Maybe!

There are (I think) two ways you could feasibly do this. Firstly, you could take the ferry from Portsmouth overnight - the best option is probably Brittany Ferries to Caen which actually docks in Ouistreham, one of the D-Day beaches. That would give you a whole day there and you could take the return ferry back that night - you could even include some time in Portsmouth too.

Alternatively, one of the budget airlines (either Ryanair or Buzz) flies from London Stansted to Dinard, and you could hire a car there.

As an alternative, you could take Eurostar from London to Calais and hire a car there to visit some of the WW1 sites - I think there are US WW2 cemeteries around there too.

pulling out my trusty "Time Out European Breaks by Budget Airlines" which never is far from my desk...

I think your easiest (although perhaps not cheapest, at this late date) bet would be buzz airlines, as Keith mentioned.

leaves from Stansted, the flight is one hour. It goes into Caen-Carpiquet airport. (which has some WWII significane itself...)

I checked for you, using June 2 as a test..

well. deflated in midtest. it looks like you have limited choices. you may leave around 11ish AM (helpful as far as GETTING to Stansted without leaving the day before) but they come back mid afternoon. which makes it a necessity to stay overnight. figure 120-160 GBP per person (it's a rather late date)

ok. here is what you do. contact Col. Chilcott in Bayeux. If he cannot put you up, he will help you find someone in Bayeux who can. I don't have his contact details in my lap, but he is all over this board (many posts by me as a matter of fact). I HOPE you could stay with him, what a treat that would be.

or you could stay right in Caen. keep in mind the best time to visit the beaches is near dawn, IMHO.

Near Caen you also have Pegasus Bridge and a little up the road from that, the Merville Battery. I urge you to try to fit this in, if you have time.

lastly.. a tiny car from Kemwel will set you back about 100 bucks. www.kemwel.com

so far doing it this way is 500-600 bucks, plus lodging, for the two of you. BUT, it would be the easiest by far.

ES to Calais would not be too bad, but, a long drive to Omaha Beach.

email me if you need additional help. I think I have the bases covered?

beth

Thanks Keith and Beth.
Beth, I'd like to nominate your post for the Best of the Year. Very, very informative. Your post had more info in it than if I had spent weeks researching the issue.
I realized this was last minute and I figured someone on here could help point me in the right direction. Once again, the friendly posters of Fodors have come through.
Thanks, gang.

David, that's great. Glad I was so much help! btw, if you want these prices, I would try to get the reservations for it all done ASAP. I only guessed on Sat-Sun the 1-2. If you can do it Sunday-Monday the 2-3, it would be the cheaper end of the range. I would not try to come back to London the day you fly home. also, bear in mind it would be easier on you to leave your stuff at your hotel in London - which means you would pay for lodging at two places one night (but how much do you need to lug for an overnight visit).

Col. Chilcott is really reasonable price-wise. and, he is a retired colonel and historian extraordinaire. I think (memory) that his email is chilcott@cpod.fr but check to be sure.

beth

Thanks David!

Beth - good to see you back!

to the top

David,
Don't forget that your last week includes the anniversary of D-Day. You may have a problem or two with crowds and reservations. I would try to do it early in your first week! I just returned last week and spent five days in Normandy, and barely scratched the surface. Try the overnight thing. Also, there is a hovercraft that goes to Cherbourg,which makes a short trip of the Channel, but you have to buy your tickets there. I think you catch it at Portsmouth. Then a car in Cherbourg and your on your way! Have a great trip!

The fast ferry from Portsmouth mentioned by the previous poster is run by P&O ferries, www.poportsmouth.co.uk. and takes two and three quarter hours from Portsmouth to Cherborg. Check the web site for bookings and timetable, first ferry in the morning goes at 7.00am.

We stayed with Col Chilcott and his wife last July and highly recommend him. The accomodations were fine, breakfast with the colonel and his wife delightful and the battlefield tour unforgettable. Be sure to take along video camera if you have one to catch his commentary as well as the video. Here is his email address:

chilcott@mail.cpod.fr

If you get to stay with him give him regards from the Brownings in New Orleans.

If you drive a Hertz rental car it is certainly possible.......We stayed in Canterbury (but could probably do from London) the night before, drove the car onto the Chunnel train(at Folkstone), 25 min later drove off in Calais, drove a mile or so in flat open country to the Hertz office and traded
for a left hand drive car and took off for Normandy. Stayed at Honfleur and I believe saw the cemetary the following day. (I guess you could take the chunnel train from London to Calais, France....then rent a car to drive down the Normandy coast.

David, did you do this, and how did it work out? am thinking of doing the same thing on my trip next month.

This for Beth -
Hoping I don't sound too out of it, but please explain Pegasus Bridge and Merville battery?

We will be in Normandy Sept 20-24, staying in Arromanches at the Hotel de La Marine and hope to see all we can. I am told we will not have enough time to get to Mont St Michele. Do you concur?

Dorothy - Pegasus Bridge - famous bridge the Allies held on June 5-6 - part of the D-Day saga. There are various monuments scattered about this area, where the Allied gliders came in for a landing - talk about balls, as if jumping surreptitiously wasn't enough, these brave folks glided in, in complete darkness - talk about a target, not to mention how do you figure out your landing target! If you've seen Saving Private Ryan, there is a glider scene (the after effects - already landed) for a point of reference.

The Merville battery was a small German battery, now it is a little "home-grown" museum. there are uniforms, tons of letters under glass (absolutely heart rending) as well as various hand written stories - equally heart rending. There is an example of the silk scarf/map of France which was issued to each Allied soldier - very inventive I think.

There are various 'editorial cartoons' as well as newspaper clippings, and a huge diorama of the whole of the D-Day theater which I thought was particularly cool as there were mapped out lights to push - if you wanted to know where Mere St. Eglise was, for example - push the button, it lights up (I am SOOO easily amused it isn't funny).

Many other things too numerous to mention, I am just giving you the ones at the top of my mind - it's been three years since I visited this part of France...

I highly recommend you read Cornelius Ryan "The Longest Day" and Stephen Ambrose "D-Day" prior to going.