I am planning this fall trip for my wife and me and we will be in the UK for about two weeks and then go to France for 5 days before going to Germany. I have been doing all the planning and have most of it taken care of but there is this 5 days that we want to go to France on the way from the UK to Germany. We would like to see the Normany/Brittany area, maybe spend a day seeing the D-Day sites, Mont St Michel, Bayeux, Giverny. My question is in getting from the UK to France--we can either take the train through the Chunnel from London to Paris and rent a car somewhere west of Paris and drive, spending little or no time in Paris OR we can ride the ferry from the southern coast of England (Poole or Portsmouth) and arrive west of Paris to begin with already in that area. We have been to Paris one time before and even though we would enjoy seeing it again we may prefer just to see Normany since we have never been there. Getting around is the thing I cannot sort out though--car vs. train; ferry vs. chunnel train. I would appreciate any thoughts anyone may have that could have done something similar in the past. Thanks.
Posted by
OP
Tyler, TX, USA
169 posts
One other note---that is not doing all those things in one day, to clarify--to see the D Day Sites for one day, Mont St. Michel another, etc. My list seems like we want to squeeze all that into one day. Just poor choice of words...thanks.
Posted by
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
172 posts
Normandy is a beautiful area and in my opinion you should take more than one day to see it, if you have the time. We found the Caen museum, Juno Beach Centre, Bayeux Tapestry to be very worthwhile, and the American centre is probably now open as well. Plus a visit to several of the cemeteries is very sobering, and interesting to compare them - German ones are very sombre, Canadian peaceful, and the main American one is, well - very American.
Posted by
TX
515 posts
Hello, Jerry. Last summer we rode the Eurostar to Paris, spent a couple of nights, then rode train to Bayeux as our base for seeing the D-Day sights. We spent 4 nights there and toured 3 days with Battlebus tours. Normandy is huge area; the D-Day sites are widespread.Our hotel Churchill offered a day tour to Mont St. Michel, although we weren't there long enough to do that before we left for Belgium. Adored our stay in Bayeux and days with Battlebus. Many folks love having a car, but we enjoyed the train and small tours with experts.
Posted by
Redmond, WA
295 posts
You don't have to take the Eurostar to Paris. Take it to Lille, rent a car there, and head southwest.
Posted by
Halifax
110 posts
I agree with Dennis...Eurostar to Lille..rent a car from there.
Posted by
Marseille
150 posts
You can get a ferry directly from several UK ports on the south coast to various ports in France, notably Caen and Cherbourg if you want to arrive directly in Normandy (and you can rent a car from there). Check out Brittany Ferries. I believe most of the crossings are overnight.
Posted by
Texas
518 posts
I would think time would also be an issue. It's about 2 hours London to Paris on the Eurostar. The ferry is usually overnight, plus to have to get to the coast from London. So unless you want the ferry experience I would go the Eurostar route to Lille. You will want a car in Normandy, and you will want more than one day. There is a lot to see, and it is all very enjoyable. We really enjoyed driving through that part of France.
Have a great trip.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1864 posts
You might also consider this, which we did last summer although in the opposite order:
Ferry from Dover to Calais--interesting to see the famous white cliffs of Dover. Then, pick up a fresh rental car at Calais (Avis told me you can take rental cars on the ferry, but you would have the steering wheel on the wrong side for France) and drive to Honfleur, perhaps stopping at Etretat on the way if you like impressionist art and want to see those cliffs. Then, loop through Normandy. I am listing sites from east to west--do some one way and some the other---Giverney (Monet's Garden but it is closed on Monday), St. Andeleys for Richard the Lion Hearted's ruined castle, Rouen, Bayeaux, Omaha Beach, Mont St. Michel, Dinan and St. Malo which are just across the border into Brittany. We also went farther into Brittany but it is a little far for a five day trip.
Posted by
Danville, California, USA
139 posts
Jerry, I would rent a car as soon as you get across the channel and head west. Maybe stay in Bayeux. Spend a couple days seeing Normandy area, then down to Mont St Michel, then back up towards Paris and visit Giverny. Turn in your rental out of Paris and take the train in.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2296 posts
We've done both the Eurostar and the ferry. There is a high speed ferry run from Portsmouth to Cherboug that is just a few hours. I agree that if you're going to do the Eurostar you might as well take it to Lille (a great city that LOVES Americans) and rent a car there to begin your drive. Our first trip we took the train from Paris to/from Bayeux and took a tour. Last trip we took train to Bayeux, toured with same group (Battlebus), then took the train to Cherbourg and ferry to Portsmouth.