I am traveling with my husband and 20 year old daughter to Paris for New Year's. We have rented an apartment for 10 days starting on 12/29. We thought we would actually fly over on Christmas, arriving on 12/26, because the airfares are less expensive. We have talked about flying into Brussels and taking the train to Brugges for 3 nights. We would then take the train to Paris. My daughter also wants to go to Normandy, which we could do as a long day trip from Paris. The other option could be that would would fly into Paris and spend the 3 nights in Normandy and have more time there. I would like to see both, so I'm torn. Any suggestions about which would be better?
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10558 posts
Thank you for all the imput so far. I was leaning towards Brugges for all the reasons mentioned, but my daughter is very interested in World War II and would like to see at least the D-Day beaches. I agree the weather may be iffy, but it will be much colder than we are used to anywhere we go, so we will try to bring appropriate clothing for whatever we encounter. If we were too concerned about the weather we would come in the summer. We are locked into the 10 days in Paris and must return home at the end of that time for work purposes. I was thinking that if we skip Brugges we could fly to Paris and get a car for the 3 days, then return the car before we get to the apartment. I've driven in Paris before and would prefer to not repeat that. :) If we do Normandy as a day trip we would most likely take a train to Caen or ? and get a car for the day from there. Actually, that might not be a bad idea even if we spend the 3 days there. Keep the suggestions coming... Thanks!
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
The answer to your question is ultimately personal, and I don't know it, but I hope you will consider the weather.
You may luck out but chances are anywhere on the north Atlantic coast will be cold, windy, and wet. Also, with less daylight than in Sacramento.
That all argues for an urban bias to your trip, where there are indoor sights to see and cafes to slip into, and activities after dark.
The shorter day will also cut into what you can do on a day-trip from Paris.
On the other hand, with the right gear and attitude, and decent weather, visits to Norman sights like the D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel could be exhilarating. And there are lively cities in Normandy too.
So I'm not counseling you away from that. And maybe you've considered this already. But if not, it's something to take into account.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Just realize that visiting "Normandy" as a daytrip from Paris would be the equivalent of visiting a small US state as a daytrip. The region is large enough that you would need to restrict yourself to one site.
With the greatly reduced daylight hours of Northern Europe at that time of year, my bias would be to visit Brugge.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
As Tom notes, Normandy would be a very long day trip, and you'd need to take your own car. Driving from Paris to Bayeux, the closest city to the American beaches, will probably take you three hours. There are some companies that do very long day tours out of Paris, but I'm not sure they'd be operating at that time of year. I would opt to do Bruges as well, simply because there'll be more to do/see than in Normandy at that time of year...maybe cut Bruges to 2 nights and look at staying overnight somewhere in Normandy so you'll have enough time to explore some of that area from Paris.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
513 posts
My dad said on his trip over last fall that in Ostend (sp?) there are some great remnants of the old Atlantic Wall from WWII. He said there were some great well preserved bunkers there, so perhaps a daytrip from Brugges to there would satisfy the WWII craving. He said in some ways it was more interesting than visiting some of the remnants in Normandy. I think it's only a 30 minute train ride from Brugge. Anyone who's visited care to comment? We may take a trip out there this summer when we're in Brugges.
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
If you want to see the D-Day sites, you'll need to pick up a rental car somewhere, so training to Caen might work. I don't think any other WWII site in Belgium would substitute for seeing the invasion beaches in Normandy.
Folks have discussed various D-Day tours. Some may be organized from Paris. You can use the search box above to locate previous discussions.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
513 posts
Doug-agreed that no sight would substitute for D-day. Thanks for the clarification! Just wanted to point out they could possibly get a flavor of some WWII history by visiting part of the Atlantic Wall in Ostend. That way they can see a bit of WWII history and spend time in Brugges. On our trip, we've already booked a battlebus tour for Normandy, but may also do part of a day out in Ostend when we're in Brugges. Of course, based on what everyone says, we'll probably fall in love with Brugges and not want to leave--ever!
Posted by
New York, NY
20 posts
Hi Jed, You can also do a day trip from Paris with paristours.com, which I did when I went to Paris. It is a long day but we saw a lot: Omaha Beach, Juno Beach, Arrowmanches, Caen Museum, American Cemetary. It is rushed but I think worth it to spend some time in Bruges, one of my favorite places. I was there in February--not ideal weather either--but it was still wonderful. Enjoy!