Bayeux and the Normandy beaches via car, where to stay
 

Hello,

This Christmas we will be in Paris and are thinking of taking the train out and driving around Bayeux and the D-day landing areas. Any recommendations on what to do and where to stay. I know that a lot of the beach hotels are closed this time of year.

Thank you,
Carl

We loved the Chateau de la Bellefontaine in Bayeux. I think it may be called the Clos de Bellefontaine now.

The Lion d'Or is also nice.

Definitely stay in Bayeux. The two hotels recommended above are nice.

Try the Churchill or the Reine Mathilda. If you're interested in a B&B in central Bayeux, check out the Aggarthi. Check reviews on TripAdvisor or similar sites.

More votes for the Churchill and the Reine Mathilde. We have stayed at both and have nothing negative to say about either one.

Yes, Lion d'Or. It's lovely, as is their dining room, which also has good food. Also recommend Le Petit Bistrot for dinner.

Yes, Lion d'Or. It's lovely, as is their dining room, which also has good food. Also recommend Le Petit Bistrot for dinner.

http://www.chateau-de-sully.com/en/t...rant-sully.php

Introducing, perhaps a bit more upscale, Chateau de Sully...on the main highway to the beaches, only 2-3 kms from downtown Bayeux. Can be walked, level. Depends on what you want and what your budget range is. We loved it, and have stayed there a second time. Admittedly, it was our splurge lodgings each time. Their in-house restaurant is excellent and elegant. The grounds are idyllic, expansive and quite beautiful. If you decide on it, ask for Rm. 25, third floor top of the stairs looking our over the front approaches. We also had two meals at Lion d'Or...excellent.

In December, there will be little to choose from at Port Bessin and anywhere around Omaha and west to Utah. Further east, at Juno and Sword, there will be more choices for you.

I will be staying here next week, and am quite excited about it. It is quite new and right in the center of Bayeux, with consistently excellent reviews.

http://www.hotel-villalara.com/en/#/index.php

I agree with the recommendation above. We stayed in the Villa Lara shortly after it opened in March. It was an excellent choice. It is owned by the Herbert family that also owns the Churchill next door. Tours for D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel depart right outside the hotel.

We actually stayed in two places during our visit. Hotel Churchill was a nice option if you want to stay in Bayeux though we actually preferred Chateau de Damigny just outside of town. Absolutely wonderful dinners (table d'hotes) there. In town parking is easy for driving in.

http://www.chateaudamigny.fr/?lang=en

Photos from my blog (albeit in July):

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/normandy.html

We just stayed at Chateau de la Bellefontaine a couple of weeks ago for three nights. Great oasis just outside of town (easy 15 minute walk to center of town...Tapestry, Cathedral, plenty of restaurants). They also have their own restaurant and have laundry service (for a fee). They made dinner reservations for us in Bayeux and also Paris, where we were headed next.

Le Petit Normand and Le P'tit Resto were both good Bayeux restaurants, and the latter served one of the best meals I've ever had. Someday, I'll do a trip report with photos. We really liked the hotel (say hi to the ducks and swans gliding nearby).

((H))

indy_dad, I booked Chateau de Damigny because I really wanted to have dinner there! Unfortunately, the chef/owner was unable to cook on the only night we will be available, so I changed to the Villa Lara.

I'm so glad to read all the wonderful endorsements above for Le P'tit Resto. We have reservations there on our 25th wedding anniversary!

Good to know the Bellefontaine has a restaurant now, Tom. They didn't when we were there, though they had juice and coffee and croissants in the morning. We just loved that place.

In regards to the other part of your question about what to do besides visiting D-Day sites you can have a look at this thread for some ideas:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#39058384

You might also like to visit an area just south of Bayeux called the Suisse Normande. Have a look at the tourist office website for that region:

http://www.otourisme.com/otv2-sn/?-Welcome-to-Normandy-

You can also visit Mont Saint-Michel, which is a 1-1/2 hour drive from Bayeux.

Iregeo on Oct 25, 12 at 8:20am
"I'm so glad to read all the wonderful endorsements above for Le P'tit Resto. We have reservations there on our 25th wedding anniversary!" I am at a convention, but will put what we had on this thread next week when back.

The menu is limited, but the dishes they prepared were all spectacular. By the way, your hotel got good reviews from some Brits who we met. Looks nice, too, with a perfect location in the center of town.

SC, we really enjoyed the Bellefontaine (thanks for your recommendation). Staff was very, very helpful, and the entire grounds were very nice. Although very near to the center of town, we felt like we were way out in the countryside. We took about 100 Wood Duck photos. They were beautiful.

((H))

Thanks for all the replies. I will look them up. Some look really nice, but are out of our budget. I'm sure one of these will be perfect.

Carl,

A few years ago we stayed at the Logis les Remparts, a small guesthouse/B&B in a central location. The rooms were very nice and breakfast was great. We parked our car on the street and walked everywhere in Bayeux. Perhaps this would fit your budget.

--Annie

We have stayed at the Hotel Churchill on two separate visits. The first time we chose it for its location and easy parking. The second because we liked it so much the first time. Our visits were in September and April a few years apart. My cousin and her husband (whose father is buried at Colville) visited Bayeux and the D-Day sites in December one year and found a lot of the hotels in Bayeux were closed near Christmas.

We loved the Bayeux cathedral but were not impressed by the presentation of the so called tapestry. We visited the American Cemetery at Colville, the Commonwealth Cemetery in Bayeux and a large German cemetery as well. DH and I also recommend the 360 film in Arromanches. We made a day trip to Mont St. Michel which was beautiful. I still regret not driving to Honfleur.