Travel between Paris and Normandy

you posted this in TRIP REPORTS -- you'll get more replies if you post this in the FRANCE forums.

TRIP REPORTS is where you post about the trip you've already taken.

Go to FRANCE and repost this. Go to DESTINATION Q&A and choose FRANCE

I agree with Chinalake. We have a lot of folks who've been to Normandy and will share their lodging suggestions if you post in the regular France part of the forum so they see your inquiry.

I think the answer to your first question, though, is Bayeux. Its historic center was not obliterated during the war, it has the Bayeux tapestry, an interesting cathedral and a very good invasion museum. It's also the town from which most of the small-group tours depart.

I use "All Topics" when I'm on the forum.

It is very easy to take the train from Paris Gare St. Lazare to Bayeux, which I would use as a base. We have stayed at the Hotel Churchill (2010) and the Hotel d'Argouges (2019). You can walk to either hotel from the train station - which is true for most hotels in Bayeux.

I would suggest using a guide for seeing the D-Day sites, including the American cemetery. Overlord offers a number of small-group and private tours and I highly recommend them.

http://www.hotel-churchill.fr/en/

http://www.hotel-dargouges.com/en/

https://www.overlordtour.com/

Be aware that the Bayeux tapestry is scheduled to be loaned to England in 2022 (no exact dates yet) while the Bayeux Museum is being refurbished. Even if the tapestry does not go to England the museum may be closed.

I know many people recommend Bayeux. We went several years ago and stayed at Caen.

We flew from Seattle, Washington to Paris and immediately took the train to Caen. The next morning, we went to the Caen Memorial Museum and took their minivan tour of the major WWII sites and returned in the afternoon to tour the excellent museum. https://normandy.memorial-caen.com/museum

The next day we took the train to Paris. The connections were easy, and we were happy with both the tour historical information at the sights and the museum. We stayed two nights at Hotel Des Quatrans, and it was a nice basic hotel in a handy location to restaurants and walking distance to the train station if you pack light.

Bayeux is a good base. If you don’t plan on taking a tour, you’ll probably want to rent a car. Rental options are limited in Bayeux, but more plentiful in Caen. You may want to take the train to Caen, then rent a car at the train station.

If you plan to be there around June 6, reserve well in advance and be prepared for lots of crowds.

We have stayed in Bayeux a few times for visiting the area. The Churchill Hotel is where we stayed twice, and then Hotel Reine Mathilde. It is a close tossup, but did prefer the Churchill just a tad, FWIW.

We picked up a rental car in Paris, spent a night in Honfleur, then drove on to Bayeux.
In Bayeux we stayed at the historic
Hotel Lion d’Or.

My friend and I are also thinking of taking a tour to Paris. After decent research, we chose https://www.firebirdtours.com/tours/paris-normandy

I got many recommendations to visit Bayeux from people who traveled to France. Regarding the hotel, it's going to be Villa Cambette. A perfect choice, as for me.