Normandy in a day?

[UNV-IT!!!]

Is seeing Normandy and the beaches possible in a day coming from Paris by train? We are both young so mobility is no issue.

[John Bull]

Yes, it can be done. Trains from Paris St Lazare to Bayeux, some direct some with a change at Caen, fares around the 75 US$ mark, journey time varies 2 hrs 15 to 3hrs. So with an early start, and return from about 5.30pm, you should have about 7 to 8 hours.

 

But from Bayeux (or Caen) you will need private transport, there's no suitable public transport. If you're happy to self-guide, you can rent a car - driving is easy (mainly coastal lanes & no big towns), parking generally easy, and navigation ok too. Plenty of staff and signage at the sites. Or book a car+driver - one that speaks passable English will know the turf & where you want to go and can give a little background.

Some tour operators offer seat-in-van tours that start/finish in Bayeux, and that is the best standard of tour that you'll get without the need to research.

 

Another option is to rent a car from Paris. Driving in Paris is no fun, but once you hit the highway it's fast divided highway (with toll sections) about 175 miles / 3 hrs to the first American sight, the Cemetery and Utah beach.

 

Alternatively you can probably find seat-in-bus tours that operate from Paris, and that's almost certainly your cheapest option.

 

JB :)

Edited June 30, 2014 by John Bull

[Pet Nit Noy]

Is seeing Normandy and the beaches possible in a day coming from Paris by train? We are both young so mobility is no issue.

 

Normandy is a large region of France and it's doubtful you'll see much of the region other than the fertile green fields that lie along the train tracks. But I think I'm being overly precise in that answer. I suspect you're really asking about the beaches and inland areas that make up the D-Day invasion area. Context Travel offers very informative tours, both walking tours in Paris and excursions from Paris. If you can schedule a group excursion to Normandy with Context, that would be the best experience both in terms of price and quality of information. Unfortunately, there's a big "if" which I'll explain further down my post. To solve this problem, you might want to post on your roll call to see if you can meet other cruisers in Paris for a small group excursion to the D-Day beaches.

 

 

Here's the description from Context Travel's excursion from Paris:

 

Taking the train from Paris to the city of Caen, the capital of Lower Normandy which was heavily bombed during the war, we will meet our docent and driver at the station. Our route may change due to any special interests, however, we usually start with the far end of the American sector of Omaha beach, the Pointe du Hoc, and en route our docent will lay out the background for the invasion. This steep cliff, sitting 100 ft/30 m above the sea, was a strategic location on the German defensive Atlantic wall. It was a point of attack for the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the site of an intense two day battle. The rough terrain, marked with shell holes and the remains of the machine gun battery, takes us back to the day of the battle and sets the tone for our excursion.

 

After a break for lunch we will proceed to Omaha beach, situated at Colleville-sur-Mer, the location of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. At this moving site, we will learn about the important involvement of the American contingency in the invasion. You will also have time to independently visit the cemetery and pay homage to any particular special graves or walk down to the expansive beach down below.

 

Driving eastward, we will reach Arromanches, the location of the invaluable artificial port. At this site we will learn about the careful preparations for Operation Overload and how the artificial port was installed and used to offload vehicles and supplies in the days following the invasion.

 

Time permitting, we may also visit a German cemetery. A sombre resting place, it provides a unique context for seeing the perspective of the individual German soldier.

 

Please Note: This is actually a full-day 12 hour excursion. Clients depart by themselves from the Paris St-Lazare station at 8:45 am and arrive in Caen around 11:00 am, where the docent and driver will be waiting. Clients will return to the station around 7 pm, arriving in Paris around 9pm. We can also arrange private excursions for clients desiring car transportation from Paris or for visitors staying in Normandy. Please contact us for a quote.

 

The cost of this as part of a maximum six-person group is 200 Euros plus the 76 Euro price of a round trip train ticket. The only drawback -- and its a big drawback -- to using the group option for Context is that a minimum of three participants must sign up to turn a tentative booking into a confirmed booking. If you do not have the minimum of three, as your tour date approaches, Context will contact you to ask if you want to convert a group tour to a private tour for a cost of 960 Euros. Now, you'll really be in a bind. That cost is nearly double what you'd have to pay if you travel independently by train to Caen, having made prior arrangements for a guide to meet you at the train station. We used the services of a outstanding guide who provided both drove us around and offered excellent commentary for 500 Euro per day so I'm confident of my pricing information.

 

Overlord Tours is the most popular D-Day tour provider on Cruise Critic, but it is not the most highly rated on Trip Advisor. This is not to criticize Overlord! (It's highly rated on Trip Advisor) This is simply intended to reassure you that there are many excellent tour providers offering the same local service.

[frenchrci]

Hi,

 

The best way for me is to rent a car... Not taking the highway but the national roads !

[UNV-IT!!!]

Hi,

 

The best way for me is to rent a car... Not taking the highway but the national roads !

 

If I take the train out from Paris. What would the cost be for renting a car once in Normandy to self drive and tour? We are both younger 30/24 so we don't mind hitting the road and taking a journey ourselves. With a map/tour route we should easily be able to enjoy ourselves. My father was in the navy so I've grown up with traveling a lot. Especially foreign areas.

[John Bull]

If I take the train out from Paris. What would the cost be for renting a car once in Normandy to self drive and tour? We are both younger 30/24 so we don't mind hitting the road and taking a journey ourselves. With a map/tour route we should easily be able to enjoy ourselves. My father was in the navy so I've grown up with traveling a lot. Especially foreign areas.

 

 

Europcar and Avis have rental depots at Caen rail station, probably other rental agencies too.

Rental vehicles in France are usually manual transmission (shift-stick), so be sure to specify automatic if that's what you need.

 

Europcar are quoting about 85 euros for a day's hire, but I couldn't go further into a dummy booking without personal details, which you'll need to do to check for any add-ons - CDW waiver, location charge or whatever, though usually French hire is unlimited mileage.

Distance for the sights you'd want to see would be no more than about 125 miles if you include Ste Mere-Eglise & Utah, about 85 without them - make sure you rent from an agency which provides a full tank & you return it with a full tank, or you'll be royally ripped-off by their own excessive fuel price, & you'll be paying for unused fuel.

 

If you've rented in the US you'll know the cons. :rolleyes:

European agencies are no different ;)

JB :)

Edited July 1, 2014 by John Bull

[UNV-IT!!!]

Europcar and Avis have rental depots at Caen rail station, probably other rental agencies too.

Rental vehicles in France are usually manual transmission (shift-stick), so be sure to specify automatic if that's what you need.

 

Europcar are quoting about 85 euros for a day's hire, but I couldn't go further into a dummy booking without personal details, which you'll need to do to check for any add-ons - CDW waiver, location charge or whatever, though usually French hire is unlimited mileage.

Distance for the sights you'd want to see would be no more than about 125 miles if you include Ste Mere-Eglise & Utah, about 85 without them - make sure you rent from an agency which provides a full tank & you return it with a full tank, or you'll be royally ripped-off by their own excessive fuel price, & you'll be paying for unused fuel.

 

If you've rented in the US you'll know the cons. :rolleyes:

European agencies are no different ;)

JB :)

 

I drive a 6spd everyday. :D