Anyone have any suggestions on visiting Normandy, France? We will be visiting Paris and was wondering if it was best to make it a day trip or to take the train and spend the night at Normandy. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Powell River, Canada
359 posts
Depends what you want to see but it's a bit of a hike from Paris and I'd be doing an overnighter. My preference to sleep is Caen for a bunch of reasons not the least of which is easy train from Paris, easy city to navigate, and a great spot to rent a car which will be the only way to 'do' Normandy in a couple of days. The D-Day beaches for example are only feasible with either a guide/tour or a rental car (my preference).
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Visiting a single destination as a day trip is feasible, but otherwise, you'll need to spend more time, and probably rent a car. Normandy is comparable in size to the state of Delaware.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
61 posts
I vote for spend the night. Once you get there, you will want to see more than you can do by going out and back in one day. I highly recommend La Marine hotel in Arromanches (in Rick's book too). Close to Bayeaux and I think the train goes there.
I would also HIGHLY recommend Overload Tours with guide Alain Chesnal. There is a lot written about them on this site in the forums. You see so much in a very short time.
Don't miss the American Cemetery- very moving.
The memorial in Caen is good, (expensive) and you could spend a whole day there. I didn't enjoy it as much as many people on this board, however, I think I was in WWII overload because we had seen so many other WWII sites on our trip.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Not a good day-trip from Paris. A close reading of Geoff's post will be helpful, also the other posts.