alimour

Hi we will be visiting France in April and have booked accommodation in Paris. We want to visit Normandy as my son is a WW2 enthusiast, and we will also visit Fontevraud Abbey in the Loire (where Eleanor of Aquitaine is buried). we dont want to drive in France, but wondered how to get to Loire from Bayeux - do we have to go through Paris? We will get Eurail but don't need to use it all the time, are happy jumping on a bus (but not a tour) to get from A to B. Also, do you need a car to go around the Normandy beaches? Or is there public transport available?
WOuld appreciate suggestions!
Thanks, Alison

GeoffHamer

There is a railway line from Caen to Tours. In the morning, you can leave Bayeux 0757, change trains in Caen, and get to St Pierre des Corps (in the suburbs of Tours) at 1117. From St Pierre des Corps, you can get another train to Tours, Saumur and Angers.
Schedules and fares are on www.voyages-sncf.com. A Eurail pass is unlikely to be worthwhile for these journeys.
There are buses from Caen and Bayeux to the coastal towns, run by Bus Verts (www.busverts.fr). Services are not frequent, so you need to study timetables carefully.

bilboburgler

If you stay at Fontevraud Abbey I'd try to book the evening meal at the Unicorn, very high quality and a spooky walk back through the grounds at night

Gretchen

Why do you not want to rent a car? A round trip to Bayeux and back toward Paris through the Loire would be very doable. A eurail pass is rarely an economical alternative. Driving is quite easy, and very rewarding for being able to stop and really enjoy places.

StCirq

This would be like visiting New England without a car. Lots and lots of time spent on logistics of trains and buses and you will surely just have to pass on some really interesting sights just because there will be no public transportation access. I have no idea, for example, how you'd get to Fontevraud, though I imagine there's some sort of laborious way.

A Eurail pass will be useless.

I would rethink your plans and:

1. Hike or bike - seriously, you'll probably get to more places

2. Join an organized tour of both the Loire and Normandie

3. Rent a car

4. Be content with spending an inordinate amount of time catching buses and trains, figuring out how to get to the sights from the bus stops and train stations, fitting the transport schedules into opening and closing times, etc.

zmac

You could get to Bayeux by train quite easily, but unfortunately public transport is very bad in the region. It is better to have a car once you're there, you can get around much easier and go to places where buses don't go. The other option would be to take a tour.