We (dh and I)are planning a day trip to Normandy in late June and would like to see Juno Beach included in our day. I have read through the older posts reagrding tour companies and see Viator is an agent for other companies but Paris Vision get terrible reviews on TA.
Are there other reputable companies that you would recommend? Is it better to take the train to Caen or Bayeux and pick up a tour? We are staying in the Latin Quarter.
Thanks
Keri
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WE chose to train from Paris and spend the night actually in Bayeux. It looked to be a very long day round-tripping from Paris and seeing all of the D-Day places we wanted to visit. There are several great companies found on the Normandy forum.
oprah44
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I would rent a car. Take the train to Caen or Bayeux and rent a car. Really, it%26#39;s the only way you get to see everything you want to see, stop where you want to stop, discover something unexpected. And MUCH cheaper than any of those tours. Just get a good guide book that you can read as you go.
Driving in Normandy is NOT hard. It%26#39;s like driving on country roads. Bayeux and Caen are bigger cities but there again, not hard to manage.
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Hi,
Last year, in June, I take Paris Vision for a Normandy Tour. It was with a minivan, they take us at our hotel. We were just 6 persons and the guide drive the minivan.
It was very good, the guide was very fine.
This year, I will surely take an other tour with Paris Vision.
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To really do justice to a visit to the Normandy beaches, I suggest an overnight stay in the town of Bayeux, about 165 miles from Paris. It is the best location as a base to tour the Normandy beaches. Because I value my life, I would not drive from inside the city of Paris, but I would take the 2 hour train to Caen at about $48 each way.
At that point, I would rent a car for the 30-minute drive to Bayeux. Be like General Eisenhower or Queen Elizabeth and stay at the Hotel Lion d’Or in Bayeux. It is a relatively inexpensive hotel that is rich in charm and history.
Bayeux is the perfect command center for your tour of the invasion beaches. But before you do so, read a book or pick up some literature on the events leading up to June 6, 1944. I recommend reading Stephen Ambrose’s “D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II” for an in-depth understanding of the invasion and the areas that you will see. You may wish to rent the DVD’s “The Longest Day” and “Saving Private Ryan” also. A tourist map of the invasion beaches is an essential.
Some people like to take the 40 minute drive from Bayeux to Sainte-Mère-Église, the town depicted in the movie “The Longest Day” where a paratrooper’s parachute was caught on the spire of the church. The soldier feigned death until the town was liberated the next day. Others like to start at the closer, bomb-cratered, Pointe du Hoc. This is the place where the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the cliffs and overtook a German bunker placement. I was stunned when I saw what these brave men had to overcome to be successful at their task. You may recall Pointe du Hoc as the place where Ronald Regan dedicated a memorial on the 40th anniversary of the invasion.
Further north on you will pass through Omaha and Gold beaches. There are memorials and remembrances along the way. I can recall encountering some surviving veterans who were revisiting the beaches as indicated by their VFW caps. If you wish to speak with them, approach them with care and dignity. It is surely an emotional moment for them.
As you drive further along the beaches, take your time. If you happen to be visiting in or about June, take your shoes off and walk into the shallow surf. It will be cold. Imagine how these men waded through these then-red waters in 1944, with bullets flying and explosions all around them.
The American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks the cliffs of Omaha Beach. Everyone reacts differently to their visit to the cemetery. However, I can tell you that I personally do not have the capability to describe my emotions upon seeing the crosses and Stars of David on that field. It was indeed a day that changed my personal outlook on life forever.
It is important to remember that it was not just the Americans who participated in the invasion. There are memorials in honor of all of the forces who were involved in that fateful day.
There is a good museum at Arromanches, the Musée du Débarquement which has some interesting relics, exhibits and multimedia presentations.
At day’s end, Bayeux is the place to quietly relax, drink some Calvados, and enjoy a fine meal. Some people like to see the famous tapestry depicting the 1066 Normandy invasion of England.
All in all, a visit to the Normandy invasion beaches is very worthwhile. But please, don’t take a “packaged” tour. It is a place that deserves to be taken at its own pace.
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We usually stay over in Bayeux the night before taking a tour from there. Unfortunately most trains from Paris do not get into Bayeux early enough to catch a tour on the same day. We used Battlebus for our tour last year of the American beaches and are using them again in May for our tour of the Canadian beaches (Juno). Hotels are not overly expensive in Bayeux, the Churchill is costing us a 100 euros a night this year and the Reine Mathilde cost us 58 euros a night last year. The train tickets were 70 euros return for the both of us.
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Once again, Pixfield said all I wanted to say, only much more eloquently.... a tip of my cap, sir.
I see you have a pretty full itinerary already....
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k26850…
and you have your day trip to Normandy set for Saturday... Isn%26#39;t the rest of Paris going to be crowding the roads...? I was lucky to stay in Normandie for over a week with a car at a fabulous B%26amp;B south of Bayeux... http://www.bandbnormandie.com/
For all it%26#39;s wonder and splendor, sneaking off to such a beutiful and historic area just doesn%26#39;t seem quite right...! If all you wanted to do was explore Bayeux and its marvelous tapestry, I would say you would be hard pressed... let alone Juno Beach (because of your dad, presumably) and all the region has to offer...
I suppose there are one day tours available, and you can take them if you like.... Is it better to get a glimpse of Normnady, or none at all...? Many variables exist that could affect your tour, where there is a planned itinerary, what sites you see, and the time you spend there are pre-determined.... and the knowledge and quality of your guide - who knows...? If you%26#39;re not using a tour company to see Paris, why use one to see Normandy? Are you going to the Louvre on your own, or is someone going to %26quot;guide%26quot; you, taking you to see what they think you should see? %26quot;C%26#39;mon group, we only have a few hours to see 10 paintings, let%26#39;s pick up the pace please...%26quot; :)
The Beeks recommendation: re-work the already crowded Paris itinerary and leave two days for Normandy. Leave early on the first day on the train to Caen or Bayeux and rent a car. Get one night accomodations. Then, with a full tank of gas, your handy map or GPS, and your sense of adventure, really see waht you like of Normandy, at your own pace and on your own timing. Maybe even sneak over to Mt St Michel...? (My wife talked me into going... It was awesome....!) Spend the night relaxing... Second day, same thing, then get the car back in time to take the late train back to Paris.
I love Paris. But the Normandy region deserves so much more than a quick glimpse tour package. It requires a little research on your own, but learning about any region you travel to requires this. The Ambrose book, %26quot;D-Day%26quot; will indeed inspire you...! I read this about a month before my trip... things made sense when I saw them and gave me a great sense of perspective and appreciation..... Okay, I shed some tears at Coleville-sur Mer, and was awed by the bombed out moonscape of Point du Hoc....
Would you RUN through the Louvre with one eye closed for three hours...? In essence, this is what you%26#39;ll do running to Normandy for the day. I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;ll hear from folks that were satisfied with this; I will not dispute them and their experience. My point of view is from having spent days roaming the countryside in a car with time, freedom, and curiosity as my companions....
Did you post this on the Normandy Forum...? However you decide, ultimately it is your decision to make... have fun...!
%26quot;Thus endeth the manifesto%26quot;
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Pixfield has given you some sound advice, and I can only second this. Bayeux is a beautiful town in its own right - just get a good road map as many of the streets are one-way traffic. (You could print one from Google maps)
It would be really annoying to be on an organised tour, having only a short time to see a particular area, wanting to pay your respects, only to be herded back into the bus because time%26#39;s up.
Driving is easy and you will gain so much more from your trip with the freedom it brings.
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