Caen Memorial Museum tour of D-Day beaches

You certainly will not see much of the D-Day landing sites nor any of the towns in 4 hours.

I would suggest the Batttle Bus Tours. Well worth the money.

Rent a car in Caen and do it yourself. The museum is self explanatory and easy to find. Get a good map and you'll be able to find the beaches and war cemetaries on your own.

I agree to go with Battlebus Tours. We didn't like the Caen Museum. We liked the museum in Bayeux and the new one at the American Cemetary.

We're staying in Paris and were hoping to travel by train rather than rent a car. I understand that you have to stay in Bayeux overnight to do the Battlebus tours. Do you know of any other option? Thanks for all of your input.

The others are correct. You would not be able to see anything with your current plan. Caen is a ways from the beaches (not too far). I also agree that the Caen Museum is not worth it. We were there a couple of years ago, and really did not like it.

The beaches roll for MANY miles up and down the coast. I would stay one night in Bayeux, and then do the battlebus.

Just as an aside, my son and his wife were in Paris and took a train to Bayeux. Then they rented a taxi for a couple of hours to see the beaches. It was not too expensive and fit their plans, which were much like yours.

MaryAnn,

I'd also recommend staying one night in Bayeux and taking a BattleBus tour. That will also provide an opportunity to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry and just to enjoy the town.

You might also have a look at Overlord tours or others listed in the France Guidebook. They might fit your schedule better?

Happy travels!

We visited the Caen Museum in 2005 (then quite new) and couldn't leave. My wife is not into military museums. She refused to leave until she had read every letter.
Perhaps it is because we remember WWII, I recommend it to all. We had some interesting chats with some of the hundreds of French students who were present that day. As for a four hour tour forget it... We spent three days in Normandy including a side trip to Bayeux and visited the German burial ground as well as the poignant and stunningly beautiful USA Cemetery. George, Pittsburgh

Thanks for all the advice. I'm researching whether we can take a train to Bayeux and then do a half day tour with Overlord tours, as Ken recommended. At least we would spend 4 hours seeing the beaches and cemetery and be able to spend some time in Bayeux.

Hi,
I would have to agree about the caen museum. My sister and I were there last yr and really disliked it (and its very expensive). We however loved the American Cemetery. We then rented a car to visit the beaches and other sites along the coast including Pont Du Hoc just west of Omaha Beach. The operation overlord route is easy to follow and you will see many amazing sites that are not necessarily the most well known. I highly recommend spending more then 4 hours.

I must have missed something on the beaches. They were ... beaches. I recall the museum at Arromanches with horror. It was small and filled with yelling schoolkids. We left.
The Memorial Museum at Caen is a superb WWII museum. It begins with the Armistice in Europe. The signs were in multiple languages. Many photos were familiar and many were not. Perspectives from USSR and other countries contributed to my enjoyment of it all. It was large enough that when a herd of tourists or schoolkids came through one could stand aside and rest until they moved on. There was just so much I spent four hours there alone. If that's not your interest the 45 minutes you might get there would be enough.
Juno Beach, can't recall the name of town, was lovely. Looks like a summer resort now! couple of good restaurants too!

Juno Beach : the town is Courseuilles-sur-Mer.

We returned from Paris last weekend and ended up taking a bus trip with Cityrama to the D-Day beaches. We tried to book a half day trip with Overlord Tours in Bayeux, but they were booked up. Anyone interested in this option should book ahead. The bus trip worked out pretty well. The museum tour in Caen was cut short when they evacuated the place due to a power failure. We were able to spend extra time at Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. The free museum there was excellent and we actually liked it better than what we were able to see at the Memorial Museum in Caen before it closed. If you really want to explore the D-Day beaches and Normandie I would recommend spending a night in the area.

Thanks for the update upon your return.