[help] D-Day tour

My Parents and I will be in Caen in June aswell. We will be picking up a car in Caen and visiting the museum there. We will be then driving from Caen to Omaha and Utah beaches, Carentan, Pont du hoc and st. mere eglise. I think it would be easier doing it on your own. The distance from Caen to Bayeux is about 25 miles.

Hi Brendon, but my friend and I do not drive...
thanks though

Very sorry about that. Here is a website that lists tours leaving from Caen. http://tours.france.com/normandy.php

is it possible to take train from Caen to Bayeux for any full day tour? or is the tour by Caen Memorial OK?

The train goes on from Caen into Bayeux which is about 100 times more beautiful than Caen. Caen was destroyed during the war and rebuilt with the typical "new" office building looks. Bayeux was not destroyed so all of the original architecture still stands. There are many many tours leaving from Bayeux...as soon as you disembark from the train you'll see signs everywhere advertising tours. You're also closer to the beaches from Bayeux than from Caen. The War Memorial in Caen is very very interesting, but don't discount Bayeux as your destination. From Bayeux we hired a guide to take us around...found him at www.toursbylocals.com He was excellent. I'm glad we stayed in Bayeux and only went to Caen one afternoon for the memorial.

Most full day D-Day tours that are based in Bayeux depart around 08:30. There are earlier trains, but if you take the 07:13 regional train, you'll arrive in Bayeux at 07:30, in plenty of time to connect with your tour group. Two tour companies that people on this board highly recommend are DDay Historian and Overlordtour. Book ASAP to be sure to get a place on the tour of your choice.

Sylvia, I'd also suggest staying in Bayeux instead of Caen, as many of the tours depart from there. While there you could also see the famous Bayeux Tapestry or visit the WW-II Museum. As the others have mentioned, Bayeux is mostly "original" and as I recall it was the first town liberated after the landings. Some of the tour companies you could consider: > www.ddayhistorian.com > www.daleboothnormandytours.com > www.overlordtour.com > www.ddaybattletours.com/elldi.php The Museum in Caen is also excellent so perhaps you could stop there for a few hours on your way back to Paris (although I'm not sure if there are "Left Luggage" facilities at the station). Happy travels!

hey thanks all! I guess staying at Bayeux is not an option since we already booked the hotel at Caen. What would you all suggest as to the following, also taking into account transportation issue (early enough for us to get to pick up point and late enough to return to Caen)? 1. Overlordtour: - TOUR # 2 OMAHA / UTAH FDT - depart from the "Place du Quebec" near Tapestry in Bayeux France at 8:20 am - i guess it ends around 6pm 2. ddaybattletours: - D-Day Tour - depart from CARENTAN 3 (one last question) are there more train from Caen to Bayeux than to Carentan? Your help is much appreciated!
thx

Hi Sylvia Have read the previous posts and have to ask the obvious questions about what you want to see and where might lie your interests. The D-Day landings cover a very long stretch of the Normandy coastline and it would be very helpful to know where you might prefer to concentrate. The American landings, the British or the Canadians. I am guessing that since you`re staying in Caen that the Canadian or British beach landings are of particular interest so, if you can clarify, I can provide some suggestions for an organized tour. Also some recommendations for eating and night life in Caen should you wish.
Cheers, Geoff

Hi Geoff, Thanks for your reply!
We dont have any particular interest actually, right now just trying to see the two choices i have posted are okay or not, coz they still have spaces available my biggest concern is the travel from Caen to Bayeux or Caen to Carentan by train as in if i can make it to the tour and get back to Caen~ and recommendation for eating choices are desirable! thx again

Have you booked a non-refundable hotel in Caen? If not, then you can easily cancel and stay in Baueux if you wish. The little train from Caen to Bayeux is about as easy as it gets.