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Local Travel in Normandy?

Posted by (Alexandria, Virginia, USA) on

One of the ideas we're considering for our next trip is to include Normandy, especially the beaches of course. Our plans are pretty nebulous at the moment, but it might be included with London, Amsterdam, or Brussels. We prefer to travel by public transportation--train or bus (in that order of preference).

Looking over our Eurorail book, it appears that it would be difficult to get around the area by train. Getting to any number of cities is easy enough via Paris, but it would seem that to get from one to another we'd have to go back to Paris again. Is that right? Are there no local train connections? What is the bus system like, especially for people with little or no French speaking ability?

Dav Vandenbroucke

Posted by
1568 posts

There is a direct (no transfers) train from Paris St Lazare station to Bayeux at 10:10 am which take 2 hours and 5 mins. The trains run frequently.

We arrived one day and had reservations to take the all day Battle Bus tour the next day. We stayed the 2 nights in Bayeux.

Reservations are a must with Battle Bus.

http://www.battlebus.fr/

Language is not a problem. The tour guides speak excellent English. You will feel welcomed in Bayeux.

Posted by
504 posts

Thank you for your replies. The New York Times article was our inspiration for thinking about this again. My question wasn't about getting from Paris to Normandy, but whether it is possible to move around the area by train, without having to go back to Paris in order to make connections.

Posted by
9110 posts

I'm not a trainer, but take a look at this:

http://goeurope.about.com/od/france/l/bl-normandy-map.htm

It pretty well matches my impression of where I've seen tracks and stations.

You're doubly confounded by the fact that, from what I know, the buses are fairly infrequent. Thus, you'd have to plan really tightly to fit things in or be forced to spend hours (maybe even the night) waiting for the next bus.

The only way I've ever heard of it being done with a modicum of success is by car or by tour.

I drive everywhere, but the above might help until a better idea comes along.

Posted by
4415 posts

I'm gonna take a wild stab and say, based on the article, that you're more interested in the towns and beaches for themselves than on touring WWII sites. It would be possible to do alot on trains only - maybe not exactly where you have your heart set on...

WWII sites, on the other hand, are basically impossible on trains only. It's either a tour or a car, and driving in that area isn't terribly stressful.

In the French train system, all (rail)roads lead to Paris. They DEFINITELY use the hub system, but it's usually much faster than trying to piece a more direct route yourself.

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