Hi. We are a family of 4 (2 boys, 15 %26amp; 12) with 3 and a half days to spend touring Mont St. Michel and DDay sites. We plan to leave Paris early Sunday morning and then be back Wednesday afternoon to fly out. This will be early July. I have several questions:
- rent a car in Paris for the duration or travel to Normandy by train - faster? - and rent a car in Caen or Bayeux for the 3 days?
- go to Mont St. Michel (drive?) and not get there til afternoon sometime, tour, then stay somewhere around there before proceeding next day to DDay area?
- how long should we plan to spend at MSM? Hours? A day?
- which tour company is best for DDay sites? I%26#39;ve seen Battlebus in the forums -- are there any other recommendations?
- is there anything else we might have time for while in the area? Possibly the tapestry, anything else?
Many thanks! I know this is a lot of questions!
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Hi there- we did this last summer- our boys were 11 and 15-
we took a train to Rouen and picked up the car there- very easy-spent one night and saw the light show at the cathedral- that was a nice experience- Rouen was great after Paris- very atmospheric.
Up early and drove to Bayeux and saw the tapestry that morning- I%26#39;m so glad we did- it was fascinating- checked into a cool old farm/hotel in a teeny town called Crepon right outside of Bayeux- then went to the big museum in Caen, which was wonderful- had dinner back at the hotel which was included in the price- very pleasant-and nice not to have to find somewhere for dinner.
The next day I had booked a Battlebus tour but we ended up cancelling- can%26#39;t remember exactly why- something didn%26#39;t fit timewise- and did a few of the beaches ourselves- also the big American cemetery- it was very doable but probably in retrospect I should have kept the tour- I think a guide would add a lot of information and %26quot;color commentary%26quot; that we all would have enjoyed.
Drove to MSM that afternoon- we stayed on the Mont at the Mere Poulard and I%26#39;m so glad we did- the reviews are spotty and some say it is overpriced but I thought it was very comfortable and you can%26#39;t beat the experience- we walked up the main street as the rest of the visitors walked down- the sunset was beautiful and the atmsphere more serene- we had a good dinner with a wonderful view somewhere about halfway up- a good night%26#39;s sleep- then up with the birds and did the abbey tour- we were done by midmorning and leaving as the hordes were coming in.
Anyway- that%26#39;s how we did it and the whole thing was a huge success- our boys remember the night on MSM as a big highlight- y%26#39;all are going to have a blast.
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bump
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I wouldn%26#39;t wait until afternoon to visit Mont St. Michel.You may have trouble findinhg a parking space any where MSM. And the mobs of tourists that you be joining to climb the many steps to the Abbey could spoil your visit. If you stay in Bayeax, gety an early morning start for MSC.There will be a few tour buses and a few cars there already, but not as bad as in the afternoon. Remember,MSM is the second most visited place, after Paris, in France.
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sparadis -
Your trip sounds great and I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed it so much. I think you had a great itinerary too. I do agree that the D-day beaches are much better done with a guide, especially if you only have one day.
One thing though. I think your itinerary was for five days and Twoesses has only 3.5. I think another day or so would make the trip a lot easier and you could see more and on a better and easier schedule, but if you can really only manage 3.5 days so be it.
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george- just to clarify- we arrived at MSM very near to the closing time- had no problem with parking since many people were leaving for the day. We explored the nooks and crannies of the place (one of the %26quot;nook-and-cranniest I%26#39;ve ever visited) in relative serenity, had dinner and turned in. We saved the Abbey for first thing in the morning. We got to the entrance about 20 minutes before opening and sat on the stairs watching the other visitors line up behind us.
You%26#39;re right, Rover- this leg of our trip was 4 days plus change- Twoesses could skip Rouen and train straight to Bayeux, pick up the car, drive the rest- drop the car after MSM at Rennes and TGV back to Paris?
I do remember the drive from Caen to MSM was longer than expected due to roadwork and a detour- but we stopped along the way and ate- can%26#39;t remember where- maybe the car should stay at Caen and they should take the train to MSM?
Anyhoo- I think it%26#39;s doable.
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; train straight to Bayeux, pick up the car, drive the rest- drop the car after MSM at Rennes and TGV back to Paris? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
That%26#39;s basically what i suggested in my detailed breakdown of the 3.5 day itinerary in the other thread.
I think the whole issue is a bit complicated by the flight home on Wednesday. Starting off a trip home a long way from the airport, especially with kids, just seems to me to be a bit on the stressful side. When you factor that in, I think you *really* only have three days. I%26#39;d like to be back in Paris Tuesday night, have a nice easy morning and a good lunch (if there is time) and then go to the airport for my flight.
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We just returned from France a few days ago. We booked the D-Day tour through LinkParis.com. I phoned their toll free number 866-427-4882. We were absolutely delighted with the tour. They offer others and if the others are half as good you should use them for everything. Only caution is you must book well in advance, especially for July, I would think.
We took the train from Paris at 7:10 a.m., and were met at the Caen station by the guide from the Memorial de Caen. We spent the morning at the memorial, had lunch there, and were driven to the beaches and the cemeteries, etc. in the afternoon in an eight-passenger bus. The guide , Rosalie,was extremely well informed and delightful. We returned to the train station in time to catch the 7:55 p.m. train back to Paris. Our only regret was that we did not plan to stay in Normandy a few days to follow up on our own. I think your plan of taking the train to Normandy and renting a car there is a good one. We priced out cars. The train to Caen is cheaper for two adults and faster. You save money if you book the train tickets in France.
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Hi.
if your time allows, consider a trip to the cinema circulaire at Arromanches whilst visiting the site of the D-DAy landings. Check it out at:
http://www.arromanches360.com/htm2/index.htm
Whilst at Arromanches you can also see the remains of the famous %26#39;mulberries%26#39; just off shore.
Mont St Michel is great. Remember it is very steep though, and best not attempted when you are very tired. We only spent a couple of hours there + lunch, before moving on, but felt that that was enough time for us to see what we wanted.
The tapestry at Bayeux is remarkably well-preserved and worth a visit. Again, we were in and out and on our way again in under two hours.
I too recommend the museum at Caen. It%26#39;s called %26#39;le memorial%26#39; and is probably the best museum of its kind. Absolutely not suitable for kids under 10, (IMO), but yours are just the right age to get the most out of it.
Check it out at:
memorial-caen.fr/portail_gb/…decouverte.asp
Hope this helps.
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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; You save money if you book the train tickets in France. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
If you are talking about buying in France versus buying tickets from Raileurope or whatever they call themselves, you are correct. But you will usually save considerably more by buying your train tickets as far in advance as possible (up to 90 days) online direct from SNCF (French rail) at www.voyages-sncf.com
Advance purchase discounted fares called PREMs are usually less than half the price of tickets booked within a few days of your travl date or on the day itself, sometimes considerably less.
As KDKSAIL says from time to time: %26quot;You should only use Raileurope if you enjoy being poked in the eye with a sharp stick!%26quot;
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Here is a D-Day tour recommendation, out of Ste. Mere Eglise. Check out www.ddaybattletours.com. We have done many D-Day tours and visited the big museums and sites. This is by far the best and most personal. It is owned by an English couple, the von Seibolds. They live in the house that played a part in the movie, %26quot;The Longest Day.%26quot; One American paratrooper landed on the church steeple in Ste. Mere Eglise, and another paratrooper actually landed in the Seibold%26#39;s backyard. Diana runs an excellent little coffee/sandwich shop next to the house called the C47, and Ellwood has an amazing collection of Army vehicles and gear. He is an enthusiastic and delightful guide. Check out the website for details of the tours. Your boys would absolutely love this tour, and so would you! Ste. Mere Eglise is a charming small town with tons of D-Day history and not as overwhelming as the larger towns.
A side note to Mont St. Michel--our 12-year-old son got separated from us (miscommunication about which set of stairs he was going up as we finished paying for our meal). We searched for two hours in panic and let me tell you that it is an impossible place to try to find a missing child. Of course he was in the place he said he would be, when we discovered the %26quot;correct%26quot; steps. Stay together!
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