For as long as I can remember, I imagined visiting the Normandy area where my uncle was killed at Omaha beach. He is buried at the Normandy-American cemetery. We will be visiting Europe in August. I’m having trouble figuring out what we need to do for transportation. My husband and I are splitting off from our small group in Berlin to make a side trip to Normandy. It looks like the least stressful way to make the trip would be by rail, from Berlin to Paris, then to Bayeux. From there, we’re planning on taking one of the sightseeing tours to the Normandy beaches. What I am having trouble with is figuring out the trains. I read some of the information, looked at bahn.de, as well as the French rail website. I’m worrying over this. I looked at information that there may be rail strikes in France and that’s when I threw up my hands. What would veteran travelers suggest that I do? This is only my second trip to Europe and the first visit was well-scripted. We’re planning to return to Paris after visiting Normandy, spend a few days, then rejoin our fellow travelers in Nuremberg. I could use clear and concise help. My brain is spinning in neutral. Thank you!
Posted by
San Antonio TX, United States
2393 posts
You could fly but personally I love the trains and would rather take a beating than fly. On the DB site (I guessed a random August date:
You need to change stations in Paris - about 15 minutes on the RER E
OR
spend a lovely night in Paris and continue on to Bayeux in the morning - personally that is what I would do! You will have been on the train for 9 hours with a little over 2 to go.
Dep Berlin Hbf 07:59 Duration 8:51 Changes 1 ICE, TGV Savings fare158,00 EUR
flex fare 418,00 EUR (Res. Info)
Arr Paris Est 16:50
18h08 PARIS SAINT LAZARE
20h19 BAYEUX
direct INTERCITÉSJourney details Duration 2h11
40,00€
5 SEATS
at this price *
53,00€
5 SEATS
at this price *
80,60€
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
Riding 9 hours on a train in August doesn't sound that appealing to me, as you never know how comfortable temperatures can be in Summer.
Eurowings is Lufthansa's budget airline, and they can get you from Berlin to Paris CDG for between £39.95 and £59.95. You'd arrive so much fresher too. That's the way I'd suggest going. See: https://www.eurowings.com/en/booking/low-fare-calendar.html
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10625 posts
That's a really long train ride. I'd fly a budget airline, too. From Orly or CDG airport you could rent a car and be there a couple hours after landing, or take public transportation to the Gare St.. Lazare for the train to Bayeux (Caen and then change for Bayeux).
Posted by
San Antonio TX, United States
2393 posts
If you fly remember to add the time to get to the airport in Berlin, 20 minutes plus the 2 hr pre flight arrival time then the 1:45 minute flight. Then the CDG connections to Bayeux are 5.5 to 6 hrs or you must go into Paris, change to Gare St Lazare for trains to Bayeux - so at least 4 hrs there. So flying will really take the same amount of time with a LOT more hassle.
Never have I been uncomfortable on an ICE or TGV and WAY more relaxing than all of that flying business.
As you can see there are 2 clear camps on this
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for the opinions and advice. I'm very grateful for the thoughtful replies and this definitely helps me make some decisions. Regards, Linda
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3990 posts
I was intrigued by this question because my first thought was flying and then I read the response suggesting the train and that was quite persuasive so I decided to plan out a hypothetical trip for July 7th. Interestingly, the trips will take all-in just about the same amount of time. If you take the 7:49 AM train from Berlin you arrive in Bayeux at 7:19 with two changes -- one in Germany and one in Paris to get to Gare St-Lazare for the 5:08 train to Bayeux. Assuming that one would wake up at around 6 to catch the 7:49 train, waking at 6, one could get to the airport by 8 AM and catch a nonstop flight that leaves at around 10 and arrives at CDG at around noon. Standard advice is to allow four hours to get to Paris to catch a train (there are no trains to Bayeux from CDG that I know of) so that would mean taking the 5:08 to Bayeux (unless you were lucky and made the 3:08). Basically, it's a 12ish hour travel day with either of the two options.