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.