Visit to Normandy pre cruise advice please!!

[dimiegirl]

Hi Everyone,

 

We are starting and ending our cruise from the LeHavre port. We were planning on flying in the day prior so that we can visit Normandy the day of departure since the cruise doesn't leave until 8pm. I thought Bayeax was the closest place to stay but now I am finding out it is farther away then staying in Paris. Can anyone recommend the best way to handle this? Should we stay in Paris and then take the trip from Paris to Normandy or Stay closer? Not sure about the best way to travel to LeHavre if we are going to stay there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated . Thank you!

[Turtles06]

I'm not sure where you have "found out" that Bayeux is further from Le Havre than Paris is, but it's about 125 km from Bayeux to Le Havre, and it's about 198 km from Paris to Le Havre.

 

Normandy is a region of northern France; Bayeux is in Normandy.  When you say you want to "visit Normandy," do you mean you want to visit the Normandy beaches and other D-Day sites?  If so, Bayeux is a good jumping off point for that.  It makes little sense to spend the extra time traveling the same day from Paris to Normandy, especially if the end of your day is Le Havre.   And there are of course things to see in Bayeux itself, including the Tapestry and the Cathedral.

 

I assume you will be flying in to Paris. If so, what are your plans for the day you arrive?  If you want to spend that day and night in Paris, you would have to work out your transportation to Normandy, recognizing that you will be losing time for the extra travel.

 

If your ship sails at 8pm, you'll probably need to be on board by 6pm if not earlier, so please keep that in mind.

 

Do you want to rent a car?  Do you want to book a private tour?  

[CruiserBruce]

Are you an American? If so, staying in Bayeux is a good idea...it is in middle of all the American oriented sites- American beaches, parachute drop areas, famous battle sites, etc.

 

If not American, you could stay in Caen. About halfway between Bayeux and Le Harve, site of the best WWII museum in the area (which can easily be a half day event), and close to the British/Canadian beaches. 

 

When in need of distances and locations, Google Maps is an excellent way to do planning.

[markeb]

What are you wanting to see? As others have said, Normandy is a large area. If you want to visit Bayeux, see the tapestry and cathedral, and the significant sites for D-Day, you will be very rushed. You can spend hours in the airborne museum in Ste-Marie Eglise or the landing museum in Arromannches. 

 

I would get to Normandy as soon as possible. I’d add another day if at all possible!

[John Bull]

As others have posted, in or around Bayeux is fine for visiting the US D-Day sights, in or around Caen for Canadian & British sights.

Both have a direct train service  from Gare Saint Lazare, in central Paris.

There are half-a-dozen direct trains to Bayeux daily, plus a few with a change of train at Caen. 

There are twice as many direct trains to Caen.

 

I'll respectfully disagree with Bruce about the big museum in Caen. It's some years since I visited, but it was about war & peace generally, and it seems to major more on the Holocaust & on French life during the occupation than it does on D-Day.

It's no substitute for the landing beaches & their sights, museums & memorials. Particularly, if you're American, the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha beach.

 

There are several car rental agencies right by the station at Caen, I don't know about Bayeux.

I mention car rental agencies because it's impossible to see the D-Day sights by public transport, you need either a rental car, or a car + driver, or a tour.

It's also complicated, inconvenient and very time-consuming to get from Caen - and especially from Bayeux -  to the cruise terminal in Le Havre by train or bus.

 

I know that Overlord Tours offer seat-in-van day tours from Bayeux, which avoids the need to rent a car for the day if you base yourselves in Bayeux.

 

www.overlordtour.com/product-category/all-tours/?pk_campaign=Adwords-Dynamiques&pk_kwd=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwbP1183Y4QIVz5TtCh0mqA4cEAAYASAAEgJlJ_D_BwE

 

You'll see that they also offer group tours from the cruise terminal in Le Havre, which would avoid the need for any personal transport other than between Le Havre station & a Le Havre hotel, and between hotel & cruise terminal.. But you can't buy seat-in-van for tours from the cruise terminal, you can only book the entire van. So you'd need to check what ship/s are in port for the day before your cruise, find that cruise, then ask on that cruise's RollCall if anyone's booked a van tour &  is looking for sharers. All very complicated. And commits you to a hotel in Le Havre, which you'd find pretty boring. 

 

There are other D-Day tour operators too - perhaps others can suggest names, or ask that nice Mr Google.

 

Can I suggest you don't commit to a hotel before you've got yourself sorted.

We can help if you can tell us .............

 

Your sailing date ?

 

Your nationality, or more accurately whether you are particularly keen to see places of interest to Americans? Canadians? Brits? And even whether you have a connection with a particular location or military unit? 

 

Whether you'd contemplate renting a self-drive car in Bayeux or Caen and returning it to Le Havre ? It would greatly improve your experience, and give you a wide choice of country / village / coastal accommodations in the area - the centre of Bayeux is fine, but Caen is a large & soul-less modern city.. 

 

Anything else we should know, like the number of people in your party ? Mobility issues?  Etc?

 

JB 

 

   

[dimiegirl]

Thanks so much for taking the time to give such detailed information. I really appreciate it. We are from the United states. the cruise leaves august 16th at 8PM. We were planning on arriving on the 15th and doing a tour of normandy the morning of the 16th before the cruise leaves. We are willing to stay wherever is best for this situation. We have seen paris already so that is not an issue we just want to see the normandy d day beaches and cemetery before we leave on our cruise the 16th (departs 8PM) on the princess crown. Thanks again for your help!!!!

[John Bull]

48 minutes ago, dimiegirl said:

Thanks so much for taking the time to give such detailed information. I really appreciate it. We are from the United states. the cruise leaves august 16th at 8PM. We were planning on arriving on the 15th and doing a tour of normandy the morning of the 16th before the cruise leaves. We are willing to stay wherever is best for this situation. We have seen paris already so that is not an issue we just want to see the normandy d day beaches and cemetery before we leave on our cruise the 16th (departs 8PM) on the princess crown. Thanks again for your help!!!!

 

Thanks for the added info.

But missing one biggie - are you happy to self-drive?

 

JB 

[dimiegirl]

Hi again,

 

sorry.... we would prefer that a tour company do the driving unless there is going to be a big difference in cost in which case we would consider self driving. Thanks again for taking the time to help us!!

 

Lisa

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, dimiegirl said:

Hi again,

 

sorry.... we would prefer that a tour company do the driving unless there is going to be a big difference in cost in which case we would consider self driving. Thanks again for taking the time to help us!!

 

Lisa

 

In that case, I suggest staying as close as you can to the American D-Day sites (Bayeux, probably).  Doing justice to those sites really takes more than a morning, so you'll want to maximize your time.  I would also start contacting private tour operators.   They book up very quickly.   Please do some research on the France board for names.   One is Overlord (we had a great all-day tour with them out of Le Havre several years ago); they are quite expensive and we had a van of folks from our Roll Call.  I've seen names on here of individual tour guides; please do a search here and on the France Board.

 

I would strongly suggest watching (or re-watching) "The Longest Day" before your trip. It's a cheesy film by today's standards, but the history is spot on and I think you'll appreciate your visit even more.  (Plus, just about every famous or soon-to-be famous male actor of the 1960s is in it. )

Edited April 18, 2019 by Turtles06

[John Bull]

Hi, Lisa,

 

Cost would be a very big factor,.

Because you need to end the day in Le Havre, a shared tour from Bayeux wouldn't allow you enough time to get to the ship.

And since this is your port of embarkation, latest registration time at the ship is likely to be 2 hours before sailing. 

The average journey-time from Bayeux / US sights is about 1hr 40 but allow yourselves at least an extra hour of wiggle-room for the 78 mile drive.

So you'd need a private tour for just yourselves & ending in Le Havre,, and that'd be an expensive day - but seek quotes rather than relying on my negativity.

 

I fully concur with markeb about building in an extra day if that isn't a problem. But even more expensive without a car.

 

JB 

 

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

JB asked me to jump in because we have actually spent a fair amount of time in the area (both on cruises and land trips).   If the OP's goal is to tour the region around the D-Day Beaches then we would strongly recommend staying in that immediate area.  Stayin in or near Paris, when your intent is to do all things D-Day, makes little sense.  The D-Day area is quite rural and the best way to tour that area is either with a rental car or a private tour (this would become very expensive).  In the situation outlines by the OP we would fly into CDG, get a one-way rental at the airport and head directly to Normandy.  If the OP has any interest in Monet they might want to take advantage of having a car and stop at Giverny..perhaps for lunch and touring the Monet House (have to mention this since we are big Monet fans).  As to where to stay in Normandy, Caen and the Bayeux area are OK options.  Speaking of the museum in Caen (we call it the Peace Museum) it really is not too helpful when it comes to D-Day.  It is a terrific museum but  primarily tells the story of the failures after WWI that led up to WWII.  There are some interesting exhibits on the French underground (Maquis) and the curators did a pretty good job showing both the good and the bad related to how France dealt with the Nazis.  

 

With a rental car we would probably look at some of the smaller towns (including Bayeux) because we prefer to avoid larger cities if D-Day stuff is our goal.  I recall on one of our trips we found a small inn near St Malo (this would be out of the way for the OP).  Another possibility would be to stay right in Honfleur which is a very cute town relatively close to Le Havre.  While Honfleur is a bit far from the Normandy beaches it is well within day trip driving range.  And Honfleur is truly a "cute" town with plenty of cafes/restaurants for dinner and after dinner drinks.

 

Regarding one-way rental cars you may have to do some research to avoid major one-way drop charges.  You can simply explore with sites like Orbitz.  In the past we have often found Europcar to be a good option and they do have a location in Le Havre that is not too far from the port (a short taxi ride if you have luggage).   Driving in Normandy is quite easy and once away from the CDG area it should be a fun drive.

 

Hank

[dimiegirl]

Thank you both so very much for this very valuable and detailed  information . I am going to look into renting a car in CDG and staying in Bayeux doing a day tour of Normandy de beaches  then return the car to LeHavre and take a taxi to the cruise ship. Thanks again for your input and direction. I really appreciate the excellent advice!

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

JB asked me to jump in because we have actually spent a fair amount of time in the area (both on cruises and land trips).   If the OP's goal is to tour the region around the D-Day Beaches then we would strongly recommend staying in that immediate area.  Stayin in or near Paris, when your intent is to do all things D-Day, makes little sense.  The D-Day area is quite rural and the best way to tour that area is either with a rental car or a private tour (this would become very expensive).  In the situation outlines by the OP we would fly into CDG, get a one-way rental at the airport and head directly to Normandy.  If the OP has any interest in Monet they might want to take advantage of having a car and stop at Giverny..perhaps for lunch and touring the Monet House (have to mention this since we are big Monet fans).  As to where to stay in Normandy, Caen and the Bayeux area are OK options.  Speaking of the museum in Caen (we call it the Peace Museum) it really is not too helpful when it comes to D-Day.  It is a terrific museum but  primarily tells the story of the failures after WWI that led up to WWII.  There are some interesting exhibits on the French underground (Maquis) and the curators did a pretty good job showing both the good and the bad related to how France dealt with the Nazis.  

 

With a rental car we would probably look at some of the smaller towns (including Bayeux) because we prefer to avoid larger cities if D-Day stuff is our goal.  I recall on one of our trips we found a small inn near St Malo (this would be out of the way for the OP).  Another possibility would be to stay right in Honfleur which is a very cute town relatively close to Le Havre.  While Honfleur is a bit far from the Normandy beaches it is well within day trip driving range.  And Honfleur is truly a "cute" town with plenty of cafes/restaurants for dinner and after dinner drinks.

 

Regarding one-way rental cars you may have to do some research to avoid major one-way drop charges.  You can simply explore with sites like Orbitz.  In the past we have often found Europcar to be a good option and they do have a location in Le Havre that is not too far from the port (a short taxi ride if you have luggage).   Driving in Normandy is quite easy and once away from the CDG area it should be a fun drive.

 

Hank

 

 

I had thought about renting at CDG airport.

It simplifies things (by train means into central Paris and out again) and would be a bit more economical than taking the train to Caen.

But it depends on flight time and how you cope with jet-lag - a drive of 3 hrs plus after a trans-Atlantic flight isn't for everyone and surprisingly it's only marginally quicker than the train.

 

If you rent at the airport, yes it's a bit sticky for the first 30 - 40 minutes north of Paris, then it's a direct route on the excellent toll-free A13 all the way to Caen / Bayeux and beyond.

And as per Hank's mention of Monet's pad and backyard () at Giverny, it's only a mile of so off-route. 

 

If you rent in Normandy I suggest you take the train to Caen and rent from there. It's 20 minutes or so further from the US sights, but trains are almost twice as frequent as trains to Bayeux and I know there's a choice of rental agencies near Caen station (including Europcar).

 

Since you'll have a car you have a wide choice of accommodations.

If you prefer a town (for restaurants etc), choose either

- Bayeux. 10 minutes from US coastal sights. Historic town, cathedral, the "Bayeux Tapestry", no significant connections to D-Day.

- or Arromanches. On the coast, where Brit & US sectors meet, and there are still remains of the Mulberry Harbour built in the days after D-Day. Excellent seafront D-Day museum, shops, bars, cafes, restaurants. Super overlook from the cliff near the town.

If you prefer a hamlet or coast or countryside, anywhere between Arromanches and Pointe du Hoc.

Near Colleville-sur-mer and Omaha beach would be the most convenient.

 

You have the advantages over those on a Le Havre port-of-call that you might have time to check out a sight or two on arrival, and you'll start the next day as early as you like and without the 80 mile drive from Le Havre   

 

JB 

Edited April 18, 2019 by John Bull

[dimiegirl]

I can’t thank you all enough for this very valuable information and all of your suggestions and possible options . I am looking at the train schedules to see what will work best as the car option is seeming quite expensive as is the private tour option . I was thinking of seeing if there are others in a similar situation that may want to share a private tour from Paris to Normandy and end at the cruise port. I could post it in the roll call to see if there is interest to help with the cost and ease of going from Paris where we are arriving to see Normandy beaches. Thanks so much again for your help and sharing your knowledge and experience!

 

Lisa

[tartanexile81]

it's a pity you can have a full day in Normandy before your embarkation day. We've holidayed in Normandy numerous times and last time we had a lovely hotel in Bayeux itself, arriving into LeHavre by ferry.I t's a decent road,  although it can be really busy round Caen. Bayeux is just a delightful town with great restaurants and a friendly atmosphere. From there we explored much of the US sector of the D-day landings. The Museum at Omaha beach is fantastic and it is the site of a War Cemetery and Memorial. You can walk long the beach and in your mind's eye picture the scene. The highlight for us is always the museum at Pegasus Bridge and although it is a British museum it is probably one of the most emotional places I've ever visited - certainly as emotional as the 9/11 Museum in New York. The whole area is steeped in history and that is the reason we have returned time after time.

 

We travel a lot by train in France and indeed on one cruise travelled from Cherbourg to Bayeux for the day. so if you can squeeze that extra day and do one of the Overlordtours or similar, it would be SO worth it

[onyx007]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 5:16 AM, John Bull said:

 

I mention car rental agencies because it's impossible to see the D-Day sights by public transport, you need either a rental car, or a car + driver, or a tour.

 

 

I disagree with you, but when I visited in 2014 (a month after the 70th Anniversary) I stayed for several days in Normandy and did everything by public transport.

Caen - Juno, Gold and Sword Beach on one day,

Omaha Beach including Pointe du Hoc and the American (and also the German) Cementery on another day, 

Cherbourg and Ste-Mere-Eglise at Day 3,

Pegasus-Bridge was an easy short trip from Caen upon arrival

and on another day I visited the Museum in Caen and the Tapestry in Bayeux.

 

Of course it's not possible to visit within just a day. But probably the easiest for the poster would be a private tour, which would pick them up at the place there are staying and dropping them of at Le Havre Port.

Edited April 21, 2019 by onyx007

[John Bull]

21 minutes ago, onyx007 said:

 

I disagree with you, but when I visited in 2014 (a month after the 70th Anniversary) I stayed for several days in Normandy and did everything by public transport.

Caen - Juno, Gold and Sword Beach on one day,

Omaha Beach including Pointe du Hoc and the American (and also the German) Cementery on another day, 

Cherbourg and Ste-Mere-Eglise at Day 3,

Pegasus-Bridge was an easy short trip from Caen upon arrival

and on another day I visited the Museum in Caen and the Tapestry in Bayeux.

 

Of course it's not possible to visit within just a day. But probably the easiest for the poster would be a private tour, which would pick them up at the place there are staying and dropping them of at Le Havre Port.

 

 

Agreed, 007 - possible  If you've got several days.

You had 4 - 5 days.

The OP has but one day, and has to end that day in Le Havre.

For a 7.30pm back-on-board (and since its the OP's embarkation port I'm none-too-sure that it wouldn't have to be 60 - 90 minutes earlier) the latest bus from Caen would be 3.20pm,

Or 2.25pm if it's a sunday.

https://www.busverts.fr/fiches_horaires/L20S2.pdf

 

Bus Verts has pretty awful frequency on most country routes - only 4 or 5 buses a day on some of the routes you'd have used, so you need to study their awful timetables carefully.

And that website is awful - by far the worst transportation website I've come across   

So I'll repeat - it's totally impossible for the OP to rely on buses.

 

JB 

[D C]

On 4/18/2019 at 2:23 PM, dimiegirl said:

Thank you both so very much for this very valuable and detailed  information . I am going to look into renting a car in CDG and staying in Bayeux doing a day tour of Normandy de beaches  then return the car to LeHavre and take a taxi to the cruise ship. Thanks again for your input and direction. I really appreciate the excellent advice!

That would be my recommendation as well.  I've stayed in Bayeux on a couple of occasions, and it is very convenient to the D-Day beaches.    We stayed at le Castel http://www.hotel-chambres-hotes-bayeux-lecastel.fr/ and at Hotel Bayeux.  Of the two, both DW and I would choose le Castel a second time.  Cute little guesthouse.   

 

Or, you might consider staying in Arromanche.  We've stayed at the Logis Hôtel de Normandie.  Clean, comfortable, not too expensive, and literally across the parking lot from the beach. 

 

Bayeux is home to the Notre Dame de Bayeux cathedral, which is nearly as large as, and older than Notre Dame de Paris.  Not to mention almost devoid of tourists.   It makes for a nice, peaceful evening stroll on your arrival day.   There is also the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the 1066 Norman Invasion of England.  I would suggest that for another trip, honestly. 

 

Do you know what you would like to see?  Anything on your tourist checklist for the area?   I would assume that the American Cemetery is on the list, and very worthwhile, if not almost mandatory.

 

I was actually just going through my map of points of interest from previous trips, thinking about how they could be tackled for someone on a cruise.   I put together this map with POIs: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WDXYCwzdCmuYkGrpTzY6tSczcM8&usp=sharing

Note that I've not been to any of the sites to the East of Arromanches, nor have I driven to the port.    Hopefully this helps to give you the lay of the land.  If you have any questions, let me know. 

 

[dimiegirl]

On 4/22/2019 at 1:08 PM, D C said:

That would be my recommendation as well.  I've stayed in Bayeux on a couple of occasions, and it is very convenient to the D-Day beaches.    We stayed at le Castel http://www.hotel-chambres-hotes-bayeux-lecastel.fr/ and at Hotel Bayeux.  Of the two, both DW and I would choose le Castel a second time.  Cute little guesthouse.   

 

Or, you might consider staying in Arromanche.  We've stayed at the Logis Hôtel de Normandie.  Clean, comfortable, not too expensive, and literally across the parking lot from the beach. 

 

Bayeux is home to the Notre Dame de Bayeux cathedral, which is nearly as large as, and older than Notre Dame de Paris.  Not to mention almost devoid of tourists.   It makes for a nice, peaceful evening stroll on your arrival day.   There is also the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the 1066 Norman Invasion of England.  I would suggest that for another trip, honestly. 

 

Do you know what you would like to see?  Anything on your tourist checklist for the area?   I would assume that the American Cemetery is on the list, and very worthwhile, if not almost mandatory.

 

I was actually just going through my map of points of interest from previous trips, thinking about how they could be tackled for someone on a cruise.   I put together this map with POIs: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WDXYCwzdCmuYkGrpTzY6tSczcM8&usp=sharing

Note that I've not been to any of the sites to the East of Arromanches, nor have I driven to the port.    Hopefully this helps to give you the lay of the land.  If you have any questions, let me know. 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It was very generous of you! We have decided that it would be easier to go in and out of London so we rebooked for the previous week it seems less expensive as well as easier especially after getting off a transatlantic flight. Again, I really appreciate your help.