I am staying in Paris with a family of 6 -2 teenagers and 2 seniors in Aug 2010- would it be cost effective to rent a van and drive to Normandy for the day or take a tour from Paris.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
If the total number is seven, such vans exist. Per- day rental is steep, but it's about the only way you can pull it off in one very long day.
Figure two and a half hours each way to Caen, depending on where in Paris you leave from and potential traffic problems during the morning and evening peaks.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
A one-day van rental would cost in the neighborhood of $600 US. Do you intend to see the battlefields on your own? If so, then renting a van is the way to go.
However, if you wish to take a guided tour, then it might be more cost effective to take the train to Bayeux and back to Paris, taking an afternoon tour from there rather than a package deal from Paris. If you book well in advance, you can get €25 discount fare tickets for Paris-Bayeux and Bayeux-Paris.
Not all tour companies offer half-day tours. One that does is Overlordtour. Most people on this board think the best tour company is Battlebus, but they only offer all-day tours and they require their customers to spend the night before the tour in close proximity to Bayeux.