We'll be in Paris March 17-20, and are interested in a tour to the Normandy beaches to see WWII sites. Can anyone provide the names or websites of companies providing such Normandy tours? Thanks,

I just learned this yesterday reading on this site.

wwww.battlebus.com

Has different tours of WWII sites.

Excellent choice we did it last year

<b>http://battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/ww2_battlefield_tours.htm</b>

The best deal seems to be <i>Les Taxis du Bessin</i>, who will take up to 7 people where they want to go and stay as long as they like for 70&euro; or less.

You can book them at the Bayeux railroad station or at the Tourist Information Bureau in town.

We had a lovely tour from Paris to Normandy with Parisvision. You can book on line.

it is www.battlebus.fr if anyone is looking for that site.

Did the American Highlights Battlebus tour back in November and it was awesome!

You will be in Paris for 3 days and you want to do a day trip to anywhere! The Normandy day will be a 16 hour one.

Gretchen....nothing wrong with wanting to do DDay sights in Normandy on one of those days. I am sure there are plenty of people who would put the Normandy beaches on a par with Paris...certainly having been so close, not to have been there.

I have been to Normandy a few times and went once on a day trip from Paris. Most all the tour buses in Paris have such a trip. I went on Parisvision and you also have Cityrama .Battlebus is fairly new. They have a trip with a regular tour bus and also a small van that holds 7/8 people. The driver is your personal tour guide and gives a more intimit presentation than the bus albeit a bit more expensive. In the van you are picked up very early in the AM at your hotel and returned there at about 8 PM.

I vote against any organized tour. My problem with them is that you have to go where their timetable requires you to, and when it requires it.

The D-Day invasion area is not a &quot;the bus will be leaving in fifteen minutes&quot; kind of place. You need time to stop here and reflect, linger at a museum, or skip another place altogether. The rigid sort of canned tour might be suitable for the monuments of Paris, but I really think it detracts from the experience of what happened on the sacred beaches of Normandy.

Though the one day car rental may be steep, I agree with Robespierre. You can't see eveything in the amount of time that you have, so why not be the one to choose which ones you do see?

Take the train to Caen, and pick up a rental. Be sure to book the car before you go. The fares will be much less.

Keith

I was on those sacred beaches in June 1944 and I will attest that the van trip that is offered (7 people with your own guide) will let you see a great experience as to what happened those years ago. It is not like a bus tour and the guide/driver does an awful lot to accomodate individual wishes. My first return to Normandy was a week in Bayeux with a car. Right now we are advising a person who has one day to spare from a short trip to Paris and thinks it that important to see those beaches etc. Under those conditions in MHO I think the small van is his best bet.Believe me he won't be in a herd and a wonderful opportunity for a great experience.

My experience with the van was with Parisvision (Citirama has the same trip) Just not to confuse wuth any other suggestions.

Les Taxis du Bessin charge a maximum of about 100&euro; per carload (typically 70&euro for an all-day tour. If I read the Battlebus tariff correctly, their in-season price for a car with driver is 450&euro;.

Whether the difference is worth it is an individual decision.