Option 2 would be to take a train to Caen (92 for both), take train to Bayeux ($22 for both) to off luggage at the hotel, then back on the train to Caen ($22) to catch the museum in the afternoon. Train schedules seem to indicate we probably wouldn't get back to Caen until at least 1:30 in the afternoon, museum closes at 7. Take train back to Bayuex for the night ($22). Leave bags at hotel after checkout, tour full day with Overlord. After the tour get bags from hotel, get train to Caen ($22) then tram? to the port? Total cost maybe $200. Takes a ton more time back and forth. Can we take taxi's for all of this? Would we spend more than the $250 for the car? Personal driver? One option we did consider was getting a car in Paris to save the ($92) but there is a $90 fee to return car in Caen. Figured the train would we faster and not as stressful. Some posts indicated you could pay any hotel to store your bags, is that true? If so what is a reputable on in Caen, close to the train station? I have way more questions than answers! Any help would be VERY appreciated!!!
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2778 posts
Option 2 seems insane to me. Why don't you train right to Bayeux and see the museum there instead of the one at Caen? It's smaller, but a lot of people like it better than the one at Caen. I haven't been to either, so I can't say, but I don't know why you feel you have to see the museum in Caen. In Bayeux you can see the Tapestry and the British cemetary, as well as the museum, and it's a really nice town.
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
1446 posts
I was just about to say the same thing Carroll said - I haven't been to the museum in Caen, but some people think it's too expensive and not as good as the one in Bayeux. The WWII museum in Bayeux is great, plus the town of Bayeux is wonderful. I would go right there and skip Caen. We rented a car in Bayeux.
Posted by
Lansing, MI, USA
85 posts
I've taken the train between Caen and Bayeux. It's very easy, there are a couple of trains an hour, and it only takes 15 minutes. I checked the website, and it doesn't look like the museum has luggage storage. Personally, I would consider the 30 minute round trip time well spent since I would be getting rid of the luggage. I'd take the train to Bayeux, check into the hotel (the Churchill is great, by the way) and then go to the museum in the afternoon. Take either public transit (tram to city center, bus #2 to last stop check current copy of guide book to confirm this is still valid) or taxi to the museum. I've been to the museum twice, I was so impressed with it the first time. I particularly recommend the WWII and Cold War sections. There is an amazing creperie across the street from the Churchill. It is bright blue. They serve apple crepes flamed with Calvados. Best desert ever. As for the trip to the port, I would take the train to Caen and a taxi to the port. Personally, I like my travel days as easy and stress-free as possible, so I don't bother with public transit when I have luggage. My 2 cents.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
Jennifer, I've been to the fantastic DDay Museum at Bayeux, and highly recommend it! I've seen several DDay and WWII museums, and it's a very well-regarded one. It's certainly not a second-rate experience. Definitely don't miss the British WWII cemetery across the street...(check Google aerial maps for location) This way, you train directly from Paris to Bayeux, and taxi to your hotel and have a relaxed evening. Plenty of places in the center of town to choose from for dinner. Then take the train from Bayeux to Caen for your trip to the port. The sooner you purchase your train tickets, the less expensive they are... **BTW, in Sept 2009, it was possible to leave a piece of carry-on sized luggage (perhaps larger, too...) at the Caen Museum - it was mentioned in Rick Steves' guidebook, and to be safe I emailed the museum with standard carry-on bag dimensions - in both inches and millimeters - and the number of bags we would need to leave during our visit and received confirmation that it is indeed the case. We ended up not going to that museum......