Paris to Normandy train
 

Hello everyone,
My family is taking a trip to Paris at the end of April. We are going to take the train from Paris to Caen (Normandy) on one of the days we are there. Is it better to buy the tickets now since the Dollar is not strong against the Euro? If so, should I buy from Rail Europe? Suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

Buying from Rail Europe is going to be your most expensive option. For a train to Caen you are fine waiting until you get to Paris to buy the ticket.

Or if you want to buy now (and you probably could save some money doing so with a prem fare) book it on the SNCF site.

I would love to hear how it went after you get back. My family is doing the same thing in August, and the train websites have me confused.

What exactly are you going to do in Caen, and for how long? Are you spending the night (you say "on one of the days"). The reason I ask is, if you are doing DDay sites/tours, you might do better just booking a bus trip from Paris. I would also think you can just show up at the train station (Gare St. Lazare) and buy tickets. There might even be a family discount ticket.

The fare for Paris-Caen is so cheap that i would not bother about online discounts if you find www.voyages-sncf.com tough to make work as many do.

This is not a TGV line and only Corail TEOZ trains on the route demand reservations others do not.

Taking the train from Paris to Caen is very easy. The only thing is to be sure you have a tour guide lined up before you get up there. We didn't but lucked out that there was room on another tour for us to join in. Our tour guide was Rosine Martel. She was absolutely fantastic. She took us back roads to the sites so we could experience the countryside. Her email is [email protected]. She was educated in the US and grew up in the Normandy area. Hope this helps.

Hi T,

If you purchase your tickets online at www.voyages-sncf.com you will find PREMS fares available for 15E instead of full price of 29E.

You can print your ticket online at home.

((I))

This is directed to IRA or anyone else who knows. Perhaps you can tell me, step by step, how to locate fares on www.voyages-sncf.com and print them out at home. sncf keeps transferring me to the Rail Europe web site, when it comes to the point where it asks where the tickets are to be delivered.

Ira will help out but i think you put down France and then print them out at home?

I agree with booking now to get the PREM fares. We saved a lot by doing this last year. There is a really good thread by MorganB which is a tutorial on how to buy the tickets. We did what PalenQ said, and it worked.

And they say i believe to print out at home you should decline the insurance

While the main page is in French, click on train and the text will be in English:

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/leisure/uk/launch/home/

Can you please tell me how long the train trip takes. It sounds wonderful.

Paris to Caen is about 1:50 to 2 hours. Paris to Bayeux is a little over two hours direct, but often a connection in Caen is more convenient. Thus the trip time varies with how long the connection in Caen is.

Last summer we took the direct train from Paris to Bayeux and I believe our trip was 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Going to the American Cemetery from Paris?
To get to Normandy from Paris - Take the train from Paris to Caen and then to Bayeux OR Paris to Bayeux. Then you will need to hop on the bus to get you to the American Cemetery.

hop the mini-buses that is - no real dependable regular bus service - some spotty services but for most the mini-bus tours offered by several companies, including one right at the Bayeus train station (actually in a old hotel behind it) will take you to the cemetery and other key D-Day sights at a reasonable rate.

For lots of great info about French trains - check out www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.voyages-sncf.com - the official site of the Societe National des chemins des fer francaises or the SNCF, the French National Railways.

<B>outdoor7or24:</B> Welcome to Fodors. I sort of doubt the OP is still looking for advice/suggestions. The trip was 3+ years ago.

Oops look for janis Luv to point out what eluded us other dolts!

You might consider going a bit further and visiting Bayeaux.

I'll be in Paris next week, and would like to do a simple trip to Normandy to visit the the beach and american cemetary. Any suggestions on how to do simply that (self guided...?)....:)

For a self-guided trip you'll need a car, and renting one for a single day costs about the same as renting one for 3 days. You would take a train to Caen, pick up the car, and drive to the beaches, Arromanches, Pointe du Hoc, Ste Mère Eglise, the cemeteries, etc. I would also highly recommend you visit the Mémorial in Caen (takes up to 4 hours, though), and make a stop in Bayeux to see the tapestry. You'd be better off spending a night or two than making it a day trip, as there is much to do.

This may be of some help to you to plan trip to Normandy and the D Day beaches: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=2057610

I'd agree with StCirq. Without a guide, you'd need at least one overnight to see much of the American D-day sites. It'd be tough to get it all in in 7 or 8 hours - first train arrives in Caen at 9:51 am and last one leaves at 7:08 pm. Kind of tough to rent car, see sites, return car and catch train.

Our March trip involved train to Caen, rent car, drive to Peace Museum, drive to hotel, dinner, sleep. We included a trip to Mt. St. Michel, so we stayed another night and caught the first train out on Sunday. Our Saturday was a long day, but we saw MSM, then came back through St. Lo, went to Pointe du Hoc, the beach, the American Cemetery and were worn out so we went to hotel and then walked around Port en Bessin before going to bed.

But if you're ambitious, you CAN do it in one day.

The first train from Paris to Caen arrives at 08:51, not 09:51. The last train from Caen to Paris departs at 20:24, not 19:08.

TimS: Your times are correct. So are mine. I selected weekend travel (Saturday), and the times I posted are correct. Your times are likely more useful, as they apply for M-F.

Oh well schedules change this December 11 when winter schedules come in and don't change to summer until early June I believe - but times do indeed rarely change much IME.

apersuader65,

Yes, my times are for weekdays. And yes, yours are correct for Saturdays.

For Sundays the earliest arrival time in Caen is 10:57 and the last departure time to Paris is 21:28.

Some Corail TEOZ trains may run this route and if so they require a seat reservation and ticket before boarding - otherwise on the regional trains a ticket can be used to board any of them that day as seat reservations on those are optional and nearly no one makes them. Just hop on.

There is no Corail TEOZ service for Paris-Caen. Seat reservations are optional on the Intercites trains that run Paris-Caen. No reservations are possible on regional trains.

For the person who wants to visit for a day, you can do a long day's tour from Paris by ParisVision or such. It would probably be less than what you would have to spend for a car, etc.

Better IMo is to take a train to Bayeux then hop the several mini-bus tours from there that take you in either a half-day journey or a full-day to the top D-Day sights. The Paris Vision type tours often require a very early reveille and may even pack in Versailles or Giverny or Chartres into one very very long day.