Normandie travel I am told is easier with a car, but certainly can be done without one. Pick a city to base yourself in.
Don't know what's on your itinerary.
The WW II landing beaches, for example?
You can take a train from Paris to Bayeux and take a tour with Bus Fly tours which operates van tours of the Normandy Beaches out of Bayeaux. They offer(ed) two tours each day leaving at 8:30 and 1:30. The tours are scheduled for four hours. They may be able to arrange pickups at other locations or at hotels. Their vans accommodate up to 8 people. They also run tours to Mont St Michel. Tel: (from U.S.) 011-33-2-31-22-00-08 or 011-33-2-33-39-23-52
Fax: (from U.S.) 011-33-2-31-92-35-10
E mail: info@busfly.com Web site: www.busfly.com In March 2001 some of my family used Bus Fly with happy results.

You can take a tour called Normandy Tours given out of Hotel de la Gare in Bayeux - right by the train station .They give half day tours (in English). The tours are usually about 5 hours. It takes you to Omaha beach, the American Cemetary, Pointe du Hoc, and Arromanche to see the WWII Museum. Tel: 011-33-2-31-92-10-70
Recommenddation: Oct 2000 from Fodor’s Forum:
“For the D-Day beaches, take the train (or drive) to Bayeux. Normandy Tours, run by Jean-Marc Bacon, whose father runs the hotel De La Gare right across from the station, will take you all around the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, etc. in his van. His English is excellent, and he is a wealth of information about the invasion (he's been studying about it since he was a kid). There is no way to get to the beaches via train; you must drive, be driven, or bicycle. Normandy Tours telephone 31 92 10 70; fax 31 51 95 99.
About $40 pp for virtually the whole day..."

Advice from Fodors.com
Nov 2000: “My sister and I took the train from Paris. From the Caen train station, you can take either a taxi or bus (I suggest a taxi is much more straight forward) to the WW II memorial museum. There are mini-bus tours that can take you on a variety of tours, including the landing beaches and the American Cemetery. The driver/tour conductor is English speaking."
From Rick Steves’s website March 2001:
“Caen's excellent Museum of the Battle of Normandy offers guided minivan tours of the D-Day beaches. Tours include admission to the museum. Half-day tours depart at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and cover Longues-sur-Mer, Pegasus bridge, Arromanches, Courseulles, and Douvres for $50. Full-day tours ( 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) add the American and German cemeteries, St. Mere l'Eglise, and lunch, and cost roughly $75. (Contact the Caen Museum and pay in advance, tel. 02 31 06 06 44 – as in June 6, 1944."
the following has been recommended by many on this Fodor's message board:
He charges per tour plus the cost of diesel and lunch, for a whole day. The day lasts as long as necessary. He's retired from the British military and owns a 300 year old farmhouse in Bayeux where you can stay also. Contact him at: chilcott@mail.cpod.fr
Web page
http://www.vrbo.com/vrbo/352.htm
Tel: 011-33-2-31-22-39-09 (from U.S.)
Fax: 011-33-2-31-21-97-84 (from U.S.)

Or if you want to drive yourself
Fodor's forum Jan 2001: “ I sent the www. normandy-tourism. org website staff an email and
requested their literature showing the D-Day sites with different routes all mapped out. We took ourselves by car to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, following their routes. Their book, "The Battle of Normandy" is excellent - we purchased one at a museum in Bayeux. I also recommend reading Stephen Ambrose's new book, "The Victors," before you go..."

Elaine - THANKS! Your information is wonderful. Sorry about not posting our itinerary. We're planning on using Bayeaux as our center of action. We'll stay there and go on our tour of the WWII beaches from there. I was just worried that we'd miss something if we relied on mass transit. I know that the mass transit in Europe is fantastic, but I don't want to miss anything in my Normandy visit. Your own car gives you a freedom that the bus/train/taxi just can't. Thanks again for your info. I've printed it out and put it in my folder!

This sounds great, but can the same type of thing be done without a car from Arromanches? And is it dificult to get there by publiv transit?

Merci!

Keith