Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - Normandy (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/normandy-117014/)

My wife and I are arriving Paris June 21 for a 12 day visit to France. The first stop I would like to make is Normandy primarily to visit the D-Day landing beaches and museums on the subject. Any suggestions on the length of time we should expect to spend in the area to see all of this. What city and hotel would you recommend? From Normandy I am considering driving to the Loire Valley and I have Fodor's recommendations of what to see and where to stay but would appreciate any suggestions in this area as well.

Robert. The trip from Paris to let us say Caen is about three hours by car. I think just to do the beaches area, the Caen museum and the American cemetery, you need at least a day and a half. Also, there is so much more to see in the area it would be a shame to miss. Honfleur, Bayeaux, Rouen and Mt. St. Michel come to mind.

I would stay in Bayeux to see the landing beaches. Caen is also close, but much larger and harder to navigate. The Hotel Churchill is very centrally located and a good place to stay. We stayed at a hotel a little further out, but I think after driving all day, the central location is best. The group we met in Paris in March stayed at the Churchill and really liked it. I should think you could do it in a couple of days, depending on what all you want to see. The museum in (slightly outside of) Caen is very interesting and takes a couple of hours ("Le Memorial"). If you do a search above ("Normandy"), you should find lots more info.

Hi I haven't done this yet but some family members of mine very recently toured the Normandie beaches and since I had researched this for them, I'll pass along the information. www.dday.co.uk/ An amazing website about the Normandy beaches, done by an amateur historian who has clearly produced an expert labor of love www.normandy-tourism.org Advice from Fodor's forum: Jan 2001: " I sent the normandy-tourism website staff an email and requested their literature showing the D-Day sites with different routes all mapped out. We took ourselves by car to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, following their routes. Their book, "The Battle of Normandy" is excellent - we purchased one at a museum in Bayeux. I also recommend reading Stephen Ambrose's new book, "The Victors," before you go. We stayed at a B&B 1km from the center of Bayeux - I've seen it described here - "Le Manoir au Pont Rouge" with Lt. Col. and Mrs. Chilcott (he's a retired British military historian who gave us a ten-hour battlefield tour, including other landing sites - you can easily find them yourselves but his detailed stories were fascinating)." (see more below on Col. Chilcott) From Rick Steves's website March 2001: "Caen's excellent Museum of the Battle of Normandy offers guided minivan tours of the D-Day beaches. Tours include admission to the museum. Half-day tours depart at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and cover Longues-sur-Mer, Pegasus bridge, Arromanches, Courseulles, and Douvres for $50. Full-day tours ( 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) add the American and German cemeteries, St. Mere l'Eglise, and lunch, and cost roughly $75. (Contact the Caen Museum and pay in advance, tel. 02 31 06 06 44 - as in June 6, 1944.) Oct 2000 from Fodor's Forum: " In Bayeux, Jean-Marc Bacon, whose father runs the hotel De La Gare right across from the station, will take you all around the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, etc. in his van. His English is excellent, and he is a wealth of information about the invasion (he's been studying about it since he was a kid). There is no way to get to the beaches via train; you must drive, be driven, or bicycle. Normandy Tours telephone 31 92 10 70; fax 31 51 95 99. About $40 pp for virtually the whole day. Another option is Bus Fly which some of my (Elaine's) family used with happy results. They will pick you up at the train station, tourist office, or hotel in the area, and take up to 8 people in a van on an informative tour to the beaches or to Mont St Michel. Phone : 33/ 231220008 - Fax : 33/231 92 35 10 - e-mail : [email protected] website is www.busfly.com/ Bayeux: Bayeux tourist office www.bayeux-tourism.com telephone 02 31 51 28 28 fax 02 31 51 28 29 May 2000 Fodor's Forum: "Colonel Chilcott, is a retired British Lieutenant Colonel. He and his wife retired to a manor house in Bayeux where he rents out rooms, and also conducts private tours of the battle areas. He is very knowledgeable about all eras of history. [email protected] www.vrbo.com/vrbo/352.htm phone 33 2 31 22 39 09." Lodging in Bayeux, from the New York Times, March 2001 Hotel Notre-Dame, 44 rue des Cuisiniers, phone (0)2 31 92 87 24 fax (0)2 31 92 67 11 Medieval charm, but showing some signs of wear. Next door to the cathedral. Room is well under $100 per night, even less for a single. Good restaurant on premises, very inexpensive. From Fodor's forum, April 2001 The Hotel Lion D'Or in Bayeux is charming. Lots of history, ambiance and great food

I agree with the previous poster regarding taking 1 1/2 days just to see the American Cemetary, the landing beaches and the Memorial Museum in Caen. However, also go to Arromache (sp) and see the remaining Mulberrys. I stayed at the Hotel Churchill in Bayeux and would definitely stay there again. The staff was nice, the room was a good size and it was centrally located with parking available. If you stay in Bayeux, make sure and go to the cathedral and Tapestry Museum. The 900 year old tapestry is a must see in my opinion.

We just returned from France Mar 24, and spent 5 days in the Normandy area. We rented a car and visited Honfleur, Caen, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel. In Bayeux, we took a Normandy Tour, the outfit run by Jean-Marc Bacon, who is mentioned so glowingly above. We took a morning tour of the beaches and had what we thought was a guide-in-training. We were taken to all the "main" sights but we were horribly rushed (and we are NOT slow lookers). It was very cold and windy on our morning, so we were actually pretty fast. But, Samuel reminded us at every spot "that we only had 5 or 10 min and not to be late, we are already late." He would not even stop at some sites long enough for us to hang out of the window and take a photo (like at the entrance sign to one of the monuments). We arrived at the first museum in Arromaches before it opened and then did not have to time to even scan it before time to go. He said that put us late. He only knew the barest of facts and Vicki ended up giving him one of her books on D-Day. He told us a little about what we would see while we were driving and then he stayed in the van (which had a broken driver-side door and no heat) while we got out and looked. We had a good trip because we already knew what we were going to see and it is all awe inspiring. We paid 200 francs each (about $28) and were the only 3 on the tour. If we had had a full van, I doubt that he would have even let us out, he probably would have just driven by. I would not recommend this company. We had written Col. Chilcott but his fee was out of our budget, it was about $100/person not including his lunch. If we had it to do over, we would have hired a guide from the tourist office in Bayeux, it could not be worse! Sandy

You must try to stay with Colonel Chilcott and his wife Rosemary. One of the highlights of my trip to Normandy (second only to actually visiting the beaches) Try to see the beaches at dawn - get there before dawn. you will have them to yourself - it's a very moving experience. I visited Omaha beach at Vierville at about 530 or so AM, and walked the beach. I then drove a short ways to the American cemetery - it was closed (opens around 9 AM) but the gates were open so I went right in. I had the cemetery to myself too - walked over to the bluff overlooking the Channel - the sun was rising, it was a rather nippy morning - it really makes you think of what our poor boys went through 55+ years ago... don't forget to visit Pegasus Bridge near Sword Beach (close to Ouistreham), and, a little further up the road - Merville Battery. (Colonel Chilcott had a hand in turning that into a museum too). You really should look into staying with him, NOW, as he is quite popular. If you can't stay with him you can always try to go on a tour with him - he conducts battlefield and cemetery tours too. keep us posted! Beth ps. you know, your name seems quite familiar (and I don't mean in a literary sense) - for some reason, I feel as if we may have corresponded a year ago, about the Loire Valley? How did that go, if you are the person I am thinking of?

A bit of one of my old posts about our 1999 trip got quoted above for you! (The one about the Normandy tourism website, etc.) By the way, the Chilcott tour was about $100 TOTAL plus covering his lunch and some petrol, NOT per person. We are two couples and had the full day tour which ended up around 10 hours. Worth every franc, particularly for the 4 of us.

I just got back from Normandy yesterday - had a great time. We stayed in Bayeux and then drove from Arromanches down the coastline and visited most of the beaches. It was amazing, except that parts of D513 were closed all along the route, so we had to make beaucoup des deviations (sometimes on little tiny dirt roads). It was fun to see all the little villages, but we could have used a better map. Thank goodness for the compass I had. We had no luck with the food in Bayeux. Must be the bad influence from those English!

Hi Karen, Not to belabor the point, but here is the reply I received on Jan 9, 2001 from Col. Chilcott on his fee . . . "My battlefield tours (BFTs) cost 2,000 francs for the first couple in my wagon plus 100 francs for the 3rd body plus diesel @1 franc per km plus my lunch. I estimate that a BFT would cost you just less than 750 francs each. Plus my lunch, of course. Of course." By using our ATM cards, we received 7.2 fr to a dollar . . . that makes 750 fr equal $104.16 each. I guess his prices went up! Sandy

Sandy: Wow - If your original post had said his price was, say, $125-150, I would have figured, "price has gone up from our total $100 probably due to the PR received on Fodor's website," but I just couldn't believe the approx. $100 a person for your group of four!

re: Colonel Chilcott - how much are the rooms now? I last stayed in 1999...

Here's info for the Chilcott's. We loved the B&B (about 35 USD per room) and passed on the Colonel's tour. Le Manor des Doyens St Loup Hors Bayeux 14400 France From US: 011 33 2 31 22 39 09 [email protected] www.vrbo.com/vrbo/352.htm

Here is a reply from Col. Chilcott (Jan 9, '01) concerning his rooms (we were inquiring about a triple): "Yes, we have one en suite room for 3 but it means that 2 would have to sleep in the same bed. We could put you up in our very smart attic, however, if that suits. We will charge 330 francs per night for the room. We would really prefer you to sleep in 2 rooms, actually, at a cost of 250 + 180 francs per night. This includes a French breakfast." Sandy

We have stayed at two very different places in Bayeux, both of which we recommend: The Chateau de Sully, just ourside Bayeux on the Port-en-Bessin Road (read about on this website: digital.france.com/hotels),is wonderful and a great bargain at around $80 per day without breakfast. We also stayed at a non-working farm called Le Clos Mayas just south of Bayeux off the Caen Road. Built in 1776 and quite comfortable, it costs $35 per night, which includes a bountiful continental breakfast. (Phone: 02 31 51 08 79 and FAX 02 31 22 51 87). Bon voyage.

My family is also going to France this summer, but we plan on at least one day trip or overniter. We are interested in Normandy for the D-day beaches, the museums, and just experiencing the countryside. We're trying to choose between Caen and Bayeaux, and we don't want to rent a car, so any help would be great. Also, can Mont-St-Michel be done in one day?

The Chilcott's "attic," on their third floor, is similar to a dorm or summer camp. I peeked up there from the stairs. There were 9 men from England (similar to our National Guard, I think) staying there when we were there last summer; a group such as this comes every summer as part of their training. We hardly knew they were there. As Rosemary Chilcott writes, the attic is "very smart." I would definitely stay in the attic if that's the only available room. House has great ambience.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any idea of how long it takes to drive from Le Havre to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. Our cruise ship will be in port at Le Havre and we are going to hire a car to drive us on a half day (4 hour) excursion to that area and I was wondering if this would be adequate time or will we end up just jumping out of the car for a quick picture and then jumping back in to make it within the four hours. Thanks.

We stayed at Trouville and visited Deauville and highly recomend these towns. Coco Chanel was from Deauville and you can still visit the first clothing boutique she opened. They are both seaside towns and their boardwalks and restaurants are to die for. We were there in early May and although it was not crowded at all, it was evident that come summer this was certainly likely to change. Trouville is less expensive than Deauville, they had an open flea market every Sunday morning at the boardwalk. Parking was rough, but the hotels usually help you out. Let me know if you need hotel recommendations in Trouville. The best way to do Normandy is by car. There are many monuments along the coast. My advice is you stop at every one of them; they all tell a story and by the time you get to the end of the coast, you'll be glad you didn't miss a thing. Also, try to read Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers". This experience stays with you for a while, so give yourself some time afterwards to unwind. Have a great trip!

Maira recommended Deauville. What about Rouen? We have to choose between the 2, as we will have only one day,docking at Le Havre.