DJ

I am planning a trip to Normandy next year and plan on renting a car at CDG upon arrival from the US, driving to Rouen for the night and then perhaps basing out of Honfluer for 2 nights. I would like to visit Caen &amp; Bayeux (the tapestry), as well as one of the beaches (still not certain which). We would then drive to Mt. St. Michel, for the evening and ideally up to Dinard or Cancale for 1 more night and back towards Paris. We have 1 week before we have to get to Paris (perhaps 1 night on the way back to Paris). I would like to minimize the number of hotel stays in the Normady area, but I believe Rouen is worthy of the night as I think we'll want to chill out after our flight.<BR><BR>My question is, from a timing perspective, how far/how much time does it take to go from Honfleur to Bayeux? &amp; Caen. <BR><BR>Thanks.

Eye Spy

I've travelled often from Rouen to Bayeux in about 1:15 on the highway. That should do it. Rouen has a wonderful old town center closed to traffic. The cathedral is beautiful and then you can walk to the square where Joan of Arc was burned. Rouen has typical Norman houses (resembling English tudor). Caen is really not that interesting -- suffered much WWII bombing; you probably can see all you want to see in 1 day. Bayeux is lovely. Go into the cathedral and then visit the Tapestry located next to the town hall. Omaha beach is the beach I visited; the American cemetery is impressive if not very moving. You can reach it in 15 minutes from Bayeux by car, park you car in the main parking lot and walk around the grounds - very accessible. Have coffee in Arromanches. If you want, Coutances is very nice on the western part of Normandy and about 30 minutes drive from Bayeux. The cathedral there is magnificent. Saint-Lo much less so (once again, lots of bombing). Then you could travel down to Le Mont Saint-Michel via Granville (interesting fortress; to note, Christian Dior was born and raised in Granville). Many small, picturesque villages all the way down to the Mont with delicious cuisine and very friendly people. Have a great trip.

Betsy

I was in this area in July. Bayeaux is a really wonderful, small town. While I wouldn't disagree about staying in Bayeaux over Caen, I would highly recommend the Peace Museum in Caen and I would also suggest going there before touring the beaches and cemetary. The Peace Museum is so incredibly well done and provides a strong overview of the effects of WWII on this reagion. There is a powerful film that shows the D-Day invasion as preperations are being made on both sides. It also gives a powerful view of how small towns were effected by the invasion. The gallery is well designed and takes you through the history of the war from Hitler's beginnings through the aftermath of the war. We spent 4 hours at the museum and I wouldn't have thought I would have wanted that much time but I did. You can do it so that you arrive in Caen in the afternoon, overnight in Bayeaux then in the morning go to the beaches, have lunch and in the afternoon visit the tapestry. Then onto Mont St. Michelle in plenty of time for dinner and an evening view of the mont which is beautiful.This was my itinerary and I never felt rushed.

DJ

Thank you EyeSpy &amp; Betsy for sharing your experiences and perspectives on this area. I'm feeling a bit torn between 2 nights in Honfluer and splitting it with a night in Bayeux.<BR><BR>I have read much on this board regarding how wonderful folks thought Honfluer was. I must say in Honfluer's favor is that it is right on the water (this is a big plus for the hubby, being a norseman).<BR><BR>Therefore,I was wondering how practical it really was to be driving to &amp; from Caen/Honfleur &amp; Bayeux/Honfleur. Thank you again for your inputs.

kavey

I don't know about the driving, we didn't go to Bayeux, but I am a strong believer in spending at least 2 nights in a place to really let you unwind and get a feel for it.<BR>We loved our 2 nights in Honfleur in May last year.<BR>We spent the other 2 nights in an auberge near Yvetot which was just delightful.<BR>Kavey

John

On the other hand we spent two nights in Bayeux and really enjoyed that lovely little town.<BR>There you have it!!!

Gretchen

We just returned from a trip to Normandy and this was our itinerary for your consideration. Car at CDG, tried to go to Giverney on our way to Rouen for the night but it was pouring so postponed that. Rouen for the evening and part of the next day. Saw their absolutely WONDERFUL museum (the impressionist portion). Drove to Honfleur by the &quot;back road&quot; along the western edge of the Seine. Stayed one night in Honfleur (and met some folks who had been there a couple of nights--I wondered why--just my opinion). <BR>Started toward Bayeux on the coast road and then to the Pegasus Bridge and museum at Caen. On to Bayeux via the back roads (through Camembert country, Pont Leveque, etc.) where we stayed for 3 nights as a base to see the Normandy beaches. For our &quot;Normandy invasion&quot; tour we started at St. Mere Eglise and came down the coast as far as Omaha, seeing the major museums along the way. It was an excellent experience. For our &quot;other day&quot; based from Bayeux we went back to Porte en Bessin and up and down the coast there. <BR>Bayeux is a manageable little town and we had excellent food at several restaurants.<BR>We had considered using LIsieux as a &quot;base&quot; but it seemed as if Bayeux made things more accessible. The distances are just not very great.<BR>From Bayeux we drove to Chartres and back to Paris (Orly). Do NOT go on a car trip without the Michelin map for that area that shows every goat path.

Gretchen

And of course saw the wonderful tapestry and cathedral in Bayeux--it is outstanding. Bayeux is about 80 miles (think it is that and not KM) from Bayeux. The traffic from Bayeux eastward was really hard I will add.

John H

DJ,<BR><BR>We based ourselves for 3 nights in Bayeux and found it to be a wonderful location for the D-Day sights, Caen museum, Mont St Michel. En route from Paris to Bayeux, we stopped in Rouen.<BR><BR>We did not spend any time in Honfleur or Deauville. That might be worth a separate night or two. But, being in Bayeux was perfect for the other sights.<BR><BR>John H.

Mawry

We also saw the Tapestry and perhaps I'm only one but it wasn't my thing. Well, it is well preservd, shows a part of history. That's all. And the tape we rented runs with such speed that it takes about 10 minutes to see a whole thing.You can't stop this darn thing and contemplate. And when we tried to go back to the front we were asked to move on with a traffic.

lynn

We just returned from a stay in Normandy, where we did something a little different. Instead of having Caen or Bayeux as our base, we stayed out in the country at a Gites de France property (a B&amp;B). The closest town was Cahagnes; Villers Bocage was about 6 miles away. <BR><BR> The location was convenient to Bayeux, the WWII beaches and other towns. We enjoyed the quiet, the cows, the friendly folks. (Our host was a retired business exec. from Paris who spoke excellent English). We still managed to visit the tapestry, Arromanches, Omaha and Utah beaches, Caen, Ste. Mere Eglise, etc. Check out the website for these lovely rural B&amp;Bs throughout France: http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm

Andrew

I agree with Mawry about the tapestry - I was a little underwhelmed. It would make a great highlight of a larger museum, but it didn't seem worthy of its own museum or even a special trip, unless you have a particular interest in it.<BR><BR>I took the train from Paris to Caen, rented a car there, then stayed two nights in Bayeux and one in Caen. This worked out well for me. I much preferred Caen - it may have been &quot;bombed out&quot; but it still has two Abbeys, and it is a lively town (a college town) with its own horse track. I wish I'd stayed longer in Caen. Bayeux seemed like one of those quaint tourist traps that is empty after the locals go home. Good luck getting a meal in Bayeux after 21:30.<BR><BR>Le Memorial (what Betsy called the Peace Museum I think) is indeed a terrific museum in Caen. Don't shortchange yourself for time there. There's even a little piece of the World Trade Center there in a little 9/11 commermoration.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR>

lynn

Andrew mentioned renting a car in Caen. With several rental agencies right across from the Caen train station, it's simple and convenient to rent the car there, rather than doing it in Paris and dealing with the traffic there. <BR><BR>Also, for anyone flying into Caen (say, from London), there's a bus that takes you from the airport to the center of town for only 1 Euro - very convenient and comfortable!

DJ

Thank you everyone for such great input. Yesterday I bought my Michelin Map, it is the Yellow Map. Gretchen, is this the detailed map you meant?<BR>

DJ

What is open on a Sunday in Bayeux or Honfleur or Caen. This will impact were I'll be staying on Sunday. Thanks.

Gretchen

In my prior post I meant to say Bayeux is about 80 miles from Mont St. Michel.<BR>The Michelin map is the one of Normandy--has some sort of exact number and covers from Rouen to MSM. We considered renting outside of CDG but by the time you factor in a train ride to X or pickup one place and drop off another, the airport rental and return was VERY reasonable. We had little trouble getting out of CDG heading toward Rouen as the airport is on the NE edge of Paris.<BR>Bayeux has some excellent restaurants also.<BR>We enjoyed the tapestry--you spend a LOT of time with a reproduction that explains what is being depicted. I found it very interesting and the sheer thought that this cloth has survived the history it has was impressive.<BR>The Bayeux cathedral is VERY interesting.<BR>And speaking of traffic, Caen is no day at the beach!!<BR>And don't forget the many abbeys along the back roads of Normandy--the &quot;back&quot; road from Rouen to Honfleur is called the &quot;Abbey Road&quot; and was just terrific.

Maira

I have posted repeteadly on the towns of Deauville and Treauville. Divine coastal resorts towns in the Normandy Region. Deauville (Coco Chanel's hometown and where she had her first clothing store) is more expensive than Treauville, but they are both charming towns. We stayed in Treauville and every Sunday morning, starting on May, there is the most amazing flea market by the casino. My husband had to dragged me out. Your trip sounds fabulous, but don't pick a beach, just allow yourself to drive down the coast. If well planned you can see most of the D-Day beaches without having to shortchange yourself.

DJ

Thanks Maira, I thought I remembered that Trouville had a large market on Sundays but I wasn't sure. Can you tell me what the hours are. I'm making note of this on the itinerary. My den &amp; living room have maps taped up with flags on each area we'll be stopping. <BR><BR>The Sunday issue of what is open will have significant bearing on where we end up staying that evening.