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Bayeux, Caen WWII museum

I am arriving into Bayeux around 3pm. On that same day, I would like to visit Mt Michael. Could you please tell me how I can get there using public transportation?

The next day, I am going from Bayeux into Caen WWII Museum. I need to arrive by 9am. Could you please let me know how I can get from Bayeux into Caen WWII museum?

ps. It happened that my Caen WWII museum reservation did not go through. Furthermore, BattleBus is fully booked for June 1-4, 2009. Bayeux sounds like a nice town to stay in. I was able to get a hotel and would like to use this town as a base to explore neighboring sites.

Posted by
10344 posts

"I would like to visit Mt Michael"Do you mean the island abbey of Mont St. Michel?

Posted by
80 posts

Yes. That's what I mean: Mont St. Michael :)

Posted by
53 posts

Bayeux is a wonderful town and you should definitely leave some time for exploring it. The best thing to see is the Bayeux tapestry which is just amazing. I did not know that you needed a reservation for the Caen Museum. We just took the train from Bayeux to Caen and then caught the bus that went right to the museum. We are not seasoned travelers but were able to do this with no trouble.
There are other tour companies beside Battlebus. We ended up with a different one (wish I could find the info for you) and they picked us up right outside the Hotel Churchill in the heart of Bayeux. It was a half day trip and was very good. We loved Bayeux. Have fun!
P.S. I think Mont St. Michel is quite a distance from Bayeux. It would probably require a whole day but perhaps others can help you with this.

Posted by
37 posts

The easiest way to go from Bayeux to the Caen WWII museum, is to take the train from Bayeux to Caen, then catch a cab from the train station to the museum.

Posted by
32352 posts

Judy, as you aren't arriving in Bayeux until 15:00, getting to Mont Saint Michel on that same day is going to be very difficult. One of the rail experts here can provide the details, but as I recall it involves a train and a Bus ride to get to Mt. Saint Michel.

One possibility might be to rent a Car in Bayeux, as that would be the most direct method. There is at least one car rental location in Bayeux, but last time I rented there, the staff spoke only French (your Hotel may be able to set that up for you). I haven't checked the driving times there and back, but a GPS unit would be a really good idea.

For your trip from Bayeux to the Museum in Caen, you might check the bahn.de or SNCF websites to get the times for trains that will get you there by 09:00. One suggestion though - Bayeux doesn't have a lot of Taxis, so I'd suggest getting your Hotel to pre-arrange one for the morning you'll be going to the station. On the way back, there are usually Taxis at the station to meet arriving trains.

It's not surprising that BattleBus is fully booked for June 1-4. That's just before the 65th Anniversary ceremonies, and they usually like to take some time off themselves to attend. I'm surprised you were able to get a Hotel booking at that time of the year?

Bayeux is an awesome town to stay in! Be sure to see the Bayeux Tapestry. One other point to mention (if you haven't travelled in France before) is that the restaurants don't usually open until about 20:00 although L'Europe and some others can provide meals earlier (upstairs). Check the France Guidebook for restaurant listings, as there are some really nice restaurants in Bayeux. If your budget will allow a "splurge", try Le Pommier.

Happy travels!

Posted by
207 posts

Judy,
The Caen WWII/DDay Museum is amazing. My wife is not into military history but she ended up reading every letter from home to the front and vice versa. We spent more than five hours there and did not take advantage of everything. the hundreds of french stiudents visiting with us made it even more special. The film at the end still haunts me. George, Pittsburgh

Posted by
113 posts

Bayeux is definitely worth at least a couple of hours of exploring in itself. You could not visit M. St Michel and return on the same day, especially not using public transportation. It is awkward to get there, involving train and bus. Bayeux does make a nice base - I loved the old town of Dinan, which is only an hour & half away by train.