I will be in Paris for a few days in October, and would really really like to see the D-Day memorial/beaches in Normandy, but hoped to do it in a day or less....am stretching it too much, or is it do-able?? <BR> <BR>Although I would love to spend a longer time up in that area, I only need to have a small taste just to see the history...I have two relatives who survived D-Day on Omaha beach, and would just love to see it. I know it's a stretch, but maybe the quick taste will inspire me to come back SOONER rather than later! <BR> <BR>What do you think?

Hi Lara, <BR> <BR>I would say that if you could stretch even just to another day it would be worth it. As well as Omaha I would suggest visiting some of the war cemetaries in the area and the town of Arromanches with its Mulberry Harbours just offshore. I would also recommend visiting the D-Day museum in Caen - very interesting and moving. And if you're in the area why not drop in on the Bayeux Tapestry? <BR> <BR>Have fun in any case! <BR> <BR>Mel.

Remember Lara, you must invest at least six hours travel time between Paris and Caen. So if you are not planning to stay overnight, it will be a stretch. I wouldn't have missed the American Cemetary. If you only want a little taste, the beaches and the cemetaries will do that for you. The museum in Caen is time consuming to even do it a little justice. Research other posts on this area because there is lots of good information on how to plan your travel from Paris.

Hi Lara, <BR> <BR>If you are driving, Sherry is right - about 3 hours each way. Plus getting into/out of Paris with the rental car (pick up, drop off etc.) <BR> <BR>If you are not interested in Caen this trip, you can start on the far eastern end, hit Pegasus Bridge, and then just follow the road (D214 if memory serves? it's been two years...) along the beaches. <BR> <BR>You should be able to hit at least Sword, Juno, Gold, and Omaha in that day. True, only a surface level view… <BR> <BR>Don't miss the mulberries at Arromanches - there is also a great 360 movie theater right there overlooking the cliffs. <BR> <BR>Don't miss the American Cemetery - try to walk to the beach from there - a really nice walk, and the view from the bluff overlooking the beach is magnificent - a great place for reflecting on the events of 57 years ago. <BR> <BR>You can drive right down to the Charlie Green sector of Omaha Beach a little further west of the cemetery. <BR> <BR>Also, don't miss Pointe du Hoc, also a little further west. Absolutely impressive. It is relatively unchanged since D-Day - the bomb craters are still there. Unbelievable destruction. I have a postcard, showing "then and now" from the air - amazing how little has changed. <BR> <BR>Do I think you can do all this in a day? MAYBE. Depends on how much you want to absorb. Things you may miss: There is a great Battery, Merville Battery, down the road a ways from Pegasus Bridge - heading over the bridge and away from the beaches. I thought this was a highlight of my visit - it was a cool little museum. If you are pressed for time you might end of opting out of visiting - which would be a shame. <BR> <BR>Also, up the beach from Charlie Green sector - some examples of the Atlantic Wall. Very cool. Again, if you are pressed – you might not try to explore… <BR> <BR>Other things you will miss by doing it in a day trip: <BR> <BR>You will not see the beaches at dawn. This was very important to me. We saw the first three beaches (east-west) one day, stayed in Bayeux, and the next morning I crept out of the house at 5 AM to drive the 20 or so minutes to Omaha Beach. I walked the beach at sunrise alone (this was Memorial Day weekend, a week before the actual D-Day anniversary) and it was a truly moving experience. The whole huge stretch of beach - I was alone save for one other person way way far away. It was nippy and windy - couldn't have imagined taking that beach, soaking wet, with a 60 pound pack on my back while getting shelled! <BR> <BR>After I walked the beach, I got in the car and drove to the cemetery & had that to myself at dawn too. (this is why I especially liked the bluff overlooking the beach...) so very peaceful. <BR> <BR>and in the end, we just didn't have enough time to go to Utah beach, and I completely missed Ste. Mere Eglise. <BR> <BR>So you see, even doing this over two days is tough. <BR> <BR>I would urge you, at a minimum, to try to make it an overnight trip. If you are renting a car only for the day – what time would you have to have it back – subtract three hours from that! If you can’t stand the thought of driving and parking in Paris – you’d have to have it back at the rental place before they closed up shop for the night… Plus if you rented the car for 2 days – stay overnight, head back to Paris the next day, see Giverny on the way back, and drop the car off! Voila. <BR> <BR <BR> <BR>Beth <BR> <BR>let's see if this posts in one swoop.

Am I wrong to assume that you can take a train to Normandy?? If you can take a train, how do you get around once you are there? Or can you not do that? <BR> <BR>Seems like we may want to spend the night...or save it for another time. I'm not sure that I want to give up a night in Paris this time...since we only have 3 nights to start with Thanks for your posts! <BR> <BR>Lara

OK, here is what you do. <BR> <BR>You can certainly take a train, but you can't get to any of the beaches without some other form of transportation. A bike would take too long, a car would have to be it. <BR> <BR>You can hire a taxi, find a bus tour outfit (can't help you there, don't know of any) or you can call Colonel Chilcott NOW (or well before your trip) to set up a guided tour of any battlefields/beaches you want. It'll cost ya, but he is awesome. I would imagine he would be able to pick you up/drop you off at the train station, for a fee, but I honestly don't know specifics on that aspect. <BR> <BR>do a search on his name here, I don't have his address/phone on me, but I have written about him in the past many times. <BR> <BR>let me know what you do! <BR> <BR>

I just got back from a 15 day trip to Europe and Normandy was my favorite! We were there during Memorial Day weekend. What a wonderful history lesson. <BR> <BR>We took a train from Paris to Caen (costs about $32 US), which took about 2.5 hours. There are several rental car agencies right across the street from the Caen train station (we used Hertz). From there we drove to Bayex, which takes about 20 minutes, and went the Tourist Information Center for all our maps, etc. The TI closes Noon - 2 pm. Be sure to get a road map of the region from the car rental agency. We didn't have any trouble driving as everything was very well marked. I do recommend that you get a small car. The streets/roads are very narrow. <BR> <BR>We were there 2 days and visited only the D-Day sites: American Cemetery (very moving), Omaha Beach, Point Du Hoc, St. Mere Eglise, Arromanches, La Cambe (German Cemetery). It was all wonderful. There were a couple of sites that still have the armament in tact, but we didn't know that when were there. I wish we had spent another day in Normandy and one day less in Paris. <BR> <BR>The Musee d' Normandy in Bayex is excellent. We were there 3 hours and bought a lot of books at this museum and at Arromanches. <BR> <BR>Right now, it doesn't get dark until almost 10 p.m., so we were able to cover a lot of ground during our visit. <BR> <BR>IMO, you should plan more than one day in Normandy if you want to truly experience history.

I believe this has been shared elsewhere. First of all, there are bus tours from Paris during the "Season". Unfortunately, they may not be running in October. Another option for a FULL day trip is: train to Caen, take a bus/taxi to the memorial/museum (don't recall the name). The memorial/museum operates (or at least used to) a minivan tour of many sights. Don't have the memorial/museum's name/number or website. Try a web search of memorial and caen etc. Reservations for the minivan tour are recommended. After the tour, catch a bus/ taxi back to the station and back to Paris.

You can do the D-Day beaches in one day: <BR> <BR>You can take a train to Bayeux (there are a couple of direct trains, others change at Caen), then pick up a bus tour there. Across from the train station is Normandy Tours. You can also arrange for a pickup from another company: <BR>http://www.busfly.com/ <BR> <BR>I would recommend you take as early a train as possible so that you have a full day; I've used Normandy Tours, and the driver wanted to know what train we were taking to Paris so that he'd get us back in time.