My husband and I will be visiting France in 2014. (25th anniversary, retracing my father's footsteps through France in WWII (he served with Patton) We've decided not to visit Normandy during the actual 70th anniversary of D-Day because of the crowds but the week prior. I'm currently thinking about picking up our rental car in Rouen, driving to Honfleur and spending the night there, driving the next day to Caen, see the museum then onto Bayeux for 2 nights seeing the town sites and D-Day sites and then maybe going up to Arromaches and spending one night there. After that, down the Brittany coast spending a night in Dian then to the Loire Valley.
I'd appreciate any thoughts about this. Is it too many day in the Normandy area? Thank you!
I do not think you will regret spending 4 nights in Normandy along the lines you describe. Aromanches is so close to Bayeux I wonder if you would not be happier just consolidating in one place or the other, is my only thought.
I don't think it's too many days, especially given your family history in the area. Honfluer is worth at least a half day and Caen and Bayeux have plenty to see along with the D-Day beaches. My only question relates to your travel and switching hotels. You plan to stay one night in Honfleur and then go to Bayeux and Arromanches. I think that you are switching hotels too many times and wasting some precious hours. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary switching of hotels. All of these cities and sites are accessible as a day trip from each other. I recommend hitting Honfleur on your first day and then getting a hotel in Bayeux that evening. You can then see the sites in Bayeux, Caen and Arromances from your base of Bayeux. Don't miss the Bayeux Tapestry! These cities are a short drive from each other and the countryside is beautiful. As a frame of reference, we stayed in Bayeux at the Hotel Churchill for 2 nights. When we checked out, we drove to Arromannches for the day and then on to Rouen where we took the train to Paris. The drive times in that area are pretty short. Just make sure you have a GPS!
Sue, I don't think that's too many days in Normandy, and given all that you want to cover, it may be worthwhile to add one day. I agree with a previous post that it might be more efficient to use Bayeux as a home base, rather than staying one night in Arromanche. There's also an excellent WW-II Museum in Bayeux, as well as the famous Tapestry. In order to cover all the sites where your Father served, you might also consider taking one of the excellent local tours, customized to your particular situation. It will be expensive, but will be the most efficient way to get around to the sites, and it will be a much more interesting and rewarding visit with a Guide. If you need suggestions on good tour firms, post another note. Happy travels!
I agree that it's not too many days. In Bayeux, I'd recommend the Hotel d'Argouges.