Best way to get to London from Normandy
 

My sister and I will be travelling throughout Europe this summer for a month. We fly into Paris and are going to spend around three days there, then we wanted to visit the Normandy area to see WWII attractions like St. Mere Eglise and also Mont Saint Michel. Maybe stay there for about 2 days, then off to London. The only problem is, I have no idea what the best way to get to London is and where to fly out of. Any suggestions on the most efficient/cheap way to get to London from the Normandy area? Anything will help, this is my sister and I's first time travelling out of country!
Thanks :)

Take the train from Normandy to Paris, then the Eurostar to London (by tickets NOW for cheapest prices).

One would be to take ferries or fastboats between Cherbourg or Caen (Oustreham) and Portsmouth then train to London- there is even an overnight boat.

Flying may be overall the cheapest and quickest - from Cherbourg or Caen or wherever to London or close.

You might want to look at flying from Caen (Carpiquet) to London (Southend) with a train connection to central London. Service is by the budget airline FlyBE and this might be less expensive and certainly more direct than the Eurostar option.

Besides the travel logistics - by 3 days in Paris and 2 days in Normandy for the WWII & MSM attractions - do you really mean 4 nights in Paris & 3 nights in Normandy?? If it is 3 nights in Paris & 2 nights in Normandy - eliminate one of these destination or you will wear yourself out if that's the pace of this and your other destinations on a 1 month trip. Especially with traveling between different countries. If you "miss" a travel connection - your itinerary is "toast".

Just my 2 cents.

Stu Dudley

Depending on how far west you’re going, you can fly from Dinard to Stansted with Ryanair

>> if that's the pace of this and your other destinations on a 1 month trip<<

Stu has a point; If your profile is accurate and you plan on squeezing in France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Greece, you are really biting off a LOT for one month.

Two options...

1. Train to Paris, Eurostar high-speed train Paris-London via the Channel Tunnel.

Book both trains at www.loco2.com

2. Cruise overnight from Normandy to Portsmouth or Poole with Brittany Ferries in a cosy en suite cabin, with restaurant for dinner and breakfast. Sailing into Portsmouth past the Spinnaker Tower, naval dockyard and HMS Victory is wonderful

www.brittany-ferries.co.uk

Then simply taxi to the station (Portsmouth & Southsea) and buy a ticket for the next train to London, www.nationalrail.co.uk

Both options are great!

Boat via Hastings. Guillaume le conquérant tours.

Flights from Caen or Dinard will be cheaper (AND faster) than trains - even after allowing for the trains from London's remoter airports into the centre - if you book now.

They may escalate sharply if you wait too long, though.

The Flybe flights from Caen are NOT daily, and the airline has a dismal punctuality and flight-cancelling record.

Although it's fashionable among this site's crankier contributors to rubbish Ryanair, there's a really good reason it's the world's biggest, safest and most punctual international airline.

It spends its money on maintaining its planes: not on pandering to pernicketty commentators' concerns about "customer service" They don't waste time or energy on spurious luxuries or on replying to grievances: just getting you where they say they'll get you - on time.

The other argument for flying is you then don't have to put up with the hell-hole that's the Gare du Nord. The one-station rejoinder to anyone under the delusion the French can run a railway.

All good ideas, you could also add the St Malo ferry to Portsmouth.

I'd fly from Dinard

"William" the conqueror is his name, the name "Guillaume" only arrived in Normandy after the 1450s long after "the Batard" was dead and buried.

>>after "the Batard" was dead <<

I thought batard was a bread. Did he "rise" again??

Stu Dudley

:-)

Batard needs the circumflex above the a - in English we use an s.

I mean the circumflex means an 's' has been replaced by it. Don't know how to make on keyboard.

Not if you don't want to get hit by any "rude word" police

<i>Batard needs the circumflex above the a - in English we use an s.</i>

The Académie has recently decided that unnecessary accents can be dropped. I would think that the circumflex replacing the "s" would be one of them.

https://www.orthographe-recommandee....ent/regles.pdf

Michael hasn’t read the document he refers to - the recommendation (and that’s all it is, a recommendation...) of dropping the circonflexe only pertains to the letters i and u.

A bâtard will remain a bâtard.

PalenQ: On a Mac: Option/i followed by a or e or i or u.

The long description: Hold down the Alt/Option key and tap the letter i (this puts the circumflex in place), let go of the Alt/Option key and type the letter that will carry the circumflex. This sounds way more complicated than it is when you do it...

On PC/WIN - who knows, who cares... (my asbestos suit is in place)