Paris to Normandy: One Day Jaunt

[Petrushka]

I would definitely not hire a car for a trip such as this. It isn't just a case of turning up in Normandy, as I mentioned previously the D-Day sites cover a large area and you really have to know where you are going and what you are seeing to make sense of it all. There are battlefield guide books (I like Holts) but one look at the volume I have and you will realise the enormous complexity of it all. There are memorials and cemeteries everywhere. There are some good museums too and you could spend the entire day in the one at Arromanches. I also went to another good one in Bayeux. Furthermore the countryside beyond the beaches is well worth exploring with the very names of the villages and hamlets etched into the history books.

When it comes down to it, if you want to take a day trip I'd strongly recommend you go with a tour guide. You could waste an awful lot of time getting hopelessly lost and not have a clue what you are seeing.

[french frank]

I think if it's a one-day outing, you have to make up your mind that you aren't going to see much; focus on one site with perhaps a token visit to the beach itself to get the atmosphere, and then visit some of the museums: Ouistreham is a small town by Sword beach, with the Atlantic Wall museum. If you do one thing thoroughly it will be far more memorable than trying to do a lot of things superficially - and spending more time going from one place to another.

You take the train to Caen (the 8.13 from Paris St-Lazare arrives Caen 10.06 - March 2014 timetable), and I think bus to Ouistreham. Just needs a bit of forward planning.

[Also, my father was stranded at Ouistreham when his landing craft was wedged on the beach because they couldn't unload a heavy mobile crane, so the vessel didn't float off at high tide. No visible signs of this remain ...]

[Anna]

I think, as frenchie says, it's best to decide what you want to see. This is a tour group based in France but owned by an American company which does tours in specific areas, some designed for US or Canadian visitors. Perhaps reading what their itineraries consist of would narrow down which beaches/museums/towns your party have the main interest in and then you can look for a tour which fits your criteria out of the many firms which organise them?

http://tours.france.com/d-day-beaches-tours

[vinteuil]

... lots of good advice above.

I hope you won't forget that Normandy is not just the site of World War II battles - it is also a lovely part of France, replete with historical and cultural interest. If you get to Caen, the two Abbayes connected with William the Conqueror should certainly be visited. Honfleur for its connection with the Impressionists ( and the Satie museum). Anyone interested in Proust will want to visit Cabourg [ = Balbec ] and the surrounding countryside...

Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Saint-%C3%89tienne,_Caen

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Sainte-Trinit%C3%A9,_Caen

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honfleur

.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabourg

.

http://www.cabourg.net/spip.php?rubrique45

.

[ardcarp]

L'Abbaye aux Dames is my favourite! Its Romanesque interior is very beautiful, giving a sense of one-ness. It is more all-of-a-piece than the more central St Etienne (Hommes). It also has FABULOUS acoustics. I've given orchestral concerts in there twice, and to be honest, it's over-reverberant for that, especially when the brass gets going. I just long to take a choir there...or to sing in one. Its own liturgical music, if such it can called, is sadly of the same ilk as found in much of France.

I agree entirely about the beauty of Normandy. Travelling from Brittany to Normandy one feels in a different country; the buildings are at once grander and the stonework is less granity (is there such a word?) and the rural scenes are more pastoral and less rugged. Strange how quickly it changes as you cross the 'border'.

[ardcarp]

Another lovely (but not ancient) place to visit in Normandy is La Chappelle Lalique in Douvres-la-Delivrande. It is a working convent and frequently hosts concerts in the light and airy chapel, which as the name suggests has some spectacular glass in its windows.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chappelle+lalique&biw=1280&bih=587&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5s_wVOKSFsz9aNOigvAB&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQsAQ

...possibly more pics than one would wish for, but here's an info site:

http://www.congregation-notre-dame-de-fidelite.com/bienvenue/l-accueil/la-chapelle-lalique/

[Alain Maréchal]

I hesitate to introduce a sordid detail, but rf might like to take note that the US dollar has just reached its highest rate of exchange against the Euro for ten years, so it could be worthwhile buying his Euros now, or at least keeping a watch on the movements. Similarly, UK residents intending to travel to the Eurozone for holidays might care to watch the GBP/Euro rate, which yesterday reached an astonishing peak (highest for seven years), and which probably will not not last.

[richardfinegold]

Yes, I am aware of that Alain. Unfortunately, our US taxes are coming due, so the disposable cash is going to be disposed of...
We are down to just 3 family members who want to do the 1 day jaunt, and one of them was hospitalizied this week but released today. i want to make sure that he is still game before I book. We are going to take a BT (British Tour) that will pick us up at the Hotel, drive us to Normandy, and back.