normandy day trip

You can get there many ways, but to tour the area requires a car unless you plan on hiring a guide/tour; which is expensive. The BEST way to see is to pick up a car from Paris (just outside the circle. Took the metro to the correct station and walked across the street to europecar at parc de princes) and drove to Normandy. The drive was easy and the parking around Normandy was a piece of cake; good directions/signage. Then you can "circle" around the sites and drive back to Paris. We (our family) found sites that "tours" don't stop at some sights we wanted to see and stoped at ones that didn't seem worth it. Having a car allowed us to see what we wanted to see.
It is worth seeing.

Consider Rail Europe. We are doing a day trip in July. We leave Paris at 7am, arrive Bayeux by 9:30am. Leave Bayeux at 6:30pm, arrive back in Paris at 8:45pm for dinner. Painless and much easier than a car. A car will easily be a 3+ hour drive in each direction. However, if there are specific things you want to see along the way that are not near the rail stations, a car may be better.

What do you want to see in Normandy? If it is a three hour trip from Paris, so if you leave Paris at 9 a.m., you won't get there until about noon. That would give you time to visit the American Cemetery, and Omaha Beach, but not much else. Is it possible for you to stay overnight in Normandy? That will give you more time to explore the area. Caen has several car rentals close to the train station, so you could train to Caen and then rent a car and go where you want. Otherwise, you might consider a tour. I understand they can cram a lot into a half or full day.
And cram is not meant in a negative way. The tour people know the area, know the shortest route, and can save you time.

eileen, Normandy and the D-Day sites are not an ideal destination for a "day trip" from Paris, due to the travel time there and back. Even with a car, it's important to remember that the front extended for about 50 miles, and extended some distance inland so it's a huge area to cover in a few hours. If you just want to see some of the highlights, there are a few options.... > Take an early train from Paris to Bayeux and take one of the excellent local tours, perhaps a half-day Overlord tour. They cover all the transportation and are able to get around quickly and efficiently as they know all the locations. > Take a day trip from Paris with Paris City Vision tours or the one mentioned in a previous reply. They tend to be a bit "pricey" and it's a long day, but they cover some of the most significant sights. If you're really interested in the history, the best method is to stay in Bayeux for a few nights and take one of the excellent full-day tours offered by a number of tour firms in the area. These provide a much more detailed look at the history and events, and visit a greater range of locations. Some that I found especially interesting on the American Highlights Tour were St. Mere Eglise (which still has Pvt. Steele hanging from the Bell Tower), Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery (be sure to note the graves of two of the Niland brothers), Pointe du Hoc and the small Church at Angoville Au Plain where two Medics from the "Band of Brothers" provided such distinguished service. Happy travels!

We spent a day touring with Roel (one of the guides recommended in RS) and were glad to have his guidance and direction. There are several places we wouldn't have gotten to without him, and we were glad we did. It's a long day. You'll want to get an early start. We took the train to Bayeux and met Roel there (the next day). Trains run reasonably often, both ways; if you're going to Bayeux, you pretty much have to change in Caen. Consider going the night before, spending the night and having a nice dinner in Bayeux, then spending the day touring before you head back to Paris. You'll see more and maybe be less wiped out.

Two years ago June my husband and I took a day bus tour to Normandy. It was through Gray Line Tours here in the US. and they subed it out to Citirama. You can go to Gray Line Tours.com and see the tour. We just met the bus at their main office in Paris. Then after spending the day, we were returned to the main office. We took the Metro back to our hotel.

We rented a car for our visit to Normandy and found it was well worth the cost. Lots to see and do. Check my article here for more information and recommendations: http://www.tidewaterwomen.com/travel-articles/europe-world/item/111-normandy-france Cheers!

I think Rouen makes a nice Norman day trip from Paris. The idea of visiting the D-Day sites that way, not so much.