The Fat Tire Tour of the D-Day Sites
Mar 4th, 2009, 02:13 PM
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The Fat Tire Tour of the D-Day Sites
Has anyone used the Fat Tire Tour Service. We might use it to see the WWII sites in Normandy. If you did use them, how was your experience? It's our first trip to France. The boys first trip overseas. They're 9 and 14. The oldest is a WWII fanatic. We'll spend our time in Paris, but wanted to take a day trip to Normandy. Any opinions would be really appreciated!
Thank you,
biersk97
Thank you,
biersk97
Mar 4th, 2009, 03:22 PM
#2
We did not go to Normandy, but we did the tour in Paris and it was one of my girls' favorite things to do. They were 14 and 15 last summer. I found the guide very informative and funny. It was definitely a great way to tour Paris. Anyone from 5 to 100 could do it. So, I imagine their tours to Versaille and Normandy would be good.
Mar 4th, 2009, 03:27 PM
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We did this tour two years ago. Fat Tire just books the tour for you...they give you a roundtrip train ticket to Bayeaux where you meet a guide, give him/her your voucher, and climb on a bus.
I would recommend it for anyone whose time is limited, who just wants to see the main sites, and who is not interested in a thorough, in-depth, lengthy visit. Therefore, in my opinion, it would be perfect for the boys and you.
If they like it, bring them back in a few years, stay in Normandy, and do a longer visit.
Jim
I would recommend it for anyone whose time is limited, who just wants to see the main sites, and who is not interested in a thorough, in-depth, lengthy visit. Therefore, in my opinion, it would be perfect for the boys and you.
If they like it, bring them back in a few years, stay in Normandy, and do a longer visit.
Jim
Mar 4th, 2009, 07:34 PM
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150 Euro per person is very pricey for the tour!!! If you are only going for the day, I'd rent a car at CDG and drive. You can drive from CDG to Bayeux in about 3 hours and see all the sights included in the Fat Tire tour in about 6 hours, Pont du Hoc, American Cemetary, Omaha Beach, the Longes-sur-mer battery and the a three hour return trip. You could do this for 150 for all of you including food. Rent a GPS with the car. If the money is not an object, spend the night at Bayeux, see the WWII museum there, the one in Caen, and the tapestry. You could do that and still save 300 Euro.
Mar 5th, 2009, 06:34 AM
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I used Fat Tire last April to do a train/bicycle trip to Giverny from Paris and thought it was excellent. I was solo on this trip and decided it would be more fun to go with a group. We met at Gard de Lyon for the train. It was very informative, the bike ride was great and we had plenty of free time to visit the gardens on our own.
I'll be going to Paris in a few weeks again and plan to do the bike ride in Paris, probably the one at dusk.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your trip.
Susan
I'll be going to Paris in a few weeks again and plan to do the bike ride in Paris, probably the one at dusk.
Hope this helps.
Enjoy your trip.
Susan
Mar 5th, 2009, 07:23 AM
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We signed up for the Fat Tire Normandy tour a couple of years ago. The actual tour, as described, was not as long, and skipped a few places included on other itineraries (Cityrama, ParisVision, etc.), but was about the same price. I chose it because a ticket would provided for a train departing at a more reasonable 10AM (rather than departing by tour bus at 6-7AM) and we would be touring by mini-van (so with a much smaller group) versus one of those enormous coach buses. (Note: this is NOT a bicycle tour!)
You have to make a special trip to the Fat Tire office (in the 15th) to pick up the train tickets. When we arrived to pick up our tickets, we were advised to bring a lunch to eat on the train, along with beverages to last the day, as there would be no stop for lunch, or even refreshments. That didn't bother us too much, but when they informed us that they had too many reservations for the mini-bus and were substituting a large coach bus, we decided to cancel. Despite their "no refunds" policy, they graciously gave us a refund on the spot.
In addition to going to the Fat Tire office to pick up train tickets at least a day ahead, you have to get yourselves to Gare St-Lazare, then take the train to Bayeux, where you meet the guide. There are places in every neighborhood to collect lunch items and beverages, and many in/near Gare St-Lazare.
With two young boys, however, you may want to review other tours which offer a more comprehensive itinerary and lunch/refreshment breaks (it's a very long day).
And, as four of you will be quite expensive with an organized tour, you may want to consider renting a car for the day, or taking the train on your own, and touring independently or taking one of the tours available (in English) once you get to Normandy.
I'm not a huge Rick Steves fan, but he does do a nice job of providing guidelines for independent tours of various venues outside of Paris. Here's his Normandy page:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ance/dday2.htm
I've read/heard that Normandy may be very busy this year, especially in June, due to the 65th anniversary, but with the economy, I'm not so sure.
Since you're going all that way (and paying all that money), I, personally, don't see the point of taking an abbreviated tour when you could just as well stay a little longer and do it all while you're there.
Typically, the mini-bus tours that depart from Paris include hotel pickup (for only the few people on that particular tour). If you decide on a coach tour, do NOT ask for or pay extra for hotel pickup - you just have to get up even earlier and ride around on a bus picking up others before being dropped at the departure point to board your bus. It's better to sleep a little later, then bus/metro/cab to the departure point.
You have to make a special trip to the Fat Tire office (in the 15th) to pick up the train tickets. When we arrived to pick up our tickets, we were advised to bring a lunch to eat on the train, along with beverages to last the day, as there would be no stop for lunch, or even refreshments. That didn't bother us too much, but when they informed us that they had too many reservations for the mini-bus and were substituting a large coach bus, we decided to cancel. Despite their "no refunds" policy, they graciously gave us a refund on the spot.
In addition to going to the Fat Tire office to pick up train tickets at least a day ahead, you have to get yourselves to Gare St-Lazare, then take the train to Bayeux, where you meet the guide. There are places in every neighborhood to collect lunch items and beverages, and many in/near Gare St-Lazare.
With two young boys, however, you may want to review other tours which offer a more comprehensive itinerary and lunch/refreshment breaks (it's a very long day).
And, as four of you will be quite expensive with an organized tour, you may want to consider renting a car for the day, or taking the train on your own, and touring independently or taking one of the tours available (in English) once you get to Normandy.
I'm not a huge Rick Steves fan, but he does do a nice job of providing guidelines for independent tours of various venues outside of Paris. Here's his Normandy page:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ance/dday2.htm
I've read/heard that Normandy may be very busy this year, especially in June, due to the 65th anniversary, but with the economy, I'm not so sure.
Since you're going all that way (and paying all that money), I, personally, don't see the point of taking an abbreviated tour when you could just as well stay a little longer and do it all while you're there.
Typically, the mini-bus tours that depart from Paris include hotel pickup (for only the few people on that particular tour). If you decide on a coach tour, do NOT ask for or pay extra for hotel pickup - you just have to get up even earlier and ride around on a bus picking up others before being dropped at the departure point to board your bus. It's better to sleep a little later, then bus/metro/cab to the departure point.
