TVG Trains
 

How long does it take to go from Paris
to Normandy beaches and can you recommand a good guide?
Thanks

TGV trains don't go to Normandy yet, just the Corail type stock going about 110 mph- takes about 2 hours to Caen or Bayeux, nearest stations to D-Day country. Go to Bayeaux, from where several different tours will take you to the key D-Day sights. These mini-bus tours pick you up at your hotel or you can do them on a day trip. I went to the tourist office last month and they would book me into any i wanted, so you can just show up. battlebus.com i think is one site.

Dear HR: Hope you find the following from my recent trip report helpful:

ON THE WAY TO NORMANDY: We elected to use Paris as our arrival /departure point in France. Because our itinerary called for a train from Paris to Caen, we spent the first night at a hotel within a 1 minute walk to Gare St. Lazarre. This arrangement permitted a mid-morning train (no heroics) with plenty of daylight at the other end for some driving to get to our first hotel in Normandy. The bellman from our hotel, Concorde St. Lazarre, assisted us with our bags all the way to the designated platform in Gare St. Lazarre. For car renters in Caen, the major companies are all right across from the main entrance to the station, but they close from noon to 2:00 pm. Lunch can be had at the Buffet in the station while you wait.


TOURING THE NORMANDY BEACHES, ETC.: After learning about him on this site, we retained Roel Klinkhamer of Victory Tours (www.lignerolles.homestead.com/victorytours.html) for a full day personal tour using his car. Roel was the first McDonalds franchisee in Amsterdam; after 20+ years of that, he and his wife bought a chateau (now a B&B) in Normandy and Roel pursued a lifelong passion of studying and then explaining D-Day to tourists. Though he does charge for his services, it was evident to us that he feels strongly about the events of 1944 and really makes them come alive. Roel picked us up at la Cheneviere, a rural hotel near Port en Bessim, which turned out to be a great HQ.

Gradyghost

My family took an overnight trip to Bayeux from Paris this past August. The train trip was very easy (we went first class and had our own 6 seat compartment -- our kids loved it!). We stayed at a B&B called Logis des Remparts, which I highly recommend. An absolutely perfect location, the nicest hostess (Christele) and beautiful rooms. We had a large, two room set-up (sharing a very nice bathroom) that was beautifully furnished, all for 100 Euros in high season. We did a full day American Sector tour with Battlebus (our guide was Geert, who was a walking encyclopedia), which was fantastic. They picked us up at the B&B and afterward, took us back to get our bags and then dropped us at the train station. It is an amazing thing to stand at Omaha or Utah beach, or to stand on the Pointe du Hoc, or to tour the American Cemetary. Even my 15 and 12 year old sons said that our day with Battlebus was one of the best days of our 16 night, 3 country European vacation.

I would recommend going to Caen rather than Bayeux (though I'd recommend you stay in Bayeux as it's lots prettier than Caen. From Caen there are more and easier connections to tours to the battlefields, including ones run by the amazing Mémorial museum in Caen, which you must plan on spending some time in. And there are direct train connections to Caen (not to Bayeux, I don't think), though there is no TGV.
Actually, I'd recommend you pick up a car in Caen and drive the area. It's beautiful, and having a car gives you so much more flexibility that being on a tour. There are lots of little out-of-the-way museums and stops that you'd never get to see on a tour. And you can eat and stay overnight wherever you want to! We loved our stay at the Château de la Bellefontaine just outside Bayeux.

This summer, there were some direct trains to Bayeux, though not as many as to Caen. Both are good centers for exploring the D-Day sites, although Bayeux is usually thought to be the better of the two (at least for the American Sector, a look at the map will tell you why). I did not go to the Caen museum, but reviews on the message boards are mixed as to whether it is worth the time if you are on a tight schedule (as part of our tour, we went to a small museum in St. Mere Eglise, which we really liked). I think renting a car and driving around would be nice if you have time. However, if you have limited time and want to the D-Day sites, I highly recommend a tour. You can go to Omaha Beach on your own but it will not really look like much (same for Utah Beach and St. Mere Eglise). It is the explanations of what took place and how (and why) it unfolded, along with actual stories, that makes a visit so special. The Pointe du Hoc works on its own, but you will miss the real story of the battle unless you are a history buff or are on a tour. The American Cemetary needs little explanation. The bottomline in my book is that a D-Day tour is essential if you really want to understand what you are seeing (unless you are well versed anyway). If you take a private tour (as my family did), they will cater to your interests anyway if you arrange it in advance. If you have time and want to supplement that with a car so that you can really see Normandy, fantastic!