I crossed from Portsmouth to Caen many years ago and have no experience with the two crossings you mention. But, based on your plans (Falaise, D-Day beaches, Mont Ste. Michel) and only 3 days, Cherbourg would seem to be closer.

Starting off from London, I'd get a cheapo train ticket to Calais and hire the car there.

It's an hour from central London to getting out of Calais-Frethun railway station. 2-3 hours to Bayeux (apart from an irritating bit round the side of Rouen, it's motorway all the way).

You'll be horrified at the cost of being a foot passenger and the infrequency of sailings on the longer cross-channel routes - and from London the train to the English port will take twice as long as the train to Calais.

Different story, of course, if you're starting or finishing near the coast ("the South East" covers an immense amount of space, and a population about the size of Australia's).

And of course that's the point. Only you know where you're starting and finishing - so only you know where, in your words, is "the best point of departure". What on earth is the point of asking us?

I'd recommend travelling overnight from Portsmouth to St-Malo: have a good dinner as the ship sails out of Portsmouth, sleep through the night, and arrive in the morning in one of the most attractive ports in France.
www.brittany-ferries.com

...or go with the traffic and across at Dover; Chunnel or Ferry - very short crossings - and Drive through to Normandy, where in UK are you coming from?

Thanks Jean, GeoffHamer & khunwilko.

Upon return to the UK, we'll be staying in Kent. I have done the Dover to Calais crossing before, but thought it seemed like a much farther option to get to Normandy (as we're only going to be in France a short time, it seems like that option would cut an extra 3-4 hours into our time each way).

Thanks.

In July we will be taking a Brittany Ferrie from Portsmouth to Caen for our trip to the D-Day beaches.

http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/routes/portsmouth-caen

For a trip to Normandy I'd recommend you get a ferry to:

Le Havre
Caen
Cherbourg

All 3 are in / next to Normandy. If you go for a Dover - Calais journey, then while the crossing is quicker, there is a lot of driving. I have young kids and they soon get bored on such long hauls, so that's out for me.

Of the above I'd say LeHarve would be the cheapest, but with slightly more to drive once in France. Note it's worth checking out Honfleur which is near Le Harve.

For more info on the routes I've mentioned take a look at:

http://www.thetravelator.co.uk/ferries_from_uk.html

Also they have an article on getting the cheapest tickets.

HC

HenrysCat,
The OP will have done his/hers trip as this was for September last year.

HenrysCat: Not only is this an old, moldy thread. You registered today to top it and link an obscure website. (Advertising isn't allowed on here)

Janisj - that was my initial thought, but on studying the website, I am not so sure - it would appear that all links go directly to the individual ferry company sites, so no obvious linked advertising or similar.

It seems strange behaviour, but the poster hasn't posted on multiple threads or with an obvious agency site, so maybe they should get the benefit of the doubt. Maybe just a lurker who had used the site in the past and thought it might help.

maybe so willit. But, just because a site does what it says - doesn't mean it isn't 'obscure' or an advert. Maybe 80-90% of the time a newbie registers to dredge up an old thread they are connected to the linked website.

I'm a very big fan of the "long" channel crossings from Portsmouth and Poole to Ouistreham(Caen), Cherbourg or St.Malo.
However, the trouble with the long crossings is that they're all, well, long. You're talking anything from 5 to 8 hours for all of them. And if you're sharing the ferry with a couple of school parties of English 12 year olds each of those hours can rapidly take on the agonising pain of days.
True, there is a "Condor" super-fast service which runs Caen-Portsmouth which only takes 2hrs 20mins but I've yet to catch it. Not that I haven't been booked on it numerous times but if the channel is anything more than mill-pond flat it'll be cancelled. At the first sign of the crest of a wave they're re-booking you onto a standard service.

And a seven hour crossing is effectively the entirety of your day - what with the embarkation queueing and travel to and from the ferry ports. Can you afford to take such a huge chunk out of your holiday? Twice?

GeoffHammer is absolutely right - the nil plus ultra way of doing this is the overnight from Portsmouth to St.Malo. Eat in Poertsmouth before embarkation, a few cocktails whilst the ferry glides out through Portsmouth Royal Naval Base and into the Solent passing The Isle Of White and retire to your cabin.
You wake at 6 a.m refreshed and ready for the new day and watch whilst the ferry intricately weaves through the rocky islets on its final approach St.Malo before it executes an inch perfect pirrouette to dock in the ferry-terminal. Voilá!

I would also recommend that if you can stump up for it to pay the extra and book a Commodore class cabin. They're large, well appointed and comfortable. Even better they're behind a private entrance keeping any errant schoolchildren and the general hoi-polloi at arms length - reassuringly quiet if you're travelling on a busy night.

I've done this journey, as you might guess, on numerous occasions and I thoroughly enjoy it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Go for it!

Dr D.

Damn it! - Just realised this is a moribund thread. Oh well I suppose someone might be wanting a review of cross-channel ferry options!

Dr D