We are traveling to Paris in June and want to book a one-day minivan tour for 8 of us from Paris to the D-Day beaches and if possible stop in Bayeux. Many of the tours are tailored to spending a night in Normandy which we cannot do. Is it possible to get a half-day tour of the beaches? Or is this simply not done? We are hoping to take the train from Paris to Bayeux and find a tour that would take us from Bayeux to the beaches. Also, my elderly parents will be with us and they cannot walk long distances so a half day tour is about the maximum for us. Suggestions/advice?
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
Look for a tour from Paris. This sounds very ambitious for one day with the time restrictions and walking limitations indicated.
Posted by
OP
Lakeview
40 posts
Yes, I'm looking into that. The ones I've seen are super expensive for a group, in the thousands of Euros, which is out of range for us. Still looking around the web, though!
Posted by
VENTURA, California
21 posts
There are tours that leave from Paris early a.m. (7:00/7:30) by train from St Lazare station. You are on your own on the train and when you arrive in Normandy, city of Caen, you are met at the station. You first tour the Peace Museum there, with mostly WWII exhibits, then are taken on a guided minibus tour of the beaches and I believe the cemetery. The museum is wonderful. Friends of ours took this tour and thoroughly enjoyed their day. You are returned to Paris by train and arrive 9:30-10:00 p.m. Don't know if the Bayeux tapestry can be included. I think this tour is mentioned in Rick Steves' Paris guidebook.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
A company that gets excellent reviews is Overlordtour and it is one of the few that offer both full-day and half-day tours. A half-day tour costs €55. For the afternoon tour you will need to take the train beyond Bayeux to Carentan where you will be picked up at the train station at 13:30. There is a direct train that leaves Paris (Gare Saint-Lazare) at 10:10 and arrives in Carentan at 12:41. If you want to have some time in Bayeux in the morning, leave Gare Saint-Lazare at 07:07, connect in Caen, and arrive in Bayeux at 09:27. Leave Bayeux at 12:16 and arrive in Carentan at 12:41. The tour ends in Bayeux at 17:30. Take the 18:41 train to Paris, arriving at 20:45. What's your travel date? The standard 2nd class fare for Paris-Carentan is €41.90. However, if you book far enough in advance, you can get a Prem's fare as low as €15.00.
Posted by
Loveland, Ohio, USA
20 posts
We did the half day tour from Paris about 5 years ago. It was using the overlord tour group. There was limited walking except at Point Du Huc, which you can walk as much or as little as you want. It is definitely rushed but was well worth it. We want to go back someday and spend more time. We checked multiple sites for tours but overlord was the only one that would accomodate us 5 years ago.
Posted by
Fontainebleau, France
893 posts
I'd recommend contacting every tour guide you can find and ask them to make a proposal. You might get lucky. I've done this before with success (although for somewhere other than Normandy beaches). Sometimes a tour guide has connections to a driver and can help arrange a private driver from Paris (although I think this option makes for an incredibly long and tiring day).
Posted by
OP
Lakeview
40 posts
: I've contacted several tour guides and most are already booked, so caveat for anyone else wanting to do this in June (or, I suppose, any of the nicer months) book ahead! That said, each guide was very kind and gave me referrals to other guides, so I do hope we will find one who is available. As for timing, there is an early train around 7 AM from Paris to Bayeux that would allow us time to do a tour of the battlefields in the American sector and still get back to Bayeux in time for a train back to Paris in the evening. I'm told there is a train back at 6:41pm to Paris that arrives at 8:45pm.