We would like to take a day trip to Normandy from Paris but don't want to spend a lot of money. Any ideas/train/buses to get there and then do a self guided tour? We will be honeymooning in Paris over Christmas/New Years 08!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The Normandy beaches cover a large area. To do a self-guided tour you will need a car. Take an early train to Caen and pick up a car there. The pickup point is close by the train station.
There are, of course, more expensive options. You could take an all-day guided tour package that includes transportation from Paris. Or you could take a morning train to Bayeux and a guided afternoon tour. One company that offers half-day tours is Overlordtour.
While there are regional buses, there is no long distance bus service in France.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32351 posts
Kimberley, I'd suggest using the train for travel from Paris to Normandy, as it's the quickest and easiest solution. You'll depart from Gare St. Lazare, which is easy to reach via the Metro.
Depending on what you want to see, you can start from either Bayeux or Caen. The Museum in Caen is one of the best! There's also a smaller Museum in Bayeux.
If you want to take Guided tours, I'd suggest contacting the tour companies to find out if they'll be operating at that time of year (some of them are "seasonal"). I used BattleBus Tours, and would recommend them highly!
If you decide to rent a Car, you can do that in either Bayeux or Caen. I rented a car in Bayeux with no problems. Fortunately, this was set up for me by the Hotel, as the people at the rental agency didn't speak much (any?) English.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Kimberly, I'm heading there next month (22 days to be exact!! yahoo!). We are renting a car and a GPS.
"PM" me if you want more info. Have fun... bon chance!
Posted by
Westford, MA, USA
567 posts
If you do the self guided tour I'd pick up the car in Bayeaux due to it's proximity to the beaches and sights. Many sights close by 5pm or 6pm.
Caen Peace Museum is open until 700pm but check winter hours, then drop car at Caen. *They're across from train station, so close.
Battlebus Tours is 80/85 Euro pp for a full day tour.
They start at 830am and you're back before 500pm.
The train station is a 15 minute walk if you don't want to rent a car for the day.
The Tour guide gave a guy a ride to the station after the tour as it's on the way to the Battlebus office. The guy took a 600ish am train from Paris to Bayeaux.
Whatever you decide remeber to check Winter times so you can plan your day well. Remember it gets dark earlier too.
Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!