5 days in Normandy (sans car)
 

Hello,

This is very last minute but I've decided to couple my trip to Prague with 5 days in Normandy, next month. I'm planning to see Rouen, Giverny, Mont St Michel, Bayeux, D Day Beaches, and Honfleur.

Since I won't be driving, do you think I should do them as trips from Paris or should I base myself if Bayeux?

I'm thinking of the following itinerary:
Arrive in Paris.
1-Daytrip to Giverny. Sleep in Paris
2-Daytrip to Rouen. Sleep in Paris
3-Train to Bayeux. Sleep in Bayeux
4-D-day tour. Sleep in Bayeux
5-Day trip to Mont St Michel. Sleep in Bayeux
6-Daytrip to Honfleur or Dinan (feasible from Bayeux)?
7-Go back to Paris.

Why return to Paris after you head to Rouen? Makes more sense to just stay there, then take the train to Bayeux. Honfleur can easily be visited from Bayeux; so need to move hotels. Keep changes to a minimum to avoid wasting valuable time

Thanks for the tip, Underhill. I thought Bayeux was not easily reachable by train from Rouen.

I found out there's a train between Rouen and Giverny. So perhaps I'm better off basing myself in Rouen for two nights, and then 2 nights in Bayeux.

Dinan is in Brittany, near Saint Malo, Dinard, Rennes... From Bayeux, it is a too long drive to go to Dinan over the day, it is better to visit Honfleur (or at least combine Mont St Michel and Dinan over one day).

We stayed in Rouen for 3 days last month and took the train to Giverny on Friday June 23. When you arrive at the train station in Vernon take a taxi to Giverny as the shuttle buses are timed to meet the trains from Paris.

We stayed at the Hotel de Bourgtheroulde in Rouen which is a Marriott property. We chose it for the air conditioning and were we ever glad as it was very hot that week. Very comfortable hotel.

Bayeux is a very good base to visit Normandy with a car, perhaps others can help you sort out public transport in the area. From Rouen you need a combination train and bus to reach Honfleur and I think from Bayeux it's a long bus ride.

5-Day trip to Mont St Michel. Sleep in Bayeux
6-Daytrip to Honfleur or Dinan (feasible from Bayeux)?
7-Go back to Paris.>

day trip by train to MSM is rather long due to really slow secondary rail line to Pontorson then six-miles by bus or taxi to the Mont.

I'd stay at MSM where there is a gaggle of hotels right on the mainland smack opposite the causeway to the Mont. Great views at night and visiting the island at night is great too -they often had some kind of sound and light show in the basilica at night too.

We enjoyed the nidght experience as much or more as the much more mobbed day time scene.

MSM is really close to Dinan which has trains back to Paris via Rennes.

I might reverse the order -TGV to Rennes - buses that meet morning TGV trains right to the Mont. Do Dinan as a day trip from Mont hotel.

Train to Bayeux.

Return to Paris via Rouen and Giverny- basing in Rouen which is of course a short train ride from Rouen.

All those trains are regional trains that do not demand or even at times offer seat reservations -just buy as you go. TGV to Rennes however book early at www.voyages-sncf.com for nifty discounts. For lots on French trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Cheers!

Bayeux is a very good base to visit Normandy with a car, perhaps others can help you sort out public transport in the area.>

Mini-bus tours that pick you up at your hotel often are a great way in one day to see the highlights of D-Day beaches - there are several companies. Public transit is spotty.

I found more than enough to keep me happily busy in Rouen itself for 2 nights. See if you can visit Giverny on your way.

You might give serious considertion to staying a night either on Mont St. Michel (my preference) or close enough to see it at night.

Thank you for your help, everyone. Apparently there's a direct train from Paris Montparnasse to Dinan.

Here's the revised plan based on your suggestions:
Day 1 - Train to Dinan. Sleep in Dinan.
Day 2 - Explore Dinan then take the bus to MSM. Sleep in MSM.
Day 3 - Full day MSM.
Day 4 - Train to Bayeux. Sleep in Bayeux
Day 5 - Private D-Day tour. Sleep In Bayeux.
Day 6 - Train to Rouen. Sleep In Rouen.
Day 7 - Train to Giverny, see Monet's gardens then take the evening train to Paris.

Does this work?

Problem is I feel I'm moving too much.
Alternatively I could base in St Malo or Rennes for 3 nights and do day trips from there to Dinan and MSM. What do you think?

You are unlikely to need a full day in Mont St. Michel.

Will you have time for your priorities in Rouen?

I was not enamored of St. Malo.

Rennes is delightful, IMO, but if you stay there 3 nights, would you have time for the other places you hope to see? You might consider deferring Rennes until you have time for more of Brittany.

But I’m not opposed to relocating every night or two, as many people are....

Kja, for some reason I'm not really excited about St.Malo so I'm open to dropping it. Either the pictures don't do it justice, or it's really nothing special.

Dinan, Honfleur, and Rouen look stunning, however.

What did you guys think of Mont St. Michel? I'm reading some reviews and some people are saying that MSM looks very nice from afar, but visiting the island itself is disappointing. Is this true?

I did not find Mont St. Michel disappointing. I did not like the daytime crowds, but once they left, I thought it magical. To each his/her own. I hope your question will not serve as an invitation to trolls or to their feeding.

IMO, Dinan, Honfleur, and Rouen are stunning, and each offers a lot to those who choose to visit them.

I'm reading some reviews and some people are saying that MSM looks very nice from afar, but visiting the island itself is disappointing. Is this true?>

that's no doubt because of the elbow to elbow crowds during the day -one reason to stay the night - you can get an early start and beat the bus tours and wander around at night when yes it is magial to me too.

I also like St-Malo -unique fortifications but yes city suffered significant war damage.

Just wondering if you would consider renting a car for part of your trip.....driving is not that difficult. It would be very efficient time wise and economical to see and experience this wonderful region. You could rent a car from Dinan and return when you arrive in Rouen or somewhere outside of Paris after seeing Giverny (this way avoiding driving in Paris. Driving times/distances are not long.

We did a 5 night trip to Normandy/Brittany a year ago which we loved. We took the train (actually from London- we arrived that morning by plane to Heathrow) to Rouen and stayed one night (b&b called Alcove des Beaux Arts). We rented a car and drove to Honfleurs where we walked around and had a nice lunch. We then drove to Bayeux where we stayed for two nights (wonderful b&b Chateaux de Damigny but would need a car to stay). We booked a full day D Day trip while there. We then drove to St. Malo/Dinan and could view Mont Michel from the route (we were not so interested in going to visit it and were limited in time). We spent a few hours walking around the old town of St. Malo and having lunch there. We drove to Dinard and walked along the seaside path then proceeded to Dinan. We spent 2 nights at a great b&b called La tortue bleu.
We loved the regions and I fell in love with the ciders of the area.

I agree. Why not rent a car? You will wear yourself out with all the training. I love trains but these seem like short hops with probably a lot of queue time.

I love trains but these seem like short hops with probably a lot of queue time.>

Queue time? None on those trains but a car could be more conducive to hitting so many places in a few days but trains and buses can do it too.

I like St Malo.

I really liked St Malo!

I love St-Malo. And Dinan, and Dinard, and Fougères and Vitré, and le MSM in small doses when the hordes aren't there.

Agree with the others. Why not a car? It makes everything so much easier

What's not to like about St-Malo?

https://www.google.com/search?q=st+m...w=1920&bih=950

I can see why a car would be more practical but I don't really like to drive.

This is more difficult to plan than I thought. Transportation seems daunting.
Here's a last go at it.(Promise)
Give me your blessings.

Day 1 - Train to Dinan. Sleep in Dinan.
Day 2 - Dinan to MSM. Sleep on MSM.
Day 3 - Train to Bayeux. Sleep in Bayeux
Day 4 - Private D-Day tour. Sleep In Bayeux.
Day 5 - Private tour to Honfleur. Sleep in Bayeux.
Day 6 - Train to Rouen. Sleep in Rouen.
Day 7 - Train to Vernon. See Monet's gardens then continue to Paris.

Yes you got a great workable itinerary and easy IME trains.

Again all regional trains you just hop on except Paris to Dinan via TGV via Rennes. Book that one ASAP.

PalenQ, I know I'll probably get a flak for this, but I don't like "rebuilt Medieval cities". Which is why I'll never set foot in Carcassonne.

When I visit a Medieval city, it's because I like to see an authentic well-preserved part of history. I don't get the point of rebuilding a Medieval city in 1949!

I feel like I'm being cheated. Forgive the rant.

A belated thought: Is there an option for luggage storage that will make it possible to visit Giverny en route? (Sorry I didn’t think about that earlier.

You will never regret if you rent a car in say, Bayeux, and use it to sightsee on your own.
For 5 days, you have so much to see in Rouen, Honfleur and Bayeux. Return the car to Rouen and train to Giverny and back to Paris to cut down on driving time.

Are the roads well-marked and easy to navigate?

"kja on Jul 4, 17 at 2:21am
A belated thought: Is there an option for luggage storage that will make it possible to visit Giverny en route? (Sorry I didn’t think about that earlier."


Thanks for the reminder. looks like there is no luggage storage at Vernon. Guess I will have to spend another night in Rouen or leave to Paris after Rouen, and do Giverny as a day trip.

"rebuilt medieval cities" gives no kudos to Viollet-le-Duc, one of the genius architects of the 19th century. I'm guessing you don't want to visit Lascaux II, either. Your loss. It's really presumptuous, IMO, to bypass the thinking of geniuses like Viollet-le-Duc in favor of some rigid love of ancient stones. There are plenty of those around if that's all that beckons you.

There is hardly a country in the world where the signage is better than in France. Well-marked? Well, yes, down to tiny little black and white signs that point to the names of people's houses. To get lost following signage in rural France is a kind of local disgrace.

St Malo is out too - rebuilt I think to some extent from WW2 damage.

St Cirq, may he rest in peace. He was a restoration genius, but still, I'm not going to St. Malo or Carcassone. And those Lascaux cave paintings, they are replicas. You can no longer see the originals. I'd rather see them online.

I'm not the kind of traveller who's interested in ticking all the must-sees. I'm selective with my time and follow my own desires. I guess that means less tourists for you and PalenQ. Why are you complaining? ;)

Bonne journée.

French signage.

I nearly always agree with St C but ...

The only oddity about French signage is they point left (with the sign on the right) when they mean straight on. This can be confusing to the rest of Europeans but once you get used to is just a fascinating quirk. This rule is not followed on motorways where they follow European standards.

If you don’t want to drive, don’t! You have a reasonable plan, and with such a short trip, you don’t have time, IMO, to be roaming around. It would, I think, be different if you were planning a longer stay…

I guess that means less tourists for you and PalenQ. Why are you complaining?>

I was not complaining but commenting on St-Malo and why you may not like it- I respect your criteria- not for me but fine for you and others. Please do not read any negativeness into my remark.

Bayeux is about the only Cotentin Peninsula town not blitzed in war- be sure to check out the sublime cathedral and Queen Matilhda's Tapestry in a museum there.

Giverny station has no storage no doubt as few stations in France do nowadays and have not for years due to Operation Vigi Pirate (sp?) set in place years ago when terrorism struck France and lockers were all closed except in a few large stations equipped with screening machines.

But I would inquire if there was a baggage check at the Monet House -often is as even small bags are not let in many sights these days.

Or splurge and take a taxi and have it wait for you with your bags!

You will find little to reason in Vernon but be sure to try to traipse around tiny Giverny itself -especially to the parish cemetery where Monet's grave is- the village away from the hubbub around the House and Gardens is the typical sleepy French village IME.

Are you a hiker or walker? If no bags on a day trip you can walk the about 3 miles or so from Vernon station to Monet's House - I've done it thrice - go down to the Seine and cross and then follow a neat trail over an abandoned railway line that parallels the Seine all the way to the village- coming in by the cemetery.

Spendid walk over the course of the railway Monet once used to commute to Rouen when doing his Rouen Cathedral portraits.

While in Bayeux we stayed at the Churchill Hotel. We loved it. It is in the center of town - great location. It suites your needs well because it offers a DAILY SHUTTLE TRIP to MSM for their guests.

http://www.hotel-churchill.fr/en/shu...st-michel.html

If you decide to drive, the Campanile in Bayeaux makes a good base. Lots of parking . On the edge of town, but not far away.

Thanks everyone, especially <jft> for your detailed answer.

PalenQ, the hike from Vernon to Giberny sounds interesting. If the weather's not too hot, I will consider it.

Bette, thanks for the hotel recommendation. The shuttle sounds like a good idea, but I'm intending to spend the night on MSM to beat the crowds.

Yes, that will help you beat the crowds. My only concern is you are changing hotels several times and that eats up about 1/2 day each time. We like to base ourselves in one spot as a base (as much as possible). Good luck with your planning.