3-4 Days in Normandy

The simplest thing, and we did it about 2 years ago, was to rent a car at the airport and leave from CDG and drive up to Normandy. In order to see all of it, a car is the best way to go. We flew into Paris, spent a week in an apartment, then taxied back to CDG picked up the car and headed straight out. We did NOT want to drive in the city of Paris. It may have cost a bit more, but no wrecks, and no getting lost! We took our Garmin from home, on which we had pre-loaded the maps of France and had no problem. We did use Hertz here in the States for our booking, and it worked out well.

We did this trip a few years ago and it was great. We also rented a car from Hertz at CDG airport with GPS. (Def arrange before you leave.) Driving to Normandy was easy and I highly recommend staying in Bayeux, a lovely town very charming and close to all the D-Day sights. We stayed at Hotel Tardiff and loved it. Check it out on Trip Advisor. After two nights and seeing Omaha Beach, Arromanches and Pont du Hoc, (easily done in one day), we drove to Mont St. Michel and stayed one night. Fun to be there after all the crowds have left. You can walk around the Mont in the evening when the water recedes and have a nice dinner. Woth doing and I can't remember where we stayed, but Terraces Poulard are good I think. One night is all you need. Driving back was easy and we caught the Eurostar to London in Paris and dropped our car at the train station. When you are at Mont St. Michel you are also close to Brittany and that might be a fun day trip if you have more time. Some people also stop in Giverny, Monet's home on the way up.

We love Normandy and have been there many times. My favorite way to get there from Paris is to take the train to either Caen or Bayeux and rent a car there. The car rental is practically next door to the station in Caen. If you train to Bayeux, you'd have to taxi to car rental. It's about 30 min to drive from Caen to Bayeux. We arranged car rental from home and have used Autoeurope.com many times. We've always stayed in Bayeux, it's a wonderful, charming town very close to the sites. Our favorite hotel in Bayeux is Hotel d'Argouges, we love it. I recommend the WWII museum in Bayeux, it's the best one imo. Not a fan of the one in Caen.

We did three nights in Arromanche, location on the beach and very close to the theater. We took the train to Caen and rented there. At the time, the cost was significantly better renting in Normandy than at CDG. Definitely make arrangements before you leave the states...some suggestions: The US Cemetery is stunning and poignant but we also visited the German Cemetery a couple of K's away... darker, gothic, wonderful little museum as well. Allow enough time for the "new" (2004) D-Day museum in Caen. My wife is not a fan of military history and wouldn't leave until she had read every letter between combatants and home.
We did the homework and toured the battle areas on our own. Bayeux is an easy drive and a great visit.We would also recommend the little back roads ("D").You never know what you might find, either historic or by way of a local site.... You will have a great time. (A former New Hampshire-ite.)

Wholeheartedly agree with George, drive the backroads in Normandy... one of our favorite things to do. You miss the charm of Normandy if you only use the freeway.

Thanks Susan. We had a lot of good things in common....We stayed in Arromanches at La Marine Hotel at the time of the 60th anniversary of VE Day. Like Bayeux, so convenient to so much. We choose moderate sleeping places and rarely accept a food plan but we did so at La Marine and it was great... it included oysters carried up dripping while we watched from our window table overlooking the beach where Churchhill's Mulberry harbor had been...we too rented across the street from the Caen RR Station...

I eccho what George and Susan have said. We ended up taking the train from Paris to Bayeux. Took a taxi from the train station to our hotel (same one Susan recommends, and we loved it). Took a tour of the beaches the next day, plus spent more time in Bayeux which is such a nice town - see the cemetary there, the tapestry and the cathedral. Walked about 30 minutes from our hotel to rent a Hertz car and then we drove to Arromanche and around on the back roads. The next day we drove to Mont St. Michel. This was such a wonderful trip. You will love it.

My wife and I rented a car at CDG and drove to Bayeux via Giverny and Honfleur. We spent three nights in Bayeyx and it provided a good central location. We took the back roads to Mont Ste. Michel and the highway back. Same with the beaches. We like to change hotels as little as possible, but if that doesn't bother you, spending a night at Mont St. Michel sounds great. You might consider returning to Paris via the Loire and spending a night or two in Chinon or one of the other smaller towns. I have used Avis the last four times I have rented in Europe and they have been great. But then I have been using them for business for the past 15 years. for me they tend to be cheaper than Hertz, but I haven't compared them against any of the European outfits.

We did a similar trip in 2011 and a car is, in my opinion, absolutely the best way around Normandy. I highly recommend using AutoEurope for reservations for cars. We have rented cars five times in France using AutoEurope and each time it was hassle free with no problems. You should definitely make the car reservations before you leave the US unless you are very fluent in French or staying at a hotel in Paris that can make the reservations for you; May will not be that bad for getting cars and hotel rooms. I suggest using AutoEurope's website and printing and bringing your confirmation with you to the rental agency. Suggested Itinerary: 8:45 AM train from Paris to Caen and picked up a rental car with lunch and mid morning and afternoon exploring MSM; drive to Bayeux in the early evening. Use Bayeux as a base for exploring DD Day beaches, etc. We stayed at Hotel du Luxembourg, which was okay. The staff was extremely pleasant and we could walk to the Cathedral and restaurants, etc. We returned our car to Caen after doing a fourth day for a relatively long drive from Bayeux to Etretat for a day and then back to Caen to drop off the car and head back to Paris. We could have returned the rental car in Le Havre at no extra charge but did not because we had to go back to Caen. You can also take the train to Rennes to get to MSM but I like Caen for exploring Normandy and use Rennes when MSM is the prelude to Brittany.

Ditto for us with a train from Paris to Caen (or a ferry from Portsmouth to near Caen) pick up a rental car from AutoEurope, across the street from the Caen RR station, and hit the road. With a car and our own GPS we were able to stay in a rural B&B about 10 miles from Bayeux which was marvelous. We also drove to MSM, arrived before the throngs from the tour buses, then drove around the bay to Cancale (in Brittany,about 20 miles) for a delicious seafood lunch, then drove the back highways meandering back to the B&B just outside Villers-Bocage. We did a full day D Day beaches tour then returned on our own and spent many hours at the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach and bought picnic supplies (and Calvados) from shops in little towns along the way. You might be a bit late getting hotel reservations and cheap train tickets for a May trip so don't delay.

James - the answer is, 140 euros, Gare St. Lazare to Caen, according to the SNCF website. Some people might be happy to pay that in order to not have to drive from the airport to Caen. That's up to them.