Deauville is definitely charming. It is a resort town. It has a good market as well. However, if I had to choose between Deauville and Rouen, it would definitely be the later; great cathederals, Joan of Arc History, old town with wonderful architecture, etc.

We have been to Normandy many times and have visited the beaches on each occasion. You need at least a day and a half, maybe two with the new museum in Caen (well worth the time). Bayeaux is a great place to stay. A lovely small town, centrally located. (Of course, you want to see the Bayeaux tapestry anyway.) Our favorite hotel is Lion d'Or. It is an old hotel in the middle of town. A little creaky, but very nice people and a good restaurant. There are also a number of Chateaux in Normandy which you can tour, one of which was owned byMalcolm Forbes, Chateau Balleroy, which is about 10 minutes from the center of Bayeaux. Have fun.

All the talk about the tour prices provoked me to dig through old trip records this weekend. So, update and correction: The Chilcott tour in 1999 was 1000 francs total (not $100 as I thought - so many "1s" and "0s" in an aging memory). So it was not as inexpensive as I recalled (mea culpa); however, that was 1000 fr for the carload as opposed to the new 2000 fr quoted for just the first pair of travelers. So it is indeed a jump in price.

I'll be in Normandy the 3rd week in June. Do you think I have to book hotels before I arrive or can I find them as I go? I will travel in the Arromanches, Bayeux Caen areas.

We'll be touring Normandy this summer in early July. We've allocated two full days for the Bayeux tapestry, the D-Day beaches, the museums at Caen and Arromanches, and the beaches. We've also allocated two full days for le Mont-St-Michel, St-Malo, Fougères, and Villé. <BR>I would recommend you make reservations right away. I was turned down at the two hotels in Fougères I had my hopes pinned on and at one in Bayeux, though I have subsequently found great accommodations. We were looking for a quadruple room or chambres communicantes or two doubles side by side, so it was a bit more complicated than the normal reservations, perhaps. At any rate, I'd urge you to make reservations quickly.

Thanks. I've started looking for places to stay for myself and 2 children (10 & 11). I thought staying at the beach would be a good break for them after busy days touring. Any recommendations for beach towns with budget accomodations ($40-$50). Usually we like staying in one place to sleep and day tripping out - we'll have a car so something sort of central? Is Arromanches good?

Maira offered suggestions for hotels in Trouville. Please post. Also mentioned it's hard to park in the town. Don't hotels have parking? Is this frequently the case in France? We're taking a driving tour of Normandy and the Loire Valley, and wondered if there's a problem with what to do with the car. Maybe I should post this as a separate question... <BR>Appreciate your thoughts, Fodorites.

if you are looking aplace between loire and normandy , you can visit our web site and saty in our old family chateau that we will be happy to share with you <BR>http://www.chateau-saintpaterne.com <BR>if you wish we also organise tour to the Dday beach, mont saint michel or the hidden Normandy ...

The hotel we stayed at Trouville was Hotel St. James, 16 Rue de la Plage, phone 31-88-0523. We didn't had reservations (early May '98)and walked in to find a double room at approximately $100/double, including breakfast. It was a very charming hotel, I remembered we parked for free at their lot (about 20-cars lot). Hotels typically offer parking arrangements. That is why, if given the choice, you should pick a centric hotel, where you can just park the car for the duration and walk to sights. Just a reminder, this area should be pretty busy during the summer. I wouldn't chance it (hotels) in June.