Travel from Paris to Bayeux

hi, you can do as you please. remember those burgerking commercials? I dont like to drive and the transportation system in europe makes it sooooo easy to do that. If you like to drive, then go for it. for your info, i went to Normandy early last year and took the train from Paris to Bayeux. It wasnt an express, but i believe it had one or 2 stops. In any csse it was approximately 2 hour train ride. Nice, comfortable, toilets ready to be used and best of all, i could sit back, relax and go over what i was going to do in the next few days. I believe you can rent cars in Caen or Bayeux. all you have to do is google. I also took a train to Caen on day to visit the Memorial Museum. For the Normandy tour, i choose a private tour guide since the guide bus i wanted to use was "full". Just a personal comment. I think you should try to spend at least 2 days up there. The tour i took, and this guy drives and knows these roads, was from 0800 to 1800 and there was alot of things to do and see leftover. we ONLY covered the American sector too. whatever you do you will really enjoy it and just be in AWE of what those soldiers did especially when you set foot on Omaha beach! happy trails.

My wife and I went to Bayeux on our last trip and loved it. We took the train from Paris directly to Bayeux and stayed in a reasonable B&B there. We were able to visit the beaches of Normandy, Mont St. Michel, and the American Cemetery by signing up on small tours. There were only about 8 people total on the tour. One day in Bayeux is definitely no enough time to see what needs to be seen. Just to see the Bayeux Tapestry alone, as well as the Cathedral and the town of Bayeux takes a day in itself. Take the train and enjoy the ride in total comfort.

Hi Mark, This thread a little below yours might be helpful to you :)

"Hold the pickles hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us, all we ask is that you let us Serve It Your Way!" Thanks a lot, Ray!!! ;-) I've taken the train from Paris to Bayeux. You could stop at Caen and pick up a car; the rental locations are across the street front the Caen train station. You're proposing a very full day. We spent three days there, including two all-day tours, and just scratched the surface. None of us wanted to leave. Bayeux needs a minimum of one day...the British War Cemetery, the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum, the Tapestry Museum, the Cathedrale...Be sure and look at the restaurant and storefront windows and their hand-written signs...and the flags flying all over town. If you are doing a one-day driving tour of the beaches, be sure you have very good maps and guidebooks for the area, such as the series by Major and Mrs Holt.

Thanks for all the great responses to earlier post! If I take the train from Paris to Bayeux is it direct? What train station would I start from? Would Assemblie Nationale be a starting point? It looks like I could take a train from there to Caen and then a separate train to Bayeux...is that correct?

Thanks for all the great responses to earlier post! If I take the train from Paris to Bayeux is it direct? What train station would I start from? Would Assemblie Nationale be a starting point? It looks like I could take a train from there to Caen and then a separate train to Bayeux...is that correct?/quote] hi again, i dont know about "Assemblie Nationale" this is how i did it. it may not be the only solution or correct, but i got there and it was a piece of cake. my train left from St. Lazare station. I believe it covers the Normandy region. I used the "raileurope" web site. Note that you will only be able to book a ticket less than 3 months out. at least thats what i had to do. I believe the train i choose had one stop in Caen. I did NOT have to transfer trains either! so it was direct. If you look at the train schedule it will show how many stops for that train. Caen to Bayeux is approximately a 30 minute train trip. according to my ticket, i left St Lazare @ 1210 and arrived in Bayeux @ 1414 just so you know, if you get to the train station real early, like > 15 minutes, they may not have the train number listed on the reader board. I got to the station 1+ hours early and had to wait. Thats when i noticed they listed the trains gate about 15 minutes before departure. Im sure someone here can verify or not. from the train schedule i brought back, there are no NON stop trains to Bayeux. The first stop is in Caen. happy trails.

From the link I gave you: "the train to Bayeux leaves from Gare St. Lazare, not Gare du Nord. The train ride is direct to Bayeux and a little over 2 hours".

Mark, Just to clarify, you'll depart from Gare St. Lazare in Paris. You can easily reach that via Metro or RER from other parts of the city. The trains to Bayeux may or may not have a stop in Caen. That will depend on which train you choose.

We just did this last Spring. I purchased my train tickets from the french rail website far enough in advance to get the super cheap ones. We trained all the to Bayeux and rented a car there. You can actually hook up with a tour where your transportation will be included thus saving you the cost of a rental car. Renting in Bayeux was from a gas station that served as the Hertz rental car location. They only had about 4 cars on the lot so I wouldn't just show up without a reservation. Our B&B host picked us up from the train station and took us back to check in. He then drove us to the rental car location, too. We hired a guide from www.toursbylocals.com to spend the entire day leading us around in our car. It was quite nice, and my elderly parents especially enjoyed it.