I would use Bayeux as a base, at least for the first few days. It's the central point of history about D-Day for Americans, an an interesting town.

We have stayed twice at the Hotel Churchill in Bayeux on our visits to the D-Day sites. We drove ourselves but the hotel lists possible tours including private ones on their website: http://hotel-churchill.fr/en.php
We took the train from Paris to Caen where we had booked a car from one of several agencies across from the train station.

On one trip we spent one night in Paris at the Hotel New Orient then left by train the next morning from the nearby Gare St. Lazare to Caen.

I hope you have a wonderful trip with your father.

Irishface--my dad was stationed at Chelveston with the 305th Bomb Group as a tail gunner. How I envy you your trip with your father.

We took a similar trip (albeit not with an 88 year old) in March of 2011. I'd recommend landing in Paris, heading to Paris and taking a train to Caen. Car rentals are across the street from the Gare in Caen. It's about a 20 minute drive to Bayeux from there.

Here's a link to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-london.cfm

Good luck and enjoy!

Once again, many thanks for all your suggestions. I believe we will take your advice and head to Normandy upon arriving, saving Paris for the last two nights of our trip. Will definitely take a guided tour at least one day at the D-Day beaches. After I have digested everyone's tips, I probably will have a question or two more! Merci!!!!

Please thank your Dad for his service.

For the past thirty years I have absolutely hated going to France whenever my wife's school groups had to pass through Paris. I never understood the love everyone has for the place. But this year for my 60th b-day my family took me to Normandy to see the D-Day beaches and all the historic stuff I could fit into our two week trip. I LOVE NORMANDY! Up until know I have been an ardent Germaniac, but this corner of France just might be as beloved by myself as Upper Bavaria.

Fabulous sights, decent weather even in the winter (lots of rain but no snow or temps below 40 F), great food (especially stinky cheeses), well-maintained roads with surprisingly good polite drivers, decent shopping and some of the nicest people I've ever met in Europe.

I can't begin to express how moved I was by all the D-Day sites. My recommendation is to read as much as you can in advance and watch as many WWII movies as possible. I'm currently reading the literature I picked up on our visit and there is soooo much we missed. In an effort to vicariously experience the places we skipped, I bought the book "Stand Where They Fought" online. It's a tourguide dedicated solely to the two US beachheads. It goes into great detail explaining what happened and what is still visible in Upper Normandy. Using Google Earth Streetview I can pretend I'm driving past some of the bunkers, pillboxes and artillery batteries we missed.

Rent at CDG, not Caen. You would have to go INTO Paris for teh train to Caen.