Hi,

My family (husband, wife and 11 year old) will be in Paris 3/8-3/18. We plan on staying in Paris until 3/13 seeing the sites there. We are wanting to go to Normandy where we will spend the night of the 14th in Bayeaux and then I would like to go to Reims to the champagne houses. Is this doable? Should we rent a car in Bayeaux and then drive or take the train?

Not a very good idea to include Reims, IMO.


- It is a 4 1/2 hr drive to get there
- It is a 4 1/2 train ride to get there with a train change in Le Mans.
Depart 7:23 from Caen. Can you get up in the dark & get to Caen by 7:23??? All other trains have a train change and a station change in Paris. Taking the train will waste an entire day.

- Many of the Champagne houses will be closed on Sat & Sun.


Save Reims for another trip. 4 nights/3 1/2 days in Normandy is not enough time there, IMO.



Stu Dudley

I read an article that stated that Reims is now becoming a bedroom community for people working in Paris thanks to the TGV. Given that Reims is in the opposite direction from Bayeux, you might want to make it a day trip from Paris.

A better idea for visiting Reims would be to do it as a day trip from Paris. There are several trains that take 45 mins to get to either the Reims city or Reims-Ardenne station. Then you could take a taxi to the Champagne houses.


Stu Dudley

Why not spend a little more time in Normandy or Normandy/Brittany? Last fall, we saw a lot of that region in a very short period, the magical Mont-Saint-Michel, the WWII sites along the Normandy coast, the Bayeux tapestry and so many other beautiful villages. You can find our trip report here: Brittany/Normandy/D-Day 4 nights. October

Thank you!! I think we may do this exactly. My husband wants to rent a car. Is there a recommended car rental in Bayeux?

Rent from AutoEurope in the US. www.autoeurope.com
Pick it up in Caen or Bayeux.


Stu Dudley

Hertz. But rent it through AutoEurope. If you are based in the US, you will find that AutoEurope is based in Portland, Maine, which is a great place if you have any issues after your return home. They are a favorite of many, many Fodorites. From my experience, their rates are lower than booking through Hertz directly AND, more importantly, their prepaid insurance rates are often a fraction of what you will pay at the Hertz counter. We have booked mostly Europcar and hertz through AutoEurope, never get any up-sell at the counter and have never had a problem.

Thank you all for the information and for being so nice!! I appreciate the help!

get an International Drivers License - required - and watch speeds- we've had many who got tickets from speed cameras and got tickets in mail weeks after returning. Plus don't drink and drive - zero tolerance.

Thank you for the information. We will watch our speed and my husband doesn't drink so we should be good!!