Paris to Caen/Bayeux

Rail Europe is not a railroad. It is a travel agency consortium owned by several national rail companies. Trains from Paris (Gare Saint-Lazare) to either Caen or Bayeux are operated by SNCF (French National Rail). You've waited too long to get discount fares. The standard 2nd class fare to Bayeux and return is €38.20 each way. All-day tours of the beaches leave Bayeux before the first morning train arrives so you would have to book an afternoon tour. A good choice would be Overlordtour. The tour ends at 18:00, in time for you to catch the 18:33 direct train to Paris that arrives at 20:46. If you take the first train in the morning, you would have time to see the Bayeux Tapestry and the Bayeux war museum before your tour in the afternoon. The first train departs at 07:07 and arrives at 09:29 (one connection in Caen). The second train departs at 08:45 and arrives at 11:22 (one connection in Caen). Or book a package bus tour from Paris to the beaches and return. See this page on the Pariscityvision site.

Thanks Tim for your prompt repsonse. I did have a couple more questions: We are trying to keep costs down for the kids on this side trip. Is Bayeux the right city to start from if we want to see D-Day historical sites and are the sites close enough if we wanted to tour ourselves around? I had read you might need a bus from Bayeux to get to some sites. If that is the case, would you have an approximate cost? Thank you. Jim

Most tours leave from Bayeux, but either Bayeux or Caen would be a good starting point. I realize that the options I gave you are pricey, especially for students. The primary benefit is that you will have an informed guide to give you a history lesson and to show you the best spots. The D-Day beaches cover a 50-mile stretch along the coast. There is limited public bus service in the area so you wouldn't see much more than the best known sights (like the US cemetery at Omaha Beach). I can't check the timetables right now because the bus company site is down, but I think you'd have a long wait between buses. If you want to see the beaches on your own, the best use of your time and money would be to rent as many vehicles as you need in Paris and spend the day on the road.

Jim, A day trip to Normandy is not "ideal" due to the travel times involved and other factors. For a start, you'll have to allow time to get from whichever area of Paris you're staying to Gare St. Lazare via Metro or RER, which will take some time, and there will also be waiting time for train departures. The options that Tim mentioned are your best bet..... > Early train to Bayeux > Tour the Bayeux Tapestry and / or WW-II Museum > Take an Overlord afternoon tour (with a number of people, I would call them to ensure they can accommodate your group and reserve space - for URGENT requests, send an E-mail to [email protected]). It may not be the cheapest solution (recognizing that your students may have a "limited budget"), but it's a realistic one. AFAIK, there is no regular Bus service to the various historic sites. Where service may be available, the timing may not be conducive to the limits that you'll have on a day trip. As mentioned, the D-Day sites extend along about a 50 mile front and extend some distance inland, so that's a huge area to cover, which will take more than a day trip. A half-day tour covering some of the main sites is about all you'll have time for. Good luck and happy travels!