Normandy beaches and accommodation

Julie,

The closest location to the American Cemetery and the beaches is Bayeux. It's a wonderful town to explore and while there you could also see the famous Tapestry that depicts another battle long ago.

You didn't say if you would be travelling with a rental car? There is a car rental agency in Bayeux (best to get your Hotel to arrange, or book on the net as the staff may only speak French - that was the case on my last visit - a GPS would be a really good idea!).

If you don't have a car, you might consider one of the guided minivan tours. Most here (including me) highly recommend BattleBus. You'll have to check with them regarding tours at this time of the year, as I've never been there in the winter. The Gun batteries at Longues sur Mer are only a short distance outside Bayeux (if you're interested?).

One Hotel you could check out is the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux (depending on your budget). Check the France Guidebook for other listings in various price ranges.

Happy travels!

I agree with Ken and highly recommend staying in Bayeux. As Ken said, it's a wonderful, charming little town. I disagree about the Caen museum, we didn't like it at all. We found it overwhelming, confusing, extremely crowded, and very expensive. We thought the World War II museum in Bayeux was the best. I recommend Hotel D'Argouges. The rooms are big, the owner and staff are extremely nice and helpful, they have a beautiful garden, great breakfast, comfortable beds, clean, large bathrooms and parking. It's right in the heart of town and the Saturday outdoor market, and a laundromat, are right across the street.

Best places in Normandy other than WW II stuff: Honfleur, Le Mont St Michel, Bayeux tapestry.

Really liked Bayeux. Loved our B&B, Hotel de St. Croix, with kings size bed, huge bathroom, fabuoulous breakfast and good prices too. I believe a double runs about 75 euro per night.

I will give the highest praise about the Battlebus tours. We did the 2 day American Experience tour and look forward to going back and doing the Canadian Experience, the British Experience and the Band of Brothers tour. Truly outstanding and worth every cent.

http://www.hotel-de-sainte-croix.com/english/html/acces.html

Hi, Julie: In September we stayed at an unusual and wonderful B&B, La Ducrie (http://www.la-ducrie.com), a converted Norman castle (moat, black swans, etc.) run by two Brit ex-pats, Joe and Vivienne Helling. Very cozy accommodations and two of the most wonderful hosts you'll ever meet. Joe gives personalized D-Day beaches tours that are reasonably priced and take you to sites you won't see on the big tours. La Ducrie is located near St. Lo in a very small village named Le Hommet d' Arthenay. Perfectly located for the beaches and Mont St. Michel. We also visited Honfleur enroute and loved it.

We really loved Mont St-Michel, Etretat and Dieppe and very nice, but it might be chilly! Have fun!

We also stayed in Bayeux at Hotel St. Croix and loved it, especially the breakfasts. The Battlebus tours are fantastic and you have to stay in Bayeux to take them. Bayeux also has the Bayeux tapestry which is fantastic and the British cemetary. Honfleur is a wonderfully scenic town, but not quite as conveient to the D-day sites or Mont St. Michel.

We stayed at the Les trois Pierre 22, rue des bouchers, 14400 BAYEUX. A highlight for us was the Caen museum. Free child care made the experience a hundred times better! We used the Major and Mrs. Holtz's Normandy guide which was full of wonderful information.

My husband and I went to Normandy/Brittany with 2 other couples. For the D-Day locations we rented a gite near Villers Bocage (about 15 minutes from Bayeux, I think). It is called La Ferme du Pressoir, and I would highly recommend staying here if you have a car. They also have a B&B. It is a working farm complete with horses, goats, chickens, apple and pear trees. The owner, Odile, is delightful, and it was a highlight of our trip to stay here.

I have to agree with ED on other sites in this area: Honfleur...we stayed at a B&B called La Cour St. Catherine, and we loved it! Mont St. Michel...we stayed at Hotel Mouton Blanc, and we were very pleased with our accommodations. It was reasonably priced for this location. The Bayeux Tapestry is definitely worth seeing.