Paris daytrip to D-Day beaches

I would only add that while it could be done, it's certainly not the best way to do it. A very long day, I suspect, and you miss out on most of the charm of Normandy, which is worth a visit even if you weren't going to any of the WWII sites. If it's the only way you can do it, maybe worth it, but if you have other days you could trade, I'd make it at least an overnight side-trip. Lots of other great stuff to see/do there besides the D-Day beaches...

Sue,

As mentioned in the previous posts, you'll be able to manage a very short trip to Normandy if travelling from Paris, and will only be able to see a few of the important sites.

If you have the time and want a more detailed and interesting tour, you might consider spending at least one (preferably two) nights in Bayeux. This will allow you not only to take day tours (I'd highly recommend BattleBus Tours), but also to view the Bayeux Tapestry and enjoy a very interesting French town.

Happy travels!

It should also be noted that the Battle Bus tour folks' website states they won't even give you a tour unless you are staying locally the night before as you cannot see very much doing a day trip from Paris.

Hi Sue,

It seems you are really interested in a D-Day beach tour; not a Normandy Province tour (as such). That's what I wanted to do on my first trip to Paris, my object was to see Omaha Beach (where 2 of my uncles came ashore on D-Day) and the American Cemetary from WWII and I only had (1) day to do it.

Here's how to book: www.linkparis.com

THE NORMANDY "D-DAY" TOUR
An unforgettable one day trip from Paris. See both the Normandy D-Day Landing beaches and the Caen War Memorial (view photos). Depart Paris in the morning and return the same evening via mainline rail.

Normandy "D-Day" Tour Itinerary
Start the day with a guided tour of the Caen War Memorial, then enjoy a leisurely lunch in the Memorial cafeteria. Afterwards, enjoy a full guided D-Day landing beach tour.

The landing beach portion of your tour includes visits to the following main sites :

The artificial harbor at Arromanches
The German gun battery at Longues-sur-Mer
The American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
Omaha Beach
The Pointe du Hoc
The landing beach tour lasts approximately four to five hours. Transportation provided in an air-conditioned mini-van (up to 8 persons max per van).

The "D-Day" tour includes :
Pick-up at the Caen railway station in the morning by a bilingual guide.
Guided tour of the WWII area of the Caen Memorial
Lunch at the Caen Memorial
Guided tour of the D-Day Landing beaches in the afternoon
An illustrated handbook (A Memorial de Caen publication) : "The D-Day Landings"
Drop off at the Caen railway station in the early evening for the return trip to Paris.

LinkParis gives the option of booking your rail tickets, or you can do it yourself. (Caen is 2 hrs by rail from Paris, Gare Saint-Lazare).

This is a FANSTASTIC one-day tour and I highly recommend it!!

Thank you for the terrific advice! I will research the various tours.

" Day trip from Paris to D-Day Beaches
Scott, I'm planning the same thing for May with a group of just 6. You can see my train post below (SNCF- Bayeux). I also posted some details of what we've booked if you look for a post on this in "To the West"- "Paris Day Trip to Normandy". BTW-Train will be 39.50 Euros round trip total. "

This is the first of 41 entries on this subjectlocated up in the search feature.

In a word or two - yes it can be done to get a quick overview. Have a great trip!

The part that surprised me the most about the D-Day beaches was the SIZE. Never really thought much about it but should have realized that the beaches are spread over 50+ miles with a lot of interesting stuff miles behind the beaches. So it is very difficult to see the beachES on a quick, one day hit. And transportation between sites is not great or sometimes not available. If you are going to do a one day hit, select one beach and one museum. However, I would take one of the above mentioned tours with an overnight or save it for the next trip.

In the last 2 years the Helpline has run 95% to 5% not to attempt to do the D-Day Beaches as a day trip from Paris. There's reasons for that. And yes, it's technically "doable."