Normandy

I highly recommend Hotel d'Argouges in Bayeux. Wonderful hotel.

Thank you.

I'd strongly suggest using ViaMichelin.com to help you plan your drive. Do you know what sights you're interested in seeing? Perhaps even have them ranked in order of importance? You don't have much time in the region, so you'll really have to prioritize. Wherever you stay, get your reservations ASAP! If you want to go the first week of June, it may already be too late for some places...A way to search for hotels and restaurants is to use Google Maps and just click on the ones that look convenient then check their reviews (Trip Advisor is a good place to start). You'll have to 'zoom in' quite a bit to see all of the hotels and restaurants. I also highly suggest using Google Street View; send me a Private Message if you aren't familiar with how to use it! It may be too late to arrange for a guide, too...let us know where you want to go, and we'll tell you if you can easily get there on your own (time allowing). MSM will take quite a bit of time from your itinerary; how high is it on your list?

Normandy is quite a large place. We stayed at Hotel Churchill in Bayeux. It has a large free parking lot right in the middle of town, that lot is where a number of the tours to the D-Day invasion sites go from. We didn't use a guide but we are also very familiar with the history and knew precisely what we wanted to see - and we did. Many people do benefit from being guided by one of the established outfits.

Thank you. Bayeaux is also an area we wanted to see. Do you have a hotel recommendation. Our first day will be D-Day sites, then 2nd day to see other areas of interest on our return to Brussels. Bayeaux is one of them, also perhas Mt. St. Michelle. ANy thoughts?

oops, I just saw your hotel recommendation. sorry.

Claudette, "Do we need a guide?" While you don't "need" a Guide, I would highly recommend one of the excellent D-Day tours in that area! The Guides are outstanding and they provide an incredible view of the history. I found the day tours were a much more interesting and rewarding travel experience than if I had gone to the sites on my own. If you need suggestions for tours in that area, post another note. Happy travels!

Thanks to all for the responses. I am choosing between 2 hotels. The Churchill or the d'Argouges. The latter is offering buffet breakfast, not sure if that means for all three in my partyy. If so, then it is better rate than the Churchill. As far as sites. We plan to visit the D-Day traditional sites including the American cemetary. Not sure what else. We plan to arrive on Saturday. Are all the shops closed on Sundays? What about access to the Tapestry on Sunday?
Thanks for your help.

Your buffet breakfast should be for everyone in your party. You do realize that when you make hotel reservations you need to let them know how many are going to be in the room don't you? It's not like in the U.S. where you get a room with a couple of big beds and you cram however many people in it. If there are 3 of you, you will need a triple room, for 4 a quad, etc.

Claudette, One of the difficulties in visiting the D-Day sites, is that the invasion covered a front of 50-miles and extended some distance inland. Unless you have somewhat of an idea which sites you want to visit, you'll waste a lot of time wandering around. Using one of the local tours is easily the most efficient way to see the most significant locations. You might find it helpful to do some research to find out which places you're most interested in seeing. You could also watch some of the D-Day movies such as The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. Some of the significant locations for American visitors are Omaha and/or Utah Beaches, the American Cemetery, Point du Hoc or St. Mere Eglise. There isn't really much to see at Omaha beach (one of the most important locations), and that's where one of the excellent Guides really makes a big difference. The Guides are also able to relate the "true" stories, such as the fact that Pvt. Steele actually landed on the other side of the Church Steeple than was depicted in The Longest Day (and where he's still hanging now). Cheers!

Wow, Thanks to all of you for the great insight. I defintely will do more research on visiting the area, and get a great guide book.

Claudette, I'd suggest the Major and Mrs Holt's guides...And check Rick Steves' guides for up-to-date operating days and hours for the individual Bayeux sites (Tapestry, etc.).

How long will you be in the area? You would need more than 2 days to see everything (Bayeux, Battlefield, Mt. St. Michel), but hey, that's a great excuse to extend your trip! My wife and I were in Normandy last month (1st time to France). We stayed at the Hotel Churchill and were very happy with it. We would also highly recommend DDayHistorian as a tour guide of the battlefield. Bayeux is a great town with many wonderful sights. Have a great trip!

Thanks for the reply! We will only have two days, so will skip Mt. St. Michelle. I located the Rick Steves info on Normandy which gives a good overview of the highlights. so we will follow that a general guide. Thanks for all you help!

Probably no one will agree with me, but I say visit Bayeux and the rest of the area, but stay in Arromanches. I love the north coast.

We were in Normandy last June, you will not be disappointed in staying in Bayeux - wonderful town. Ensure you afford time just walking the streets. I would highly recommend use of the tour guides for visiting the Normandy battle sites - word of caution, they are designed for small groups and book up quickly. I'd suggest having a reservation in advance. The only downside with the tour group is you will likely want to spend more time at the US Cemetary overlooking Omaha Beach. FYI - visiting the Cathedral and the tapestry are definitely worthwhile.