I have tried searching for a similar thread but nothing comes up for me. I will be in Paris this summer for the first time, and as a U.S. Veteran I would love to take a day trip from Paris to Normandy. Would I be able to take a train to Normandy? How long is the trip and will it drop me off close to the D-Day sites. <BR> <BR>Thank you.

John, here is a copy of posts about the D Day beaches. <BR>Advice from Fodor’s posters Oct 2000 <BR>For the D-Day beaches, take the train to Bayeux. Jean-Marc Bacon, whose father runs the hotel De La Gare right across from the station, will take you all around the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, etc. in his van. His English is excellent, and he is a wealth of information about the invasion (he's been studying about it since he was a kid). There is no way to get to the beaches via train; you must drive, be driven, or bicycle. Normandy Tours telephone 31 92 10 70; fax 31 51 95 99. <BR>About $40 pp for virtually the whole day; you can be back in time to catch a train back to Paris. <BR> <BR>Nov 2000: My sister and I took the train from Paris. From the Caen train station, <BR>you can take either a taxi or bus (I suggest a taxi is much more straight forward) to the memorial museum. There are mini-bus tours that can take you on a variety of tours, including the landing beaches and the American Cemetery. The driver/tour conductor is English speaking. Be sure that you know BEFORE you leave Paris what times the return trains are on the day you are going. We took our time and had dinner in Caen because we thought there was a late train to Paris that turned out not to run on the day we were there (had to stay overnight)!. <BR> <BR>

John, If you can extend your trip a few days, you could rent a car at the airport, go to Normandy, stay overnight,return your car to the airport or at Caen and take the train back to Paris. <BR>Normandy is beautiful, I don't think I could have done the beaches, Mere St. Eglise and Caen Memorial Museum in a day. It was very emotional and I needed to sit and take it all in slowly. <BR>Rent the film "The Longest DAy" and watch it again before you go.

A trip to Normandy's D-Day beaches is an absolute must do, IMHO. There are tour companies with one-day tours in English to the D-Day beaches, such as the one at this website http://www.britishnetworkltd.com/tours/pv_dday.htm It is probably a bit expensive, but it may also be a good alternative. <BR> <BR>Another option is renting a car just for the day. While driving the Normandy landings coastal route, there are alongside the road, renmants of artillery, museums, conmemorative plaques, monuments, views, so much to see. I imagine that as a U.S. Veteran, you'll not want to miss a single thing. I believe that on your own, at your own pace, is probably the best way to visit the area. Can you accomodate an overnight? It is definitely worth it. Your hotel might be able to help you out with car rental locations, please feel free to e-mail me if you need further details, i.e. HERTZ has a location under the explanade of Place Des Invalides. <BR> <BR>I will also try to dug up some old threads with some really good instructions, such as the one "herself" pasted.

Thanks for the help so far. I should have mentioned I would like to go alone, as I and tre others I am traveling with do not enjoy tours. We prefer to go at our own pace. <BR> <BR>It looks like I would take the train to Caen, and try to find some sort of transport to the beaches and sites. Unfortunately, renting a car is not an option and we can not extend either. Any time I have there I will be grateful for. <BR> <BR>If anyone else has suggestions I would love to hear them.

My family is also planning on a day trip to Normandy from Paris. We are a family of four, kids age 18 and 13. Our general plan is to take a train to Bayeux and then a tour up to the beach. <BR> <BR>As we only have one day, we're not interested in seeing all the beaches and cemeteries, just Omaha and the cemetery that overlooks it. <BR> <BR>I have heard Jean-Marc Bacon mentioned several times. How do we contact him? Does he require reservations? How long is his tour? Any other pertinent information? Any other recommended tours? <BR> <BR>