Normandy base. One or two?
 

Hi Everyone,
Okay, so I’m trying to plan the Normandy section of our trip and I keep going around in circles. We plan on landing at CDG at 11:00 am and training to Normandy and then getting our rental car. We want to spend three days at a beautiful chateau cottage our friends stayed at near Cherbourg. After reading this forum I realize that three days is probably not enough to see everything we want to in this area. I intend to get the Green Guide to Normandy.

My questions are this: is it going to be a pain driving down to the Bayeaux area from Cherbourg to visit the sites? It’s about 1 hr one way. There are some gardens around Bayeaux that we want to visit in addition to the usual sites. Would you recommend staying three days in Cherbourg and then three days in or near Bayeaux, or should we stay 6 days in Cherbourg?

After that we will drive down to Mont St Michel for one night and then return the car and train back to Paris from Rennes for three nights. This will be the start of our six week trip in May-June 2012.

What would all you Normandy experts do? I really do want to spend some time at the Chateau cottage for a relaxing start to our vacation, but I don’t want to be burned out with the driving. Help please! I'm just stuck on this.

Thank you, Michele

I don't have the map in front of me but we stayed in Bayeux for our Normandy beach part of our trip, and never got to Cherbourg. We did go to st. Mere Eglise. I think Cherbourg is more than an hour unless you are talking about an "interstate". To me, it's a bit "up there".
Don't forget the tapestry in Bayeux.
There are gites all over Normandy--that isn't the only one, beautiful as it may be. That said, there is more to a trip than just sightseeing. enjoying where you are is good too.

That's my thinking Gretchen. Our friend said the grounds of the chateau were just beautiful and he could have stayed there for two weeks instead of one. I thought the slower pace would be enjoyable to start our trip with. We started our last trip in the Cotswolds, slow and easy.

By "the usual sites" do you mean D-Day sights? If so, Cherbourg is not the best geographical base. It's not a great base for seeing the best of Normandy, period. About the only thing that works in your favor are the long days at that time of year. Sunset will be well after 9:00 pm.

We spent 3.5 days in Bayeux in October and could have stayed longer. I'd suggest training to Bayeux and then staying there as a base for three days. After that you can drive to Cherbourg, Mt. St. Michel, and Rennes.

Cherbourg is a less than ideal base for anything in Normandy.

I'd suggest basing in Bayeux the whole time, and make Cherbourg the day trip.

I know many "train to Normandy" and then rent. It requires going into Paris to get the train--added expense and time it has always seemed to me. Rent the car at CDG (you are already on the "up" side of Paris and drive "somewhere" in Normandy--we did Rouen, trying to stop by Giverney on the way but it was rainy and we went on. It would even be possible to go to Bayeux on the autoroute in 3 hours or so.
It really doesn't make a lot of sense to stay in Cherbourg--it is a LONG way from anywhere.
Normandy is a charming area. We spent a night in Honfleur en route to Bayeux as part of a 6 day trip before Paris.

Cherbourg is the ferry port to the Contentin penninsula and is a little bit away from the recognised Normandy D Day sites around the Bayeux area.

In saying that, there are some good places to visit around this area too. Have a look at Barfleur, it's a lovely fishing port.

As you come down the coast,you come to the beach area known as UTAH. This is the area the US 82nd and 101st airborn were flown in over and the US 4th Div landed.
The town of Quineville was approximately the front line objective at midnight 6th June, but they didn't get close in reality. The smaller area held at that time lead inland to St Mere Eglise. So there is lots to see in this area.

Further down the coast towards Bayeux is OMAHA then GOLD beaches.

I would say that 2 or 3 days in Cherbourg with a bit of travelling and remaining days around Bayeux can work well. You can visit UTAH and the area west of Bayeux, although its an hours drive. Then move to Bayeux and see the area East and South of Bayeux.

To answer your specific question, having 2 bases can be doable.

Muck

Bookmarking for future trip planning.

Thanks everyone for your advice. The reason we're taking the train is because we will arrive at CDG on an overnight flight from California and thought it would be safer and more relaxing just to train out to Bayeaux and then get a car.

I think that is what we will do. Stay a few days in Bayeaux and then a few in Cherbourg, doing nothing but visiting the little seaside towns and wandering around the chateau before we head down to Mont st Michel and Rennes.

Thanks again for confirming what I thought.

The beaches mentioned are fine, BUT there is Pont du Hoc, Arromanches and the American Cemetery which should not be missed. You will find NUMEROUS little "museums" as you drive along the roads. Just go to the major sites. St. Mere Eglise for the paratroop landing (as well as Pegasusu Bridge 'way east), Arromanches for the floating harbor (the reason they didn't land at Cherbourg), and Pont du Hoc for the sheer tenacity of the landing with the heights making it so exposed. And of course, Omaha--for looking at the sheer "folly" of trying a landing with a 180* view of the sea. Truly, it is awing.
We have a friend who landed at Omaha as an 18 year old soldier.
As for renting at CDG or Bayeux (you will have a better chance of getting information with the correct spelling), "maybe", but it will be a long trip either way.

I wouldn't miss the Peace Museum in Caen.

If you go to St. Mere Eglise, be sure to go inside the church and see the stained glass windows dedicated to the Allied liberators.

Thanks Gretchen, I keep putting that extra a in Bayeux. And I'm the one everyone comes to for spelling.

I'm in the process of removing three days from later in our trip and putting them in Normandy instead of our original three days. There really is a lot to see, and I've just begun to research. Thanks for the tips.

Jean, thanks, I absolutely love stained glass windows. Won't miss it.