Paris to Normandy
 

Hello Fodorites:

We are planning a trip to Paris with a side trip to Normandy next year. Preliminary plans have us going in mid or late April, get off the plane in Paris, and take a train to our destination in Normandy for 2-3 days, and then return to Paris for the remainder of the trip.

What is a good city to base a tour of Normandy D-Day sites?
How hard are the logistics to get to Normandy from Paris after a 9-10 Hour flight?
Any good D-Day tours?
How is the weather in April?

Any appropriate counsel would be helpful.

Thanks in advance
Greg

Bayeux is a perpetual favorite D-Day base for FodorFriends it seems and for good reason.

One of the few if perhaps only city in the area not destroyed by war it retains an old charm. Fairly compact there is also the astounding Cathedral and the Uber famous and immense Queen Matilda's Tapestry done shortly after the 1066 Norman Invasion ('liberation of England') and still hanging in a local museum

From Bayeux mini-bus tours take you to the nearby sites such as the Colleville-sur-Mer military cemetery that overlooks some of the beaches that saw the heaviest invastion and German defensive action.

There are about a dozen mini-bus tour companies and they will pick you up at your hotel.

And from Bayeux you can take a train to Pontorson for Mont Saint-Michel then the next day a train or bus to Rennes for TGV back to Paris.

I would spend a night (or more) in Paris before catching a train to Normandy.

Besides making for a less exhausting first day, it also offers the opportunity to stay in two differnet neighborhoods while in Paris.

How many nights in total is your trip?

Thanks;

Total trip not counting travel days is 9-10days.

Greg

You will need to go into Paris to get a train to Normandy; this fact led us to rent a car at CDG, drive for a couple of hours to Les Andelys and spend the night there. We drove on to one of our destinations in Normandy the next day. This worked well for us; depending upon your energy level after a long flight, you might not want to schlep into Paris and then get on a train for Normandy. But everyone is different and some prefer it this way.

We stayed in Bayeux as our base for Normandy and used Battlebus for our D-Day tour. The weather in early/mid May ('05) in Normandy was cool-- quite chilly, windy, and rainy on the beaches. I wore cashmere sweaters under my raincoat. Paris (took the train there from Caen, where we returned the rental car) was a bit warmer but still wore the raincoat every day.

Regardless, it was a wonderful trip, and we were pleased with how well the logistics worked out.

toursAn in-depth tour of Juno Beach and inland Private/Personalised Minibus Tours Private D-Day/Battlefield Tours · Military/Staff Rides ...
www.battlebus.fr/tours/

BattlebusBattlebus is an established company offering top quality Normandy tours for small groups ... Minibus Tours of the D-Day Beaches and Battlefields of Normandy ...
www.battlebus.fr/

Have you thought of renting a car? We rented a car and drove from Paris to Normandy. It doesn't take long to get there - a couple of hours. I would spend the night in Paris for your first night, then drive to Normandy the next morning. You'll be refreshed and it's probably a better idea to drive in a foreign country for the first time in daylight! We were staying in an old farmhouse in the countryside, and each day took a different side trip to see the Normandy sites. We enjoyed having a car because we could alter our route if we saw something interesting (which we often did!) Best advice - get a car with a navigation system. It is amazing how accurate and helpful those things are . . . "at the next roundabout, take the third left. . . " As for sites to see in Normandy, we highly recommend Honfleur. It is the most beautiful town - a great spot for a lunch destination. While visiting the D-Day beaches, be sure to check out Pont du Hoc - much of it has been left unchanged. It is a very emotional journey.

Bon Voyage!

Greg,

Based on 9 nights total, I would spend just one night in Paris before heading to Normandy whether you take a train or rent a car.

If you take a train, it leaves from Gare St. Lazare which isn't a bad area for one night. There are six different Metro lines at the St. Lazare station.

Even if you rent a car, you can pick one up at many locations outside the city center (an easy metro or RER ride) if you prefer not to drive in central Paris.

Spending a night in Paris requires a superfluous check-in/check-out process.

I would:
• Go to the RER station in Terminal 2
• Buy a ticket to Paris for 8,20€
• Get on the next RER Ligne B train (they all go to Paris)
• Ride to Gare du Nord
• Change to the RER Ligne E
• Ride to Gare St-Lazare (it's covered by the same ticket)
• Buy tickets for the next train to Bayeux

Next morning, go to the Tourist Information Center in town. They will book you a driver/guide that charges for a carload what the others get for each person.

Superfluous to some perhaps. When I touch down in Paris I am already exhausted.

<i>Tant pis pour vous.</i>

I imagine I am not alone. After a sleepless 10 hour overnight flight, shuttles, immigration, etc. I am sure many others would be happy to stop travelling for one day.

And just as many would prefer to continue on to their destination. I don't think it's reasonable to assume that everyone has your flight duration and/or tolerance for time zone change. Notice that I prefaced my plan with &quot;I would&quot; - I do not recommend it for everyone, only offer it as an alternative. You seem to be telling OP that only your way is workable.

Furthermore, people post on this board almost every day describing how they landed at Heathrow, transferred to Waterloo, and rode the Eurostar to Paris the same day. Or flew into Frankfurt and got on the next train to Munich.

Thanks to all.

Any ideas on hotels in Bayeux?

<i>Notice that I prefaced my plan with &quot;I would&quot;</i>

I did. Please notice that I did the same. Also, the OP clearly stated his flight duration.

Re: Bayeux. From Sunday's Chicago Tribune travel section: http://tinyurl.com/2c5emv

We stayed at the Hotel d'Argouges, right in Bayeux, w/in easy walking distance of Tapestry, restaurants, Battlebus Tour pick up, etc. It is reasonably priced and the common rooms are lovely (reception, breakfast room); the &quot;chambres&quot; are adequate but clean. It books early (we booked in Jan. for May) and is popular with Fodorites.

We flew into CDG and drove straight to Bayeux. If you have a overnight flight and sleep well it is no problem to drive. It really doesn't take long to get there.

We stayed at Le Lion d’Or, 71, rue Saint Jean, 14400 Bayeux, Phone: 011 33 2 3192 0690 for two nights. It is walkable from the train station and to the Cathedral and the Tapestry Museum.

It's a nice hotel, and the food was good. They got us a van tour.

We also had a very good dinner at Le Petit Bistrot, a Fodors recommendation.

In Bayeux, we stayed at the Hotel Churchill just this summer. The hotel was great. Not fancy, but well kept, fantastic location right in the center of everything, and the staff were extremely helpful. The town is small enough that it is easy walking distance from the train station to the hotel, if that interests you at all.

We did the one day tour with Battlebus, and it was exceptionally good. We were kicking ourselves for not making time for the 2 day tour. We had been to the area once before with a private driver, but this was much better. BTW, the Battlebus tours leave from the edge of the hotels parking lot.

Another reco for Le Petit Bistro in Bayeux.

Hello Greg

Sounds like you are getting alot of helpful responses to your inquiry. Another beautiful town (not bombarded by the war and within an hour to the landing beaches is Normandy. A beautiful b&amp;b recently opened with terrific reviews on tripadvisor right in the center of town and walking distance to excellent (Michelin) restaurants Ru by an American owner and here French husbanc, here is their website in Honfleur

www.lapetitefolie-honfleur.com

Certainly everyone has his/her own tolerance level for more travel, logistics included, after an overnight flight. Even so, in this case going right on to Bayeux makes sense to me. If Greg waits until the next morning to take the train to Bayeux, he won't be able to get there in time to take a full-day tour of the D-Day beaches. He may be groggy when he gets to Bayeux, but after a good night's sleep he'll be ready for a full day in Normandy.

Continuing on to Normandy after an all-night flight is NOTHING compared to some of the treks I've made on the first day.

We loved the Chateau de la Bellefontaine in Bayeux, and another recommendation for Le Petit Bistro in Bayeux.

flagging

Thanks to all,

Our tenative plan is for 3 days at the Hotel Churchill. We looked at Hotel d'Argouges (**), but the price on the website was a bit more than the Hotel Churchill which was a 3*.

Thanks to all, and if we did not take your advice let me assure y'all it was considered.

Greg

bm

I spent some time in Normandy in late April of this year. I went straight to Normandy (Rouen) from CDG, taking the RER to Gare du Nord, then taxi to St. Lazare. My suggestion is to take a taxi from CDG to St. Lazare. Yes, the RER is cheaper, but the line was horrendous for the RER ticket, as was the taxi queue at Gard du Nord. Especially do this if you have a time limit to get the Bayeux train. Whether the RER or taxi, I definitely wouldn't spend the first night in Paris. I arrived in Rouen by around 1:30 P.M. and enjoyed having the afternoon there. I loved Normandy - I stayed 2 weeks!

Please let us know what you think of the Hotel Churchill. My husband and I are trying to plan a similar trip in the near future. Thanks!

If you have 8,20&euro; in your jeans, I think you can buy your RER ticket from a machine at CDG. Anybody done this lately?

The transfer to RER E at Gare du Nord is a lot easier than getting a taxi.

I will be traveling to Bayeux next month. Taking an afternoon, two-hour train from Paris. Booked rail tix here through BudgetEuropeTravel.com (800-441-2387). Byron is very knowledgeable about trains in Europe - he can get advance booking fares for you. (learned about him on this site) Staying at Hotel Churchill. (www.hotel-churchill.fr).Taking full-day tour of D-Day beaches with Alain Chesnel @ OverlordTour. I know several people who have taken this tour and they all found it &quot;moving&quot; and informative. Taking train back to Paris and connecting to RER to stay at hotel near CDG.

In case Hotel Churchill doesn't pan out, we were very pleased with Hotel Lion d'Or in Bayeux. Here's how we handled the Paris/Normandy part. Our plane from the US landed in the morning at CDG. We rented a car, drove to Bayeux, checked in, lazed away the afternoon, got a good night's sleep, woke well-rested the next day for touring the beaches/D-Day sights. As far as the weather goes, we were there in March. It was cold, drizzly, at times blowing rain. My husband went back at the end of April this year. While it was warm in Paris, it was cool and drizzly, again, in Normandy. Hope this helps...happy planning.

I have been following this thread in anticipation of my spring 2008 trip. I appreciate all the helpful replies and all the different points of view.

Robespierre, thank you for the detailed explanation about getting from CDG to Gare St. Lazare. It sounded like a great idea...and the details were especially helpful.... until I remembered I'll have luggage with me. It's only a 22-inch rollaboard....but I've decided to splurge and take a taxi from CDG to Gare St. Lazare.

And thanks to everyone about all the information on Bayeux, tours, history, hotels, bistros, trains, chicago tribune, etc.

I looked up the website for La Petit Folie. Have any of our posters stayed here? I'm considering it as an alternative to L'Ecrin.

Caen is a great place to center your Normandy time. We also took the train from Paris, a pleasant ride with advance reservations. We arranged several months in advance for a Normandy guide, which in my opinion was well worth the price. We did some of it on our own with a rental car, but spent one long day with Nigel. His knowledge of the invasion and local countryside was fantastic. Other than the WWII sites, we went to Mont.St. Michele and San Melo, in Brittany. I will get my notes out and send you the contact information for Nigel. Not sure if you are flying from US, but if you are you'll be pretty tired if you go straight from the airport to the train station. Allow some rest time somewhere along the line or you'll be too tired to appreciate what you're seeing.

As promised, the guide we hired was Nigel Stewart at [email protected]. Not sure if you are a big history buff, but if so he's excellent. Watch Band of Brothers before you go, if possible.

Challiman:
Thanks, cant wait for your notes. Big history buff, espally WWII. Watched my copy of Band of Brothers about a million times so I should be well prepared.

Thanks

Also be sure to watch &quot;The Longest Day&quot; and &quot;Saving Private Ryan&quot;. I didn't see them until after my trip, and wished I'd done it before. Still haven't seen Band of Brothers, but am certainly going to get it.

I have heard many good things about the Hotel Churchill, and had planned to stay there on my trip. I ended up staying outside of Bayeux at Ferme de La Ranconniere, as I had a car and wanted to be in the countryside. That was a great place, (but only if you have a car). It was a terrific bargain, as dinner and breakfast were included.

Sue4;

Thanks for movie tips. Cornelius Ryan wrote the book &quot;Longest Day&quot; that was later turned into the movie of the same name. Saw the movie did not read the book. Read the S. Ambrose book on D-Day, it is very good. Ryan's book is recognized as a classic, written in the 50's from interviews of the participants only a few years removed from the battle.

&quot;Saving Private Ryan&quot; was loosely based on a true story as recounted in Ambrose's book “Band of Brothers&quot;. The real Private Ryan was a paratrooper in the 101st called Niland, but his rescue was not as dramatic as the movie. He was contacted after D-Day and told to go home – no search party, no Willie, no sticky bombs were needed. &quot;Saving Private Ryan&quot; may be instructive on what US solider went through on D-Day, but as history the movie is lacking. So I don't think it really should be recommended a reference for a D-Day tour.

On the other hand &quot;The Longest Day&quot; is very instructive and right on the details. For example, there is a scene in the movie Rommel is in Paris for his wife's birthday on June 6, 1944 - he thought the invasion would be put off by the rainy weather. This was one of the many things that tipped the battle in favor of the Allies in real life. This movie gives both the Allies &amp; the German perspective.

Greg

Bookmarking this wonderful information.

Challiman: Can you tell me why you opted for a private tour guide of Normandy area over a tour bus? And what was the price difference?

Le Petit Bistro sounds like a must-try.

Thanks!