I am traveling alone. I am arriving in Paris on Sunday in the early afternoon. I would like to catch a flight out of Paris on Thursday in the morning.
I would like to see the Musée d'Orsay, Caen Peace Museum and take a tour of the D-Day beaches. I am open to renting a car if this would be best otherwise I was planning on taking trains.
What would be the best way to do this, where to sleep, etc..?
Thanks for the help.
Tom
I have not been to Caen so unable to advise on that leg of the trip.
Battle Bus offers excellent tours and in my opinion that is the best was to see the D-Day sites.
Also, in my opinion, it is best to travel by train from Paris to Bayeaux....spend the night and take an all day tour the 2nd day....spend the night and take the train back to Paris.
We stayed here:
As I see it, Tom, you have 3 whole days + your jet lag afternoon to spend between Paris and the Normandy region....talk about a whirlwind, WOW!
With another couple we took it a bit slower this year: 5 nights in Paris then 3 nights in Bayeux so that we could take a Battlebus tour and spend time in Bayeux (Saturday market, Tapistry etc). We didn't make it over to Caen this time but had a fantastic time (absolutely outstanding!) on the Battlebus Tour with Jules that I think was even more worthwhile.
Tom,
That's a VERY short time to see the places on your list, but with careful planning it should be possible. I'd probably structure the trip somewhat along these lines:
Sunday: arrive CDG, use Air France Bus or RER to travel into the city.
Monday: Tour Museee d'Orsay (and other sites you're interested in). Monday afternoon take train to Bayeux (departs from Gare St. Lazare). I'd take a Taxi from the station to your Hotel. If you have time when you arrive, see the Bayeux Tapestry.
Tuesday: Take BattleBus Tour of Normandy beaches (perhaps the American Highlights tour). While you can rent a Car and go there on your own, it won't be anywhere near as efficient as you'll be in "unfamiliar territory". Also, the BB Guides have an enormous amount of information on the landings and the tour will provide a much more rewarding and interesting experience. It will take a full day and I'd highly advise pre-booking as they're very popular. You MUST stay in Bayeux to take one of these tours! After the tour, explore Bayeux in the evening.
Wednesday: Take the train to Caen and tour the Museum (it's one of the BEST!). Allow at least 3 hours. Late afternoon, take the train back to Paris (I would pre-book accommodations in Paris). From Gare St. Lazare, take the Metro back to your Hotel. When you check into your Hotel, ask them about reserving a Shuttle to the airport or take the RER if you prefer.
Thursday: travel to whichever airport you're departing from to continue your journey.
Keep in mind you're probably going to be affected by jet lag for a few days, so to make this work you'll need to "push yourself" a bit.
Good luck and happy travels!
I agree with the others that a full-day tour of the Normandy beaches is best. However, you cannot do a Battlebus tour and visit the Caen Museum on the same day. Battlebus only offers all-day tours. The tours end in Bayeux at 17:30 and the Caen Museum closes at 19:00. With your limited time, you may need to settle for a morning visit to the Caen Museum and an afternoon tour of the beaches. Since the Musee d'Orsay is closed on Mondays, that would be a good day to do this.
After you arrive in Paris, you could take a train to Caen or Bayeux and spend the night. Or you could take a train to Caen on Monday morning. The first train to Caen leaves Paris at 06:45 and arrives at Caen at 08:51. The Caen Museum opens at 09:00. The last train leaves Caen at 20:24 and arrives in Paris at 22:16.
You can buy a Day Pass on the museum's Web site which gives you admission to the museum plus reserves your seat on a specific date for an afternoon tour of the beaches. Admission plus an afternoon tour costs €75. See here.
Visit the Musee d'Orsay on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Since the Musee du Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, the Musee d'Orsay may be more crowded that day than on a Wednesday.
Thanks everyone for the travel tips and advice.
I definitely would like to take a full-day tour of the Normandy beaches with BattleBus Tours but I just found out they will be closed for holidays the week I will be there starting 8/15. As an alternative, I was planning on taking the Overlord Tours as I have read some favorable reviews for them also. I will spend that night in Bayeux and on my way back to Paris stop in Caen and see the Peace Museum.
Thanks again.
Tom
Like the Battlebus tours, the full-day Overlord Tours begin before the first train arrives from Paris. If you wish to take an all-day tour and then visit the Caen Museum the next morning, you will need to spend two nights in Bayeux, the night before the tour and the night after the tour.
Or you could take a train to Caen Monday morning, visit the Caen Museum, take a train to Bayeux, take the afternoon Overlord Tour, and take a train back to Paris--all in one day.
Alternatively, you could take a morning train to Bayeux, see the Bayeux Tapestry, take the afternoon Overlord Tour, spend the night in Bayeux, take a train to Caen in the morning, visit the Caen Museum, and then take a train to Paris.
Tom,
The Itinerary I suggested allows a full day for a tour (either BattleBus, Overlord or others) as well as time to see the Museum in Caen on the following day.
If you get time on arrival day, you could see the Tapestry or take an hour in the morning before heading for Caen and then back to Paris.
Cheers!
