Travel
operaghost
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Day trip to Normandy from Paris?
in Travel
DH and I will be spending 5 days in Paris this spring - Thursday through Monday) and we want to do a day trip to Normandy one of those days. (I know it's a bit far but it's the only reason he agreed to go to Europe in the first place - he's really into WWII stuff.) Has anyone else done this? Did you use a tour company or just take a train out there?
Any input would be appreciated. TIA!
Re: Day trip to Normandy from Paris?
We did not go to the beaches in Normandy, but we did do a day trip to Mont Saint-Michel, which is just as far away, if not further. We went with a bus tour. It was a long day but it worked out great. I don't remember who the tour was with, but I'm sure there are a lot of good options. Driving would be nice to, if you're up to it, but if you're only doing a day you'd want to leave really early and come back pretty late, which would possibly mean keeping the car overnight for those two nights. I preferred staying in the city and not having to deal with a car. I really didn't think one was needed.
My Ovulation Chart
We are doing a daytrip from Paris to the Normandy Beaches in April. We're taking a morning train from Paris to Bayeux, then being picked up by a private guide to show us the beaches, the cemetery and other area sights. There are a lot of recommendations and reviews of area guides and tour companies on TripAdvisor.
An American Girl's Travels
I visited Normandy a few years ago but didn't do it as a day-trip from Paris so can't provide you any advice in terms of a tour company. With one day, I would recommend visiting the D-Day Beaches and the Caen Memorial Museum. You could probably take a bus or train to Bayeux and then maybe sign up for a guided tour that takes you to the places mentioned above. I have three entries in my travel blog on my visit to Normandy:
http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2011/05/normandy-part-une-giverny-honfleur.html
http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2011/05/normandy-part-deux-bayeux-caen-and-d.html
http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2011/06/normandy-part-trois-balleroy-coutances.html
We took a day trip to Bayeux from Paris. We took the train to Bayeux, then took a bus to the cemetery and beach. It was a long day, but it certainly can be done.
Make sure you double-check the schedules; we just missed the bus when our train arrived, and had to hang out at the train station for an hour while we waited for the next bus.
Baby248 - ETA 1/10/13
We rented a car from the Paris airport and drove. It took about 21/2 - 3 hours and we took the main highway, so we had to pay about 30 Euro in tolls each way. We went to the Juno Beach center, then the Canadian cemetary, the American cemetary, Arromanches, and Pont du Hoc. We spent the night in Bayeux, then wen to the Cathedral and saw the tapestry before driving back to Paris.
If you choose to drive I have a few suggestions for you. 1. Do not drive in Paris if possible. Parking is a nightmare and the driving isn't the easiest either. 2. Bring or rent a GPS - this was a huge help for us.
There are a few companies that do day tours right from Paris...I think they are pricey, but depending on your comfort level that might be a good option.
Otherwise, I would take the train to either Caen or Bayeux....if you do Caen the Memorial for Peace museum has some great packages that include a morning in the museum (which is amazing) and an afternoon touring the beaches. I believe they do pick-up from the train station to the museum and back and get you there in time for the last train back to Paris. If you google the museum you'll be able to find the info on their website.