After much deliberation, my DH deccided he wanted to do Paris and Normandy in April. I already found an apt. http://www.vrbo.com/56871. I received lots of replies and finally one from the 6th..so I snatched it up! I need help with Normandy however...have never been. We would like to do 3 nights there to see the Beaches and the Tapestry and Mont St Michel. Should we rent a car in Caen? Or train it, and should we stay in Bayeaux? This part has me befuddled. ;-) Help France experts!

I'd definitely rent a car. They are available at the Caen train station. Be sure to visit the museum in Caen.

Yes, I think that is the best option. We will go to the museum! My dad was on Omaha beach. That is why I must go to Normandy.

Hi Judy, DH and I are doing the same trip in June. We are staying in Paris for 7 nights - then taking the train up to Bayeux. We are staying right in Bayeaux at the Hotel d'argouges. I had narrowed my choices to either that or the Churchill Hotel. I picked d'argoues.

We are also doing a D-Day tour with Battlebus. They get rave reviews. Here is their website:

http://www.battlebus.fr/

I did this same trip many years ago with my first husband. We landed in Paris - rented a car and then drove straight to Bayeux. We then drove back from Bayeux into Paris for our stay in Paris. We were lost for hours in the city. That is why I am taking the train this time.

Happy Trip Planning to you!

I know my DH would have apoplexy if he had to drive in Paris . I will look up the hotel, thanks.

We rented a car in Paris and drove to Bayeaux with no problems. We did the Cathedral and Tapestry museum the first day, the beaches the 2nd and Mt St Michel the 3rd day. We liked the Hotel Tardif very much but the Hotel Churchill looked just as good and as convenient

Bayeaux is aperfect location for touring the WWII sites. We enjoyed Lion d'Or and is excellent restaurant.

Judy, when DH and I did this a couple of years ago we picked up the rental car at CDG (very simple to exit and head north) and returned it a week later, then went into Paris where we rented our apartment for the second week.

Avalon gave us the greatest rec for a lovely inn we stayed in for two nights while visiting Bayeau and Aramanche (beaches) and we had our most memorable French meal at their fabulous, intimate restaurant. If she doesn't see this soon I'll e-mail her, as I can't remember the name of it.

We then drove to Mont St. Michel, spent the night on the mont (nothing special, it was a spur of the minute decision), then headed to Quimper in Brittany the next day.

Avalon gave me a tip I've used ever since: She suggested basing in a smaller town or countryside from the main cities you wish to visit. This gave DH and I a chance to unwind and talk about what we'd done that day as we drove the 30 minutes or so "home" each night--to a quieter location. It also let us drive through the little towns and seek out fun simple restos.

Hoping to do a broader tour of Normandy soon, so I'll look forward to your trip report!

Thanks Frank and happytrav, Frank, where did you rent your car?

Melj, we must have posted at the same time! We are staying in Paris for 6 days, then going to Normandy..then back to Paris or the airport, not sure yet about the last day there. It will be Bayeux with the Hotel d'Argouges for 3 nights.

Judy,
On that trip we PU'd our car at CDG. I found the hardest part was exiting the parking structure

I don't mind driving in Paris, but for our Normandy trips we have always taken the train to Caen and picked up a car at the train station. Always stayed in Bayeux, too - Caen was bombed to smithereens during the war; Bayeux was virtually untouched and remains very picturesque. We stayed at the Chateau de la Bellefontaine. Be sure to eat at Le Petit Bistro in Bayeux and see the tapestry and the cthedra. Put aside a half day for the Mémorial in Caen, a really, really well-done museum. Also the museum in Arromanches, the beaches and cemeteries, and Pointe du Hoc and Ste-Mère Eglise. There is plenty to keep you very busy for three days.

<<I know my DH would have apoplexy if he had to drive in Paris . I will look up the hotel, thanks.>>

Judy, that is too funny! Maybe that is why my first husband and I got a divorce - haha. We drove into Paris on our way back from Bayeux and we were lost for an entire day. He was driving and I could not figure out the map so it took us hours to find our hotel. Of course we were yelling at each other and our son was in the back seat wishing he was somewhere else!

We've driven all over France, but not in Paris.

janiekins----I loved your "mind picture"of driving and yelling at each other. The funniest one I can recall of us (and yes we are still married) was in the south on a huge round about with MDH yelling "you have to be able to read something" in reference to signs. I looked around and replied "the bus is free", that's all I could read. It was so ridiculous that he had to laugh also. And, yes the bus was free.

Judyrem---have a great trip in Paris,my favorite city in the world.

I just saw Melj's post. The hotel we stayed at was the Moulin de Vey.
http://www.moulinduvey.com/traducang...dexaccueil.htm

From there we toured the various WWII beaches, Bayeux, Caen, and some of the beautiful villages of Normandy. Our particular favorite was Beuvron -en-Auge. I like staying in a country house hotel.You can relax after a full day touring and have a wonderful dinner with all the wine you want!

Two years ago we combined Paris with Normandy for our trip. We took the train, and with the PREM's tickets they were only about 22 euro each way.

The Peace Museum in Caen is a must see!

We stayed in Bayeux at the Churchill Hotel, which I highly recommend. The location is perfect, and the hotel itself worked well for us. The hotel is not luxurious, but very well kept and the staff are extremely helpful. If you walk out the back entrance you are right on a main street with lots of restaurants and shops. If you go out the front door, towards the parking lot, the Tapestry is just on the other side of the lot.

We took the one day tour with Battlebus and it was excellent! We wished we had carved out time to do the 2 day tour. They pickup/dropoff right next to the parking lot at the Churchill, so that was nice the morning of our tour in that we didn't have to go far at all.

<<janiekins----I loved your "mind picture"of driving and yelling at each other.>>

The same thing happened in Rome and in Florence - screaming and yelling! We were fine in the countrysides and towns of countries - it was the cities that we had a hard time with!

If you decide to do an overnight near Mount St Michel, this chateau in ten miles south and a great place to stay. Perhaps two days minimum. There are many places to visit in this area. One, is an American Cemetery in St. James. Few Americans visit. We had 'taps' played as we were honoring one of our soldiers. www.chateaudebouceel.com/

Avalon, "all the wine you want", is our motto ;-). Tpayt, yes janiekins description and your too, was classic. The bus is free LOL! St Cirq, thanks for the info. What car rental did you use? Do you have any thoughts about our last day? Our flight leaves at 13:30....should we chance a trip from Bayeux? Gosh, I am so excited....it has been so long since we have been to Paris.

If you're going straight to Normandy after arriving at CDG, I'd suggest renting a car at the airport and driving an hour or two into Normandy (we stayed in Le Petit Andely the first night) if you don't want to drive the whole distance after the overnight flight. if doing Paris first, then I'd take train to Caen, rent a car there, and drive on to Bayeux. I heartily recommend Hotel d'Argouges in Bayeux, Le Petit Bistro for dinner (make reservations), and Battlebus tours.

We were there in May ('05) and Normandy was very cool and windy so April will most likely be the same, if not colder. Take gloves and layers. I especially like cashmere sweaters for travel b/c of combo of lightweight and warmth.

Have fun!