Travel from London to Bayeux to Paris and back to London

It sounds like it will mean a lot to you to honor your father's memory by visiting the D-Day beaches. I haven't been to Normandy yet, but I've studied how to get there when I am able to do so. 1. Take a Southwest train from London to Portsmouth. If you book well in advance at megatrain.com, you can get a discount fare as low as £1.00. (The offer is not good for all departure times.) Take a Brittany Ferries ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham (the ferry port for Caen). The overnight ferry would be my choice. Except for the ferry that arrives in the evening, there is shuttle bus service from the port to Caen. Take a train from Caen to Bayeux. OR 2. Take the Eurostar from St Pancras International to Gare du Nord in Paris. Normally you can take a train from Gare Saint-Lazare to Bayeux in around two hours. However, major work on the tracks is scheduled to begin in mid-July and may still be going on in September. If it is, you'll have to get to Bayeux by a roundabout route that will take 5-6 hours. Take the train from Bayeux to Paris. If you haven't already bought your plane tickets, consider booking open jaw (multi-city) tickets: home-London and Paris-home. Those tickets are often nearly the same price as roundtrip tickets and you'll save yourselves the time and expense of returning to London. If you do fly out of Heathrow, it would be wise to take the Eurostar to London the day before you leave and spend a final night in London. Book your Eurostar tickets ASAP (up to 120 days allowed) at eurostar.com. The longer you wait, the higher the fare. Eurostar trains occasionally sell out and last-minute tickets are pricey.

Good advice from Tim. Your first challenge is going "directly" to Bayeux, which isn't possible. Everything requires connections. The nearest substantial airport is Caen. From London, Air France flies with a connection in Paris. KLM requires two connections for the trip. I couldn't locate a no-frills airline but there may be one. You can stay in Caen and commute to Bayeux if you are picking up a tour or set out on your own by car. The channel ferry will take up more time than you can spare.
I'd choose the train, despite the nuisance change of train station in Paris. It won't be too much slower than flying, when the chore of getting to the airport and through security is factored in. It could be cheaper if the ticket is purchased well in advance. And it certainly would be more comfortable, especially if you can get a ticket to Bayeux.

Tom, Tim provided an excellent summary of your choices. In the same situation, Option 2 is the one I'd choose even though it may be more "problematic" with the rail work. You'll probably have to allow the better part of a day for that trip. You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website for lots of good information on booking the EuroStar. Unfortunately, flying into Caen (Carpiquet) Airport is not a viable option. I've looked at that before and the flight options have been very limited and very expensive. The airport was one of the objectives of the Canadian divisions during WW-II. Two additional questions. First, are you planning to take any of the excellent D-Day tours while in that area? That's often the most efficient method to get around, and it's usually possible to arrange custom tours if there are particular sites you want to see. If you need suggestions on tours, post another note. If you decide on a tour, it's a really good idea to book well in advance. Also, are you definitely "set" on staying only in a B&B or would you consider a small Hotel? You might have a look at This Hotel to see whether it might work for you. If you haven't yet purchased your air tickets, I definitely agree that it would be a good idea to use "open jaw" flights, into London and home from Paris. Regarding "reasonable accommodations while in Paris", could you provide some idea on your criteria. Good luck with your planning!

We've done it both ways--ferry and Eurostar. Do the Eurostar because of your time limit. Buy the Eurostar tickets at 120 days prior to travel to get first and cheapest choice. I'd allow 4-5 hours after arrival at Heathrow to get to St. Pancras, departure station for the Eurostar. We took the Heathrow Express then a taxi to St. Pancras, rather than fight the tube with luggage. We just did that 2 weeks ago and had an hour or two to kill at St. Pancras. We were only going to Paris so took a late train arriving in Paris around 7PM, probably too late for your plans. You will likely need to spend a night either in London or Paris. I'd suggest Paris close to the train station St. Lazare I think. Stay in Bayeux and avail yourself of one of the guided tours of the D Day beaches, a wonderful experience. If you could expand your time in Normandy I can help you with a great B&B near Bayeux and how to fetch a rental car at Caen to heighten your experience at and around the beaches and various memorials. Trust me, you will wish you had 4 days at least around the beaches, museums in Normandy, and Bayeux plus your own car as well. Send me a PM too about Paris hotels.

If you are willing to travel overnight on the ferry (as I suggested in my first post), then you don't waste time, you have more daylight hours for sightseeing, and you save the cost of a night in a hotel. However, I agree that taking a daytime ferry isn't a good use of your time.