Tell me about your daytrip to Normandy
 

We will be in Paris for a week in March and are interested in doing a daytrip to Normandy. We would like to see the Caen Museum, as well as the D-day Beaches and Cemetery.

I have read many of the posts here about trips to Normandy. I know it is better to spend atleast one night there, if not more. However, we won't be able to do that, as we have rented an apartment in Paris for the whole week.

Basically, I am asking for those who HAVE done Normandy in a daytrip to tell me about their experience. How did you get from Paris to Normandy, by train, car or private driver? How much did it cost? If by private driver, would you recommend them and how can I contact them. If you used a tour company which one, cost, etc. What did you see while there? Lastly, the big question - was it worth it for YOU doing it in a day, or do you wish you had just waited until you could have spent more time?

Thank you for any information you can provide. We (husband and I ) will be travelling with our 2 kids (age 10 and 13) and my parents. With 6 of us travelling together I thought it might be cheaper (or about the same, but more convenient to have a driver from Paris).

Thanks for any and all information you can provide.

jgg:

We did it in March 2004. We took the early train from the Gare St. Lazarre, arriving in Caen around 9 a.m., where we picked up a car across the street from the train station. From there we drove to the museum at Arromanches, the gun sights at Longues sur Mer, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery and Pont du Hoc. Form there we drove to Bayeux where we grabbed a quick, late lunch, saw the tapestry, then drove back to Caen for our return train trip, which I believe arrived in Paris around 8:30 p.m.

At no time did we feel rushed, although there were obviously some limits on time spent in any one place. But we had more than enough time to linger at the American Cemetery which, as many have posted, is quite affecting. All of the above destinations are in relative proximity. I would say, however, that adding the Caen Museum would make the same trip virtually impossible. From all that I know, the museum requires several hours or more to do it justice.

If I were to do the trip again (and we will do it again this December for three nights with our two teenage boys), I would consider a guide, especially at the Cemetery where there are an infinite number of stories to be told. But even without one, we enjoyed the experience immensely.

Just a perspective: You have a home, with expenses. Yet you're renting an apartment in Paris, and during that time paying for both, unless someone is paying to stay in your home while you're away. Similarly, you could stay a night in Normandy if you wanted and pay for a hotel room as well as the unused night in Paris.

We did Normandy as a daytrip from Paris in September 2004. It was definitely worth it. We were in a similar situation, a week's apartment in Paris with my 60 something parents. We took an early train to Bayeux (easy connection through Caen on the way there, arriving about 9:45 and back directly from Bayeux leaving about 7:00). It is an easy walk into the center of town from the train station. We took a quick tour of the small DDay museum there and a walk through town and then met our guide after lunch Alain Chesnel, a Frenchman and historian, www.overlordtours.com who was excellent. He has a Mercedes van. We were 4 and another couple who arranged through their hotel in Bayeux. I would definitely recommend a guide if you have just the day. You might also consider going to Caen to what is supposed to be an excellent museum. They also have their own minibus tours and you can combine a ticket for a museum visit and a tour www.memorial-caen.fr (choose English page if you don't read French). I wanted my parents to see a "typical" French town so we picked Bayeux as we understood unlike Caen it was not destroyed in the war. Only one thing was a bit disappointing about the trip. The train runs in a "ditch" so except in a few places you can't see the countryside, only the hedges lining the "ditch". Unless it was hugely more expensive, if I did it again I would hire a van with a driver to take us from Paris and back again to be able to see a bit of the French countryside, maybe since you are really a complete group of 6, having Mr. Chesnel hop on your van when you get to Bayeux or Caen. To compare, our round trip train tickets were a total of about 200 Euro for 4 people with a senior discount for my parents plus maybe a 12 Euro cab fare each way from to the train station. Enjoy planning your trip!

I haven't run the numbers, but I suspect that for six, it would be more economical to rent a van in Paris, drive to Bayeux, and hire a guide at the Tourist Information Center there. I can't think of a good reason to pay anyone to drive you from Paris.

With your own vehicle, you could get to Normandy earlier than the first train arrives, and stay later.

In any case, a day trip is definitely feasible. If you like seafood, try to be in Port-en-Bessin around lunch or supper time!

Hi JGG
Did the Normandy thing about two weeks ago. If you are dead set on spending every night in Paris, I think you can still do it without feeling too rushed. We spent the night in Bayeux, but after a leisurely breakfast, we were on roughly the same time schedule as you will be having staying in Paris.
Take the train from St. Lazare to Caen. Rent a car across the street from the train station in Caen. (I would recommend Bayeux, but couldn't find a car rental there). Drive from Caen thru (or in the direction of) Bayeux, to St. Mere Eglise. Visit the square and church with the soldier hanging from the steeple. From there go to the coast and Utah beach with all the monuments and museum. From there, down the coast to Point Du Hoc. Very impressive - plan to spend a couple of hours. BTW - an excellent place for a wine, cheese, and bread picnic. From there to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. Very beautiful and sobering. From there back through Bayeux and the tapestry (if you are interested), and then a 45 minute trip back to Caen and the museum. Turn the car in and walk across the street to the station for the train back to Paris.
Do you need a guide?? It depends on how much research you are willing to do on the net for Normandy and the D-Day invasion. I am really interested in that and spent a couple of months reading up on it. No guide necessary. Also, our car (4 people) was $115. That was about a third of what a tour would have been and we would have missed the picnic, etc.
However you do it, Normandy will be one of the most impressive experiences you have ever had I think. Don't miss it.
shrink

JGG
For what it's worth, if you want a quick and dirty history of D-Day showing all the places you will be seeing and putting them into perspective, rent "The Longest Day". It is a rather old movie (John Wayne no less), it shows all the areas mentioned in my above posting but without all the blood and gore of "Saving Private Ryan".
shrink

We did this a couple years ago. We had initially planned on taking the train to Bayeux and then a guided tour. The tour company gave us the wrong train information though, so we never even left Paris that day. So we went back to our hotel and asked the lady at the front desk to find a way for us to see the area. She arranged a private driver for us for the next day. We were picked up early in the morning, and our stops included the museum in Caen ( a must see! ), the American Cemetary and Omaha Beach, the Tapestry in Bayeux, and our lunch stop was at Port en Bessin. Yes, we would have loved to see more, but we had our children with us and it was our last full day in Paris, so we did what we could.

Our driver was a taxi driver that our hotel knew, and he liked to go to that area every week or so. So it was a good arrangement, and he was very good with our children as well. Over lunch, he told them how the schools in France work and we all chatted about the differences.

For us, it worked out well with our limited time. I do think you could see more than we did in one day, but we really lingered everywhere. My DH had just returned from a 6 month military deployment a few days before this trip, so he was busy taking in every morsel of information.

Take Michelin map #102 with you so you can orient yourself with respect to the progress of the battle.

details please mms! at least what hotel so jgg can e-mail there and ask what taxi driver this might have been.

laurie ann--The hotel was the Best Western Bretagne Montparnasse. Here is the website for it, http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwest...ertyCode=93307. The drivers name was Roger, and truly, he was fantastic. We liked him so much that we had him take us to the airport the next day for our flight home. I really wish I would have gotten his contact information at the time.

Thank you all for this helpful information.

Laurie Ann- I had already contacted Alain Chesnel about possibly doing a tour with him. Glad you enjoyed him.

Robespierre - thanks for the rec. to rent a car and drive ourselves to Paris. I don't know why I didn't think of that option!! Sometimes we get so sidetracked. That way we could also really see the countryside. My only concern is since it will be in March, we may be driving home a bit in the dark. I know the train ride is about two hours, is it about the same in a car??

Shrink - Thanks for the recommendation of "The Longest Day" . My husband and I have seen "Saving Private Ryan" but my Mom couldn't handle the blood, etc. and "The Longest Day" may also be better for the kids.

mms- thanks for the rec. for Roger. I will see if it is possible to find out how to get in touch with him.

I'm definitely leaning towards trying to do it!

There is one thing about hiring a driver. If you don't hire a driver (or take the train) one of you has to do it. That means the driver doesn't get quite the sightseeing or the enjoyment that others have. And you always get lost at least once, and then one of you is screaming at the other.... o.k. maybe that's just my vacations. It depends, some people love to drive and don't mind what they might miss otherwise, but it is something to consider. Bonne chance!

I have been to Normandy a few times including a one day trip from Paris in which we traveled on a scheduled van that holds eight.Chances are that your partyof 6 in March could be exclusive.The driver will be your exclusive tour guide.The leading bus people in Paris Cityrama and Paris Vision have them..not cheap but includes everything including pick up from your apt at 6AM and return about 8 PM.Ain't cheap but has everything you want and more.including lunch. You can get all the details on their web site(if adding .com doesnt work go to Google)
Ask all questions you want.

Also stayed for a while in Bayeau on another trip as central point to see everything.It's the best way to do it.

My first trip to Normandy included a boat trip but that was early June of 1944. And it took us over 2 months to get to Paris but the reception was well worth it.

Hi Bigal,
Read your response and just want to say glad you made it to Paris for the welcome and happy to see you are still here to give advice. Thank you!

To Bigal,

Thank you for what you did.

A small personal story,
we visited France about two years ago (Paris, Lyon, Amboise, and Bayeaux). We got back and we asked our eight year old son what was the high point of the trip. His response was the D-day beaches, and pillboxes and Arromanches.

Thanks Bigal
Once saw this bumper sticker it said If you can read this thank a teacher If it's in English thank a vet!
Glad you made it to Paris!

Thanks everybody for your comments directed to me. Thought I might mention that since the war I have been a regular visitor to France since and whenever I get in conversation with the locals and mention when my first visit to France was aside from the merci beaucoups many many French automatically give me their noted embrace. Just to let you know that many French are appreciative of the American contribution to their liberation.

JGG - shld you decide to stay o'nite at Bayeaux or closer to Paris, suggest you include a visit to Monet's Garden at Giverney-Normanby on the return trip to Paris. You won't regret it . . . Jay (it was one of the highlights of our visit to Bayeaux & surrounding area - and of course, a tad lighter!!