Hello to all!!!, My wife and I are flying into London on 27 June and wanting to go towards Normandy France on the evening of June 29th. Has anyone ever taken the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen? We have an opportunity to take a 8.5 hour tour starting in Bayeux at 0830. My main questions are.. The only spot open is on the reclining seats. My wife and I are good sleepers in most environments. Has anyone ever traveled overnight on a recliner seat? Should we take a taxi from the port (arriving at 0630) or find other arrangements to Bayeux to make our 0830 tour? Where would you recommend staying in Bayeux overnight? Any ideas on how the best way of heading towards Belgium from Normandy? We have Eurail passes. Thanks in advance and happy travels to all!!! Andy
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Since we've been exchanging PMs regarding your other questions, I'll limit myself here to your question about getting from Normandy to Belgium. You'll need to travel via Paris. You won't need to buy seat reservations for Bayeux-Paris. Just jump on any train. There are several ways to get from Paris to Belgium. If you're going to Brussels, the fastest way is on a Thalys high-speed train. Passholders must buy a special passholder fare ticket (€30.00 for 2nd class and €42.00 for 1st class), not a simple seat reservation. An alternate route would be to take the RER B to CDG (€9.25) and a TGV from there to Brussels. A seat reservation for the TGV should cost around €4.00. If you're going to Brugge first, you can bypass Brussels by taking a TGV from Paris to Lille and regional trains from there to Brugge. You will need to buy a seat reservation for the TGV, but not for the regional trains.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2297 posts
We took the ferry the opposite direction - Cherbourg to Portsmouth, after an all-day D-Day tour out of Bayeux. That ferry was a high-speed and only took 1-1/2hrs. Is that option available to you?
Posted by
OP
Cincinnati, OH, 45050
5 posts
Patty,
We are doing the exact reversal of you! We are going to spend 2 full days in London and then take overnight ferry and be in Caen at 0645. Then go to Bayeux for an 0830 D-Day tour. we wanted the overnight ferry to travel at night and act as hotel. Kinda kill two birds with one stone! I am curious though. What way did you travel from Portsmouth and did you go directly to London? Thanks for sharing, Andy