing you for possible hiccups. I am not saying that you will not get an automatic, it’s just that you should not be shocked if no automatics are available. We can drive manual transmission and now request manual transmission vehicles because they are cheaper but at least twice, we had reserved an automatic and had to take a manual to get a car and this was not during a time and in a place with loads on North Americans around needing automatics. The lack of an automatic car was not a problem for us because I and my husband can drive manuals -- I just used to not like to do it. For my friend who we drove from Dijon to Lyon Airport, maybe the rental car company would have arranged for an automatic to be delivered at some point but we’ll never know because we offered to drive her to Lyon airport to get the car. I’ll just say that if the automatic transmission is a deal breaker, get the car at CDG.

My thinking was that they could run out of automobiles completely in Caen—reservation or not. It has happened to me in DC at National Airport, Indianapolis at Christmas, and Paris Orly during July vacation period. We had reservations all three times and we do drive stick shift. Caen is a small provincial market. You should pick up at CDG.

It’s really a trade-off. Your son may be excited by taking a train, but it will involve a lot of transfers, stress and possible standing in the aisle or between cars. Furthermore, it is very noisy if you have to stand between cars. If you drive from CDG, he won’t get a train ride but he’ll be calm and may sleep in the car. You can take a local train somewhere on another day.

DH and I were considering going to Normandy for D-Day. We’ve been to Normandy several times before and are very familiar with the area. DH reached out to the guide we had twice before and he said we absolutely should not come then if we wanted to get around on our own. He said many of the roads will be closed and those that aren’t will be flooded with traffic. I guess this is kind of the last hurrah for the big celebration because of the ages of the remaining vets. There will be lots of ceremonies and dignitaries and it would just be a cluster. So we decided to go the week before.

So I guess my question for you is if you’ve really planned ahead and know what you’re getting into? With an autistic son, this kind of atmosphere just does NOT sound like something he would enjoy. We were seriously waved off and we know the area, speak enough French to get by and can drive a stick. Good luck!