Day Trip to Normandy Beaches

Thanks for all the input. I am now quite discouraged! I have Rick Steves' book on France, and while ambitious, it seemed possible to take a train to Bayeux, then rent a car or take a tour with a local guide. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Option1: Get from London to Calais, rent a car driving to Caen/Bayeux ( 3.5 hr) seeing what you can the rest of that day, spend the night and see the rest, drive to Paris ( 2.5 hr) and get rid of the car. Option 2: Find some kind of expensive day trip out of Paris that won't show you much in the amount of time available in Normandy. Option 3: Leave Paris late in the afternoon, spend the night, take a tour and get back to Paris late the second night. One and Three are not great, Two stinks.

Ed's right. If you want to see Normandy in the time you have allocated for a "side trip" from London, go there and skip Paris. It's just not practical to try to go to Paris and Normandy in the time you have.

Mary Kay, As the others have said, seeing the beaches on a day trip from Paris is not really practical. You could take a day trip with Paris Vision tours, but they're very expensive and a LONG DAY! You would see and learn far more by spending at least one night in Bayeux and taking one of the excellent local tours. The car rental option is not a good idea IMHO, even if it is feasible in the time you have available. In addition to the cost of the rental, you'll need to budget for high fuel prices and tolls, and allow extra time for getting lost (even with a good Map, that DOES happen). Unless you do an enormous of amount of research, you won't have much idea where the relevant sites are. The invasion front spanned about 50-miles and extended some distance inland as well. There are historic and significant sites throughout Normandy, and you could wander around for days unless you know where to look. Happy travels!

The first train from Paris to Bayeux doesn't arrive in time to catch any of the all-day tours. Option 4 would be to arrive in Bayeux in time to take an afternoon Overlordtour and take an evening train back to Paris. However, many people report that after taking a half-day tour, they wish they had spent a night in Bayeux so they could have taken an all-day tour. Since your time in Paris is quite limited, I suggest you skip Normandy this time. But it's your call.

It is possible to do a D-Day tour as a day trip from Paris. There are a number of tour companies who will meet groups at Carentan railway station (direct line from Paris St Lazare) for the arrival of the first train from Paris (departing Paris at 7am on a weekday). You then get 8 hours plus on the battlefields before returning to Carentan to catch the 6.15pm train from Carentan into Paris (arriving Paris 8.45pm). A long day but must people find it more than worthwhile. I can not list companies as this could be misintrepreted as self-promotion as I am a battlefield guide resident in Normandy but check out those companies recommended in Rick Steves 2011 France, at least three of those companies offer this option. Hope it helps.

Stuart, Thanks for giving the information about taking the train all the way to Carentan and starting a tour there. That's an option I didn't know about. Am I right or wrong about all-day tours from Bayeux starting before the first train arrives from Paris (09:29)?

Here's a great example of tour leaving from Carentan. http://www.normandybattletours.com/battlefield-tours/battlefield-tours-single-day/ This is an example of a day trip from Paris, and I think there are others. It's a full day by tour bus. http://paristours.france.com/tour.php?products_id=532 Don't give up, and don't be discouraged. Whether you decide to travel early by train to Normandy or bus all the way from Paris, it is so worth it. Walking in the American Cemetery or on Omaha Beach is something you will never forget.

This really depends on how much you want to see. I have done Bayeux as a day trip many times and found it quite easy and enjoyable. You can't see all the beaches but you can see the American cemetery, Omaha, Pont du Hoc, and still have time for the Bayeux tapestry. Get off the train quickly so you will be first to the drivers. The drivers have a pick list. You just pick what you want to see. It is a set rate. Make sure and see the Bayeux tapestry also, before you return to the train.
I just have the driver drop us off at the door of the museum and walk back to the train station. If there are no drivers, there is a phone number posted on a sign outside the train station. The longest I've had to wait is 15 minutes.