P50

there will be 5 of us training from Paris into Caen, Normandy. We have 6 full days

Will base In Caen,, renting a car that is big enuf for us 5, visiting Omaha Beach, Deauville and Honfluer.

Can that be done in 3 full days?

We will then go to Brittany, based in Dinan, visiting Mt. St. Michel, St. Malo, Cancale.

Can that be done in 3 full days?

Can we drop off car in Dinan and take a train to Paris or we have to return car in Caen and take train from Caen to Paris?

Thanks all
P50

StCirq

First off, I wouldn't recommend making Caen your base. It was bombed to smithereens in WWII and is an ugly, half-modern city. Base in Bayeux, which largely escaped damage.

Sure you can visit those three places, but it would be a real shame to visit only Omaha Beach out of all the DDay sites. It's just a beach. There are plenty of more interesting DDay sites to see, including the cemeteries, the museums in Caen and Arromanches, and Ste-Mère Eglise and Pointe du Hoc.

Deauville is just a beach resort, though a lovely one. Honfleur is a gorgeous, if over-touristed, town, but well worth a visit. You need to decide if, with only three days, your focus is DDay stuff or just seeing Normandy.

Yes, you can see le MSM, St.Malo, and Cancale in 3 days (plus lots more if you want to).

You can drop your car off anywhere in France without incurring any extra fees if you rent from AutoEurope.

Frankly, I'd spend an extra day in Normandy and then the remainder in Brittany, since the places there are so few that you want to visit.

HappyTrvlr

As St. cirq said, do not base on Xaen. Visit the museum there, and then drive to Bayeux.

HappyTrvlr

Drive from Paris, visit Honfleur, go to museum in Caen and stay in Bayeux. Look at Hotel Lion d'Or in Bayeux.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Hi P50,

I remember you asked a question on my trip report thread and I've got some suggestions for things you can do in that area. I just answered a question about places you can see and visit in Normandy and with 6 days to split between Normandy and Brittany you can't see them all but maybe you'll get some ideas. You've already read my report about the area near Dinan so you know about that area. I'll give you a link to the thread about Normandy so you can look through it:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-giverny.cfm

P50

Thank you all for your comments. I guess, Caen won't be my base after all. And good to know there's no drop off charge with AutoEurope. Thanks for the heads up.

I now need to re-think where I should base out of.

P50

StCirq

You should, as recommended, base out of Bayeux.

cigalechanta

pointe dr Raz is e






A breath taking stop for me, was the Ponte fr Raz

cigalechanta

Sorry, I hit before I could correct my arthritic post.
PONTE DE RAZ

FrenchMystiqueTours

You might consider getting an early train from Paris to Deauville and renting a car there. I'm not a car rental expert but I think you can rent them there but I don't know that you have as wide a choice as you would in Caen. If you get your car here you can visit Deauville and Honfleur and then head to Bayeux to overnight. Do your D-Day stuff the next day and if you haven't had your fill here then spend another night in Bayeux. Make your next base Dinan as it is central to exploring this area, as you saw in my report.

cigalechanta

OMG, still didn't get it right POINTE de Raz

Aleta

Do not miss the museum on WW2 in Caen, especially before going to Normandy itself. There is a great article in NY Times travel with good suggestions for the area. Taking the train from Paris to Deauville is easy,but if you are driving, you should stop in Giverny and see Monet's gardens.
In Arromanches (spelling?), you can see the guns the Germans used at the hilltops to shoot at the Allied Forces on the beaches below. The cementery in Normandy is a memorable experience. I've been to over 50 countries and Normandy is one of the memorable places on my list.