My family (4 teenagers) will be taking the train from Paris to Bayeux for a day tour of Normandy. Our tour will be from 9:30 am-2:00 pm. We are planning to use the afternoon to have lunch, see the Cathedral, tapestry and explore the town. My question is: should I book the 6:41pm or 8:07 pm train back to Paris? I want to have enough time to explore Bayeux, but don't want to run out of things to do and have to wait for the 8:00 train. We will be going April 11th. I was told that many of the resturants close from 2-7pm. If anyone has spent the late afternoon/evening in Bayeux and then taken the train back to Paris I would love your recommendations. I would like to purchase my train tickets in advance so I know I have them. Thank,
Lisa
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
The first train from Paris to Bayeux (requires a connection in Caen) departs at 07:07. You'll arrive in Bayeux at 09:27. I hope the tour group will wait for you. If you book today at tgv-europe.com, you can get a discount fare of €21.20. Both the 18:41 and 20:07 trains go directly from Bayeux to Paris. If you book now, you can get a discount fare of €15.00 for either train. Discount fare tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable so be sure you can commit to a specific departure date and time. To keep the tgv-europe site in English and to avoid being bumped to the Rail Europe site which doesn't offer discount fares, say that you live in Great Britain and that your ticket retrieval country will be Great Britain. Don't worry. You'll either be able to print your own tickets or pick them up at any SNCF station in France.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32327 posts
Lisa, Given the information that Tim provided, I doubt that you'll be able to make the tour. Keep in mind that you'll need to get from the rail station to the tour starting point, which will probably take at least 10-minutes. You'll likely have one change in Caen, so if the train is late the situation will be worse. Under the circumstances, you might consider staying in Bayeux for the night prior to the tour. I'd suggest taking the 20:07 train back to Paris, as that will provide some time to explore and also have dinner. I've found that while many restaurants do close from 14:00-19:00, there are usually some places open where you can obtain a more "basic" meal. Happy travels!
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
811 posts
the town is pretty small so it doesn't take too much time. most people use it as base to visit the beach but if you don't go to the beach it'll only take a couple of hrs see it all. if you have a big family consider renting a car - it'll probably work out cheaper than train and you have more flexibility.
Posted by
Grand Rapids
12 posts
We will be doing this in June and found that many of the tour operators meet the train and know if it is running late-then they wait for the train. Email your guide or tour operator.