Normandy beaches--Mt St Michel--Dinard

You're right, it is difficult to do this without a car. It is one of the areas where a car is strongly recommended or take a guided tour where transportation is provided. You may want to reconsider this approach.

You can easily take a train from Paris to Normandy. We ended up renting a car in Normandy and then driving to Mt. St. Michel and then driving to Dinard. You end up with a car rental, but perhaps can defer renting until after your WWII beach tour. We rented our car in Caen, but there are other options.

Carol, how did you do the WWII beach tour without a rental car or a tour guide???

I doubt you can do what you hope to do without a rental car. We trained to Caen and picked up our reserved rental car across the street from the train station. Thence to Bayeux, about 20 miles. D Day tours leave from behind the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux around 0800 and return around 1700. It's about 2+hours to MSM by motorway, an easy drive. If you arrive early you beat the hordes from the tour buses and can get in and out of MSM in 90 minutes easy. Go with the car and you will never regret it. We too were reluctant to rent a car but found out lots of advice on www.tripadvisor.com, Paris forum and Normandy forum. Driving in France is a breeze. You'd have to determine where to leave off the car in Dinard but lots of people have done it. So can you.

Julianne, If you're spending at least one night in Bayeux, taking a one-day guided tour of the D-Day sites is really the most efficient method, although the tours are a bit "pricey". Here's one solution that might work for you.... > Day 1: Prebook tour of your choice, WELL in advance of your trip - take train to Bayeux in the morning - you'll be leaving from Gare St. Lazare - check into Hotel (Churchill Hotel?) - tour Bayeux and see famous Tapestry, possibly WW-II Museum that's located there. > Day 2: Take D-Day tour (all day) - I'd highly recommend either dayhistorian.com or daleboothnormanytours.com (there are others as well). Enjoy dinner and evening in Bayeux. > Day 3 (early): Rent car in Bayeux (pre-arrange if possible) - drive to Mont St. Michel and spend a few hours - drive to airport at Dinard and return car. There should be a fuel station close to the airport to refill the car (there usually is). As the time may be "tight", I'd suggest using both a GPS along with a good Map, as you won't have ANY time to "get lost" on the way to Dinard. I didn't research the distances or driving times, so you'll have to plan accordingly. Hopefully I haven't misread your post, but based on your comments this should fit with your plans. Happy travels!

Thanks all--grateful for the wisdom of your experience!