We are planning to land at CDG on 12/19 and rent a van to drive to Bayeux (yes, we know it is a long drive, but we have a direct flight landing early and husband and brother will split the driving)and spend three nights in Bayeux (12/19,20 and 21) to do two full days of DDay tours (this is the interest of most in our group of 8). However, some have expressed interest in driving to MSM early on the last day (12/22)and the driving back to Paris afterward. We HAVE to be back in Paris the night of 12/22 for a wedding so no possible way to extend this side trip. Is Bayeux to MSM to Paris do-able in one day? Or should we skip MSM? Thank you for any insight.

CDG to Bayeux, once you get on the road, should only be a bit over 3 hrs., so doable if everyone's not too tired.

However, to leave Bayeux to go to see MSM, then drive back to Paris in time for a wedding seems like a stretch, to me. It certainly could be done, but when you're under pressure to get back by a certain time, then that adds another variable. To say nothing of driving into Paris, finding your hotel (or car drop off), and getting ready for wedding. Perhaps I'm in error; the wedding is the next day? That would make it more do-able, in my book.

www.viamichelin.com says that Bayeux and Le Mont-Saint-Michel (you have to type it that way or it sends you to some place in the Alps for some reason) are 144 km and 1h27 apart.

Paris is 358 km from Mont Saint Michel, and the driving time is 2h55. Add a few pee and coffee stops to this timing.

The wedding is not until the 24th however we must stay in Paris the night of 12/22. It does not matter how late we arrive just that we must stay that night. Does anyone have any experience with turning a car in at another location in Paris rather than our current plan of dropping the group off at hotels and then two people heading out to turn car in and metro back into city? Thank you for any thoughts.

What is your car return location? What is your hotel location?

Why place yourself at the furthest point from Paris for the drive back? Try this:

19th: Train to Bayeux (via Paris), settle in, maybe see local museums or The Tapestry.

20th: Rent car, see Pegasus Bridge, Gold-Juno-Sword and Caen Peace Museum.

21st: MSM and back

22nd: See Arromanches Mulberry Museum, Omaha. Have (fresh!) seafood lunch at Port-en-Bessin. Pointe du-Hoc, Cemeteries, Utah. Be at train station for the 19h36 to St-Lazare.

I'd spend 2 nights in Bayeux, one night in Mont St. Michel, and then head home.

Mont St. Michel is worth the visit, and is incredible at night. Bayeux isn't that bad a drive from Paris, neither is Mont St. Michel, as long as the weather and traffic aren't bad (not counting the Peripherique, which was terrible this time both ways for us). We have photos of Mont St. Michel on www.neesie.org, as well as Omaha Beach and Point Du Hoc. I love Mont St. Michel (we've been twice in the last two years).

I would NOT go early to Mont St. Michel on 12/22 and then head back that day for a wedding. You have 1 1/2 hours or so (maybe a tiny bit less), without traffic, to Mont St. Michel, then getting onto the Mont, seeing everything, and then 3 1/2 - 4 hours without bad traffic to CDG (if you find the rental car area okay, we got lost getting there). Then you need to get to your hotel and such too. I can't see how it can be doable for you. I just mentioned your post to my husband, who did the driving, and he would definitely not suggest it - we were there again this past September.

I'd personally try to get a room on Mont St. Michel (or near it if not available) for the last night. See the Abby first thing in the A.M, and leave by 10 or 10:30. That will get you hopefully back by 2pm or 3pm to the airport if you have an uneventful trip. Then you can get the RER or whatever to your Paris hotel.

Oh - I didn't see that you could be back later in the day on the 22nd. I still wouldn't do the Bayeux to Mont St. Michel and then to Paris in one day. That is a lot (lot!) of driving. We never have done the trip in just 3 hours Mont - Paris, it seems like it is always raining on the way, and traffic around Paris, etc.

I'd not actually drive to Mont St. Michel from Paris again. I'd take the train to Bayeux.

kerouac, we are staying at the Renaissance Vendome at 4, Rue du Mont Thabor (using up marriott points) and other contingents of our group are at the Hilton Paris and some small hotel off Rue Cler so anywhere in the vicinity would be OK to drop off if you think that is better than trekking back out to CDG.

Robespierre, if we had fewer people then we may have gone the train route, but with 8 people in the group and the $300 rate we got from Avis for a van it seems like a much better deal to go with the van from CDG.

Also, we have just discovered that Battlebus doesn't operate tours during December. Have emails in to Overlord and Victory, but am worried we may have to go it alone due to the holidays.
Thank you for all your help!!

Getting to the various Beaches yourself doesn't have to be hard. I'd like to do a tour myself next time, but you just need to make sure to get an early start and to have a good map. We didn't get an early start, but we had the map - so we made it to two beaches. Utah was just too far for the time allotted (I think everything shuts down around 5, and we didn't get to Omaha Beach until after lunch). So we had a choice of either Point Du Hoc or Utah. PDH was closer.