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.

Just to pile on, Normandy for 3–4 days is great. Too many people short-change it and think of it as a "day trip." It is not. The more time the better—there is so much to see (I usually spend 7–10 days). To get the most out of your trip there do yourself a favor and do a little historical research ahead of time. The more you know about the basic history the more you will be able to appreciate the many things that occurred there—tour or not. Don't waste precious vacation time or tour dollars on a basic history lesson. A few hours spent back home with a couple good books or movies will pay off in spades as to your understanding and appreciation of what is there. As to Paris, is this your first time? Either way, 4–5 days is fine. No need to add more if you have other things/places you want to see. You can always return.

One final option if your dates and travel aren't yet set. You can get a ferry from either Portsmouth or Poole to Normandy (arriving in either Ouistreham or Cherbourg). They aren't historically the most reliable, but I took the Portsmouth->Cherbourg ferry last June and it was a great way to arrive, and a fun way to travel. As a bonus, Portsmouth and Cherbourg are both wonderful small cities to visit.

Bon voyage!

Thank you all for the suggestions and information.
I could have been clearer about our plans. We are planning on roughly 2 weeks with the main focus being Paris and Normandy. London was just an afterthought with the idea we could see the Bayeux tapestry while it is there. We would plan a separate trip when we are ready to see London. Arriving in London and then taking the Eurostar to Paris is a good idea that I had not thought about and would save a day of travel.

Seven months in advance seems still way too early to book airfare but fares seem to be very good right now.

PharmerPhil makes an interesting suggestion. Since we had thought we would get a rental car in Caen anyway taking a ferry from Portsmouth is an intriguing idea. What would be the best way to get from London to Portsmouth and would rental cars be available in Ouistreham?

We still have lots of time to iron out the details but this looks worth investigating.

It's easy to get from London to Portsmouth on a direct train from Waterloo Station.
The crossing is about six hours and it's very pleasant.
But do be aware that it caters mainly to car drivers and it could be a pain to take lots of luggage on board as a foot passenger. When you arrive at Ouistreham. there is nowhere to pick up a hire car that I know of. You would have to travel to Caen, which is an easy enough bus ride normally, but if you are burdened with baggages, it could be annoying. I would only recommend this option if you're travelling light(ish).

One thing about being a walk-on for the ferry is that the cars all load first. So you may have to chill a while to board and be last one at the bar once you get on board. If you can carry your bags, you'll be fine boarding (If you can't, why not?). I went to Cherbourg in May, and there was a Hertz office in a mall a short bus ride from there (walk-ons have to take the bus anyway to leave the terminal after clearing border control).

Twenty years ago, I reserved the Poole->Cherbourg ferry and it was cancelled (French strike, surprise...). They re-routed me Portsmouth to Ouistreham (they call it Caen), put me on a taxi from Poole to Portsmouth and a car ride to the rental offices by the Caen train station. Bummer it was cancelled, but pretty good customer service all things considered. IDK how you would get to a car rental office from the Ouistreham ferry terminal otherwise, but there must be a way.

Thank you to all who have commented and provided information. I am starting to pencil out the dates for this trip.
I have another question for those of you familiar with the train from London to Paris.
Are there any specific days of the week that are better? More specifically, is Friday better than Saturday?
Again, I am thankful for the information and we are looking forward to traveling soon.

I have another question for those of you familiar with the train from London to Paris.
Are there any specific days of the week that are better? More specifically, is Friday better than Saturday

Tickets are already available for next April on the Eurostar between London and Paris. You can check times and prices for different days here: https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en

Short answer, there's no real difference in cost or number of trains but Fridays and Sundays are busiest, especially on holidays. Mid week late morning/early afternoon are quietest

Trains at sane hours are likely to be totally full by departure day, so there would be much difference in crowding or level of comfort. I'd look at fares for my potential travel dates and choose the least expensive, practical option. As mentioned, fares will continue to climb as the travel date approaches. Compare fares for tomorrow, next week, two weeks out, and April.