Travel plans for France

editing to grrrr to the forum's formatting. I wanted to number them 3, 2, 1 but it keeps bypassing that so I'll just do bullet points.

• (three)The Bayeux Tapestry is on display at the British Museum until July 11 2027. Here is the link to the British Museum's website with ticketing information. They are exceedingly hard to get from reports.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/bayeux-tapestry

The Eurostar Train from Paris to London is an easy trip. You will leave from Gard du Nord and arrive at St Pancras International in London. The ticketing process for them is like airline tickets. They are released 10 months out and the prices only go up. Right now they are on sale to July 26 2027.

www.eurostar.com

• (two)Paris for 4-5 NIGHTS sounds good! 5 nights gives you 4 full days to explore. You may want to divide this time staying in Paris when you first arrive and then staying overnight at least one night before you catch the Eurostar to London.

• (one)This sounds good. Will you rent a car? I've enjoyed several day tours of the area and highly recommend these especially if you are trying to follow in the footsteps of a family member who landed on D-Day.

To add to Pam's Eurostar information just so there's no unpleasant surprises. You'll need to arrive at the train station about 75-90 minutes prior to departure. You'll be advised by Eurostar of the exact time. So keep that in mind when choosing your departure time.

Consider doing multi-city (open jaw) flights, which could save time/money rather than taking the EuroStar both ways.

Allow me to throw another possibility into the mix. To avoid backtracking by going to AND from London, how about flying on a multicity ticket into London and out of Paris? See London for a few days. Note that the Bayeux tickets are sold in batches. The ones for spring should go on sale early in the New Year. Monitor their website and book as soon as they become available.

Then take the Eurostar to Paris and continue on to Normandy where you can rent a car. Then finish in Paris before flying home. Just a thought.

I may be wrong on this, but I believe there is a fairly hefty departure tax/fee flying from London, so I agree that going there first would be more economical than leaving from London. CJean's suggestion is a good one, if possible for you. Open jaw gives you a whole day, really, by not doubling back to France.
Just a thought.

I want to piggyback on Pam's comments. We have been to Normandy twice - truly incredible.

Yes - have a car to get to places you want to get and are perhaps always on an agenda (such as the church in Angoville au Plain where medics treated ALL wounded! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VGrDMMlk5I). ALSO agree - take a day tour - they are incredible and give you much more insight then just getting to the beaches, etc. Many great museums, Caen one of the best.

Agree with what everyone else has suggested.

I’m guessing you may fly out of Seattle (SEA) , my home airport. If so, last time I looked, Delta has non-stop flights from SEA daily to both Paris and London that can be mix and matched for a multi-city itinerary.

I’ve taken the Eurostar between London and Paris several times as well as having visited Normandy recently (Spring ‘26 and Spring ‘25, for several days each time).

If you decide to include London, were you hoping to get there from Normandy or from Paris (spoiler: you have to go through Paris regardless)? Do you care if Paris comes first or are you open to starting in London? As suggested above, a multi-city SEA-LHR/CDG-SEA on Delta in main cabin for random dates in April 2027 is currently $100 cheaper than the other way around. Depending on your preferences, I might have a few ideas about efficient itinerary/order.

Unless you are adding days to your trip I would not do this --5 nights/4 days is very minimal for Paris and if you want to do Normandy the 3 days allocated are fine -- there is no room in this short period to add London. FWIW. I think big complex places like London or Paris really tend to disappoint as quicky trips -- it takes time to master the logistics and get much done.

Janettravels44 makes a really good point if you’re not adding nights/days. I was interpreting your question about adding London to mean you would be adding another 4 or more days to the trip rather than taking days from Paris or Normandy. I agree with her that the number of days you have now would be the bare minimum for Paris and Normandy.

Agree with @CJean’s suggestion. Starting in London and flying home from Paris would save the backtracking and give you more time for the actual trip.

Like JenS, I assumed your London component was for extra days, over and above your Paris and Normandy legs. If not, save London for another time. You would be severely shortchanging Noramndy if taking time from there, and your Paris days are already very few, so please don't cut any from them.