My husband, son and I will be traveling to Normandy and several other cities at the end of April. We don't want to rent a car. We are flying into Paris from Boston. We are told that it is easy to get a train out to Normandy. I have a tour arranged for a full Normandy tour as well as Mont St Michel for the following day. We would then like to go to explore the Battle of the Bulge area as well as Redange where my father in law was during the war. A monument is in Redange dedicated to his army unit. I have searched for private drivers to help us but to no avail. We will end for several days in Munich., where we will fly home. Is it difficult to find drivers or is it easy enough to travel to these towns on trains? I appreciate any advice or help!
Thanks,
Linda
Posted by
Slidell, LA
555 posts
Normandy is a great place to rent a car as there is much more to this region than the D-Day sites. You didn't say how long you plan to be there so it is difficult to advise you, but here goes anyway. I took my wife and her 87 year old mother to France in 2013, with five nights in Normandy and six in Provence. Except for the train between Rouen and Avignon we had a car every day and it opened so much more to us in both places than with public transportation. You don't say where you are staying, but the train from CDG to Caen requires you to take the RER to the train station first. If you're going to Bayeux, a wonderful little town near the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach, you will transfer to another train in Caen. Bayeux actually has a cathedral that is larger, and in my opinion, more beautiful than Notre Dame in Paris. We stayed in a lovely B&B there owned by a retired Air France pilot and his wife. Bayeux also has the Bayeux Tapestry which is a must see in Normandy. Type that in the search box on the travel forum or on Google and you'll find out why. It is well covered in Rick's France guide book. Honfleur, the Port of LeHarve and Rouen are great places to visit and only 30 minutes by car from Rouen is Giverny, the home of Monet and his garden and lily pond. Distances in Normandy are short and the roads are great, some much better than ours. You can rent a car from Hertz in Bayeux and turn it in at the train station in Rouen from which you can take a TGV train anywhere else you want to go. For the best car deal make the reservation before you leave home. Too often, and we almost did, many travelers only go to Normandy for the D-Day sites and Mont St. Michel and miss out on the history, culture, incredible food, and the very welcoming people who live there. Have a great trip.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much for your reply. In the meantime I have connected with a travel agent here in the states that works from home and has been very helpful. We will take a train from Paris to Bayeux and spend 3 nights. We will do an all day private tour of Normandy and one day to Mont St Michel. We are then taking the train to Paris and then out to Sedan, France. We have hooked up with a guide that is taking us through the Battle of the Bulge and to Redange, Luxenberg to see the monument dedicated to my father in laws unit. The guide will leave us at a hotel in Luxenberg so in the morning we can finish our trip in Munich. Thanks so much for your input and help.