Any suggestion on how to get from Paris to the D-Day beach/Normandy??
Ricks' book says to take a train from Paris, but does not say how to get to the war memorial from there.
He did recommend some tour, which picks up from the train station, but this 4 hour tour cost 99 euros per person! Yikes.
Any suggestion on how to get there by train?? Or should I just rent a car from Paris and drive myself?? I was hoping NOT to drive.
Thanks Geoff and Tim!!
That may be the best idea yet.. train it (save headache) and drive!
How far is it from the train station to the D-Day location??
You can take a train to Bayeux. My son took a cab to visit the beaches and it cost him and his wife about 40 euros for the trip (2-3 hours). They only had one day to visit and that was the best route. If you have more time, rent a car--its easy to get everywhere. If you do the cab, decide what you want to see before going
Thanks Sue.
I was hoping not to rent a car since its manual/stick and we're not that good at using stick shifts.
Well i did find http://www.sixti.com and they have a car rental office in Paris. I can rent a smart car for 5 euros a day... with insurance for 7. euros
I think a car would be "adventurous" (In more ways that one!)
Michelle, a lot less 'adventurous', but train to Caen and renting the vehicle there will save you some time and frustration.
That's exactly what we did. Caen train station is rather sleepy (that's good) so it's not too hard to locate the car rental facilities. The train ride from Paris to Caen was also nice.
Michelle: Caen's a bit closer to the Canadian/British beaches near Courseulles (Juno, Gold and Sword) but not a lot further to go to reach the US beaches (Omaha, etc.) further west. You want to head towards Bayeux from Caen to see the American 'zone' and then, perhaps, work your way east to see all the beaches. I confess, for personal reasons, have only done the Cdn/UK areas and those can be reached from Caen in under 1/2 hour. It's a better road Caen to Bayeux versus Caen to Courseulles so shouldn't take you much longer.
I second the recommendation for a car. The various memorials lie scattered over a fairly large area. They may be within biking distance (a long day of biking), but certainly not walking distance.
I found Pointe du Hoc most impressive. Other than removing the more dangerous wreckage and keeping the grass trimmed, the French have left the site remarkabley undisturbed. The pock-marked bunkers and shell craters speak louder than any placard.
Tom, do you mean rent a car from Paris and drive?? or train and then rent a car when I get to Caen??
Obviously, rent the car from Caen. Also, when in Caen don't miss the War Museum, give yourself at least 2 hours there.
Here's another option for your consideration. Take an early train to Caen, arriving just before 09:00. Visit the War Memorial Museum (opens at 09:00). Take a late morning train to Bayeux (15-20 minutes). Take the half-day afternoon Overlord tour (www.overlordtour.com/en/ww2/tour1.htm) that departs at 13:30. Cost: 45€. Take the train from Bayeux back to Paris.
The only problem is that the Caen War Memorial Museum is not located at the train station so you would need some kind of ground transportation.
What car rental companies are in Bayeux (or is it Caen I need)?? I probably should get a car reservation.
