This September we booked six nights in Paris. I’m interested in a day trip to Normandy by train. I’m curious if this was a good tourist experience. I prefer an 8am train to Normandy and book a tour to meet us once we arrive. Does this sound doable?

Depending on the tour, expect a full and long day. The tour I took in Normandy started at 8am and was still going at 6pm - and I was already in Bayeux overnight. So adding a train ride to this might hinder schedules.

It is up to you whether it would be worth your time or money as well as what the tour covers - they do tend to be pretty standard depending on the area of Normandy you want to cover.

If you can swing it to where you are able to stay a night or two in Normandy, maybe consider that. But if you only have 6 days (I am assuming none of these are arrival days), and this is a must-see for you then just be aware of how long of a day it would be.

In November 2019, we did a daytrip to Normandy, Our travel companions had time constraints and were unable to manage an overnight. We took a train Paris-Bayeux, leaving Paris about 7 am. We had arranged a tour for the four of us with Overlord Tours and our guide met us at the train station just after 9. Yes, it was a very full day; our train back to Paris left Bayeux around 6 pm.

We had booked one of their tours (the website lists a number of them) but our companion also was hoping to see the Bayeux tapestry. The guide tweaked the day’s agenda in order to get us back to Bayeux to see the tapestry, then picked us up to take us to the train station.

Thank you this day trip could work. I emailed Overlord Tours for more information.

It would be a busy day but it is so worthwhile and a shame not to stay overnight as Bayeux is especially charming and it is also a foodie destination. It is very moving to go to Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Pont Du Hoc as well as the other DDay beaches and memorials although they are a bit farther afield. Both the Cathedral and the Bayeaux Tapestry are incredible to see and it would be a shame to miss seeing those. We spent two nights and in retrospect, another night and full day would have been ideal.

Forgive me if I missed it ... but what, exactly, do you hope to see in Normandy? It's a large area with a range of options.

Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and Bayeux
Another trip is needed to enjoy this area more but for now a day tour will be a great start.

Our experience was in 2009. We wanted to do a tour to Normandy from Paris but we had just one day left to do it and just two tickets available for our family of three. We visited the local tourism office and narrated our problem looking for a solution. They said why don't you go by train (I think the station was Gare du nord) to Normandy. Visit the local tourist office there and book their afternoon trip for D Day sites. The bus will even drop you back at the station, if you request the driver. And we did just that. We booked tickets at the station that evening itself for the next day morning and took a lovely train ride around 9 am to Normandy. The visuals of the country side was lovely. It was a fast train and I think we reached around 11 am. The tourist office was at walking distance from the railway station. The Paris tourist centre had given us directions to the office. We booked our tickets for the noon tour and walked around exploring the town. We had a great lunch at a family run restaurant . And then walked back to the tourist office for the tour to start. We went around in a van. The tour was great! And then we were dropped at the station to catch our return trip to Paris. We had a wonderful leisurely trip and we actually saved a lot of money by not doing the bus tour and splurged on a sumptuous dinner that night at a good restaurant 😄.

Just returned from 2 nights in Bayeux and did a full day tour with Overlord that started at 8:20am. Their booking info states that you can't join this tour unless you are overnighting in Bayeux or the vicinity. If you can make it work Joy2 I would definitely stay in Bayeux for a couple of nights. The town itself is charming and the full day D-day tour is long and tiring.

Unfortunately we can’t stay in Bayeux overnight but definitely our next trip to France.

THANK YOU everyone for the great tips I’m looking forward to our one day visit from Paris.