Which city is the best hub in Normandy?

Caen for ease of transport, choice of accommodation and restaurants, and its own history . Long before WW2, it was the home of William the Conqueror and his castle fortress is worth an hour's visit.

For ease of driving to D-day sites, visitor infrastructure, charm and historical character Bayeux checks all of the boxes. We have been to all of the cities you mention as day trips from Bayeux or Caen and have always been delighted to return “home” to Bayeux.

We stayed in both Honfleur and Bayeux. I recommend Bayeux if you want just one location. Do not miss Bayeux Tapestry, 1066, in addition to all the D-Day sites, US, British and Canadian. .

The biggest hub is Rouen. Bayeux and Caen are good hub choices for a fairly central location. I've visited Rouen (big city, very large medieval center) and Bayeux (small town feel but central and plenty of restaurants) but skipped Caen (much bigger than Bayeux and much smaller than Rouen).

Bayeux is 1 1/2 hour drive to MSM. From there to St. Malo might be another hour. To the north, you may want to visit Honfleur and the cliffs of Etretat/Fecamp. On top of the cliffs there are German defenses that were abandoned after D-Day rather than destroyed. They're mostly filled with dirt but still interesting.

Echo the above, Caen is the easiest and the least charming...though it has some really awesome sights (the art museum, castle, Abbeye des hommes et des femmes) Rouen is spectacular. Not easy to get to some of the places but you can get to most. Honfleur is beautiful but only good if you're driving (there is no train station). Bayeux is best with a car, too.

Etretat is worth a stop for a few hours!

Thank you all for the good info! Any recommendations for where to stay in Bayeux? Caen? Rouen?

We stayed in charming Arromanches for D-Day sights. Even if you choose not to stay there, try to at least visit the artificial harbor and the museum right off the beach. After Arromanches we spent a couple days in Honfleur.

I spent several days in Bayeux while touring the D-Day battlefields and exhibits and enjoyed it greatly. It is convenient to battlefields and somewhat central to Mont St Michel, Caen, and Rouen.

I drove from Rouen to Bayeux and spent several nights there before driving to Mont St. Michel, where I spent the night so I could visit it later in the day when it's less crowded.

I sent a private message about the place where I stayed in Bayeux.

To all the people who responded - we will not be renting a car and we prefer not to take the train. We think that we will be using "blablacar.com". Has anyone used this service? We are concerned that we may get to the area, but will have trouble getting back. Any advice?