My fiancee and I are travelling to Normandy for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in June. Does anyone have any recommendations on good, reasonably priced places to stay in either Caen or Bayeux? Any help would be tremendously appreciated. Kindest regards.

I wish you luck, but I'm afraid that you'll find the accommodation situation is very tight indeed for the week of the 60th Anniversary, especially in Caen and Bayeux. Much of the hotel space has long been booked by tour operators and official parties.

You can try the accommodation search engine on the official site at:
http://www.normandiememoire.com/NM60.../sommaire.html

If you plan to be there for the ceremonies on June 6th, you may have to stay as far away as Rouen, for example. You might also look at booking a tour from Paris, but it would be quite a long day.

You should also take into account that traffic will be very heavy, with many restrictions for security, especially near the main ceremony at Arromanches.

Don't give up, though. It's worth a try. And if you can't get in for the 6th, you will note from the official site that there will be related activities throughout the summer all across Normandy.

Oh, dear! It really is awfully late to be thinking about accommodations in those places for the 60th anniversary. BUT, I can recommend the Château de la Bellefontaine in Bayeux highly. Others on this board love the Hôtel (or is it Château?) d'Argouges.

If you can - and you may have absolutely no choice at all - stay in Bayeux rather than Caen. Far more plesant surroundings, IMO.

Another vote for staying in Bayeux. If you have trouble finding a place to stay, you might try the Logis de France chain. It's used more by the French so you could have a better chance of getting in. They come in all tastes and price ranges and even the least expensive are clean and friendly. We always use them.

Their web site (in English) is http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/

You can do a search by map or by city. If you want to try the surrounding area, the map search would be more useful.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll find something.

We stayed between the 2 places in Le Vey.. It was an easy drive to Caen and Bayeaux and many more interesting places. The hotel is out in the countryside...so after we'd spent a full day touring we came back , rested and dined at the hotel..and went out again each morning.

We spent 5 or 6 days there..seeing Bayeaux, StMalo, Mont St Michel, the beaches,Arromanches,Cancale,Caen, le route de Marais, cider festivals, tiny towns..and always had a place to come home to.

I realize this might not suit someone who wants to be in a "town" and have access to nightlife...but if I am not in a city or after a day of driving and touring I want to come"home" and be welcomed,watered and fed and then to bed!!

Moulin du Vey...Le Vey


www.moulinduvey.com

One possibility might be a B&B chateau, the Château de Cottun, near Bayeux. We're staying there in September, and the owner--who speaks fluent English--has been very good about responding to e-mails.

Thomas Kleingartner
le château de Cottun
14400 Cottun (Bayeux)
tel. (33) 2.31.92.73.95
fax (33) 2.31.51.71.50
[email protected]
www.chateau-de-cottun.com

Thank you for your replies and suggestions. We feel this is a once in a lifetime event and opportunity to honor American heroes. Thanks so much for the tips and good wishes!!!