Normandie travel I am told is easier with a car, but certainly can be done without one. Pick a city to base yourself in.<BR>Don't know what's on your itinerary.<BR>The WW II landing beaches, for example?<BR>You can take a train from Paris to Bayeux and take a tour with Bus Fly tours which operates van tours of the Normandy Beaches out of Bayeaux. They offer(ed) two tours each day leaving at 8:30 and 1:30. The tours are scheduled for four hours. They may be able to arrange pickups at other locations or at hotels. Their vans accommodate up to 8 people. They also run tours to Mont St Michel. Tel: (from U.S.) 011-33-2-31-22-00-08 or 011-33-2-33-39-23-52 <BR>Fax: (from U.S.) 011-33-2-31-92-35-10 <BR>E mail:
[email protected] Web site:
www.busfly.com In March 2001 some of my family used Bus Fly with happy results. <BR><BR>You can take a tour called Normandy Tours given out of Hotel de la Gare in Bayeux - right by the train station .They give half day tours (in English). The tours are usually about 5 hours. It takes you to Omaha beach, the American Cemetary, Pointe du Hoc, and Arromanche to see the WWII Museum. Tel: 011-33-2-31-92-10-70<BR>Recommenddation: Oct 2000 from Fodor’s Forum:<BR>“For the D-Day beaches, take the train (or drive) to Bayeux. Normandy Tours, run by Jean-Marc Bacon, whose father runs the hotel De La Gare right across from the station, will take you all around the D-Day beaches, cemeteries, etc. in his van. His English is excellent, and he is a wealth of information about the invasion (he's been studying about it since he was a kid). There is no way to get to the beaches via train; you must drive, be driven, or bicycle. Normandy Tours telephone 31 92 10 70; fax 31 51 95 99.<BR>About $40 pp for virtually the whole day..."<BR><BR>Advice from Fodors.com<BR>Nov 2000: “My sister and I took the train from Paris. From the Caen train station, you can take either a taxi or bus (I suggest a taxi is much more straight forward) to the WW II memorial museum. There are mini-bus tours that can take you on a variety of tours, including the landing beaches and the American Cemetery. The driver/tour conductor is English speaking." <BR>From Rick Steves’s website March 2001:<BR>“Caen's excellent Museum of the Battle of Normandy offers guided minivan tours of the D-Day beaches. Tours include admission to the museum. Half-day tours depart at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and cover Longues-sur-Mer, Pegasus bridge, Arromanches, Courseulles, and Douvres for $50. Full-day tours ( 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) add the American and German cemeteries, St. Mere l'Eglise, and lunch, and cost roughly $75. (Contact the Caen Museum and pay in advance, tel. 02 31 06 06 44 – as in June 6, 1944."<BR>the following has been recommended by many on this Fodor's message board:<BR>He charges per tour plus the cost of diesel and lunch, for a whole day. The day lasts as long as necessary. He's retired from the British military and owns a 300 year old farmhouse in Bayeux where you can stay also. Contact him at:
[email protected] <BR>Web page<BR>
http://www.vrbo.com/vrbo/352.htm <BR>Tel: 011-33-2-31-22-39-09 (from U.S.) <BR>Fax: 011-33-2-31-21-97-84 (from U.S.) <BR><BR>Or if you want to drive yourself<BR>Fodor's forum Jan 2001: “ I sent the www. normandy-tourism. org website staff an email and<BR>requested their literature showing the D-Day sites with different routes all mapped out. We took ourselves by car to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, following their routes. Their book, "The Battle of Normandy" is excellent - we purchased one at a museum in Bayeux. I also recommend reading Stephen Ambrose's new book, "The Victors," before you go..."
