I recently returned from an amazing 10-day trip to France and England. I had visited Paris and London last year, but never explored towns outside of the big cities. This trip we decided to add Normandy to explore the small town of Bayeux and visit the D-Day landing beaches. There are so many options to choose from when visiting Normandy, from getting there, to where to stay, to which towns to explore. I had no complaints about our itinerary and loved Bayeux, so I wanted to share my tips on visiting Bayeux France and the D-Day Normandy Landing Beaches.
Getting There
We flew directly into the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on a overnight flight. We arrived around 7am, went through Customs fairly quickly, picked up our baggage, and then grabbed a taxi to Gare Saint-Lazare (St. Lazare train station). You can also take trains to St. Lazare from the airport via the Metro and RER, but with three people and a lack of sleep from flying, I would definitely recommend the ease of a taxi. The cost of the taxi was €55 and it takes about 30-60 minutes depending on traffic.
Once at the train station, we went directly to the SNCF sales office and asked where to buy tickets to get to Bayeux. They were very helpful and directed us to the sales desk. There are trains that go directly to Bayeux, but we chose the train that had a stop and transfer in Caen because it was leaving sooner. The cost of each ticket was €40. If you buy your ticket in advance you can save a lot of money, but we didn’t want to risk missing our train due to flight delays or airport/traffic issues. For reference, we did purchase our return tickets from Bayeux to Paris ahead of time and they only cost €15 each. The Bayeux train station is very small and we decided to walk to our hotel instead of take a taxi since we were sitting for 10+ hours.
Tips…
- When you get to the train station, don’t panic when you don’t see any trains going to Bayeux. The train schedule lists the final destination, and since Bayeux is only a stop on the schedule it is best to ask the SNCF office for assistance.
- If you have to switch trains, knowing which train to get on can also be tricky since it only lists the final stop. Look at the departure time on your ticket and match it with a train listed with the same time. Once you get to that train, just show someone your ticket and ask them if you are on the right train. We found people to be very helpful (and they don’t have to speak English if you just point and ask).
Where to Stay
Hôtel Le Bayeux
There are definitely no Marriotts or Westins in Bayeux, so we had to do a little research prior to booking our rooms. Hôtel Le Bayeux was ranked number two on a lot of the travel sites so we decided to stay there. It is conveniently located between the train station and town, so it is a short, 10-minute walk in either direction to both. The rooms are clean and a good size and the staff is very friendly.
If you are used to staying at hotel brands (like myself) it is very different when staying at a local hotel like Hôtel Le Bayeux. Not bad different, but there are things that if you are aware of ahead of time they are not as surprising.
Tips…
- Your room key is an actual key, not a card, and you never take it with you. When you leave the hotel you hand in your key and they hang it on the wall until you return. Once you are in your room, you hold on to your key so no one can enter.
- When housekeeping cleans your room everyday they also open the windows (weather permitting) and there are no screens or curtains. We returned to our room every evening and had to close large shutters on the outside of the windows prior to closing the window so the room would be dark and no one could see in.
- They provide drinks (coffee, wine, pop, and water) in the lobby and you are on the honor system to pay for them. The prices are listed and there is a box on the wall where you pay for what you take. Initially, we made the assumption that if you told them you were taking a coffee they would charge the room €2, but they don’t. You put the money in the money box hanging on the wall and take your beverages as needed.
- The toilet is in a completely separate room/closet than the rest of the bathroom. When we first checked in I thought our room didn’t come with a toilet! It was in a door that looked like a closet right next to the entrance of the room. The separate bathroom has the shower and sink.
Where to Eat
Our favorite place to eat in Bayeux was Le Garde Manger. About a 5-minute walk from our hotel, we went here twice during our 2-night stay. The first was for drinks, but their menu looked so good we went back for dinner the next night. The hamburger is amazing! Not exactly French cuisine, but delicious. Their menu had a lot of options to choose from so everyone should be able to find something to their liking. They also have a nice outdoor seating area that is perfect to enjoy during good weather.
Two other restaruants that came highly recommend by our tour guide and the group we met during our Normandy tour are Le Petit Normand and Le P’tit Resto. Our guide grew up in the area and raved about both. If we had one more night in the Bayeux we would probably have tried one of them. If you are looking for French pastries, my dad and husband tried Maison Lemoisson and everything they had looked delicious.
What to Do
Visit the D-Day Landing Beaches
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
The main reason we visited Normandy was to visit the D-Day landing beaches. You can rent a car and do this on your own, but I recommend a tour with an experienced guide to get the full experience. We chose to do the half-day tour with OverlordTour and had a amazing time. We did the afternoon tour and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. The tour begins at Longues sur Mer battery located in the sector liberated by the British landing. From there we traveled by van to the infamous Omaha Beach, The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, than ended at Pointe du Hoc.
Explore Bayeux
Bayeux Cathedral, also known as Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux
If you are visiting the Normandy region specifically for the D-Day landing beaches (like we did), I would recommend booking an extra night so you have plenty of time to explore the charm of Bayeux. The top rated things to do our visiting the Bayeux Cathedral and the Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux (Tapestry Museum). Entrance to the Cathedral is free and the Tapestry Museum is a part of the Bayeux museum, which holds three separate sections, and pricing can be found here. While museums and churches are great to visit and hold a lot of history, my favorite part was wandering the streets of the town center, people watching, and browsing the well-designed store windows.
Saturday Farmer’s Market
Fresh Produce at Bayeux’s Saturday Farmer’s Market
If you happen to be in Bayeux on a Saturday, make sure you visit the Saturday Farmer’s Market near the center of town. Located on Place Saint Patrice, 14400, the market has rows of vendors selling fresh produce, food items, and even live rabbits and chickens. It’s fun to walk around and browse and when you get hungry you have plenty of fresh options to pick from.
If you have an extra day or two…
- Visit Arromanches. It’s a short taxi ride from Bayeux that will cost you about €50 round-trip. It still has remnants of the artificial temporary harbour built after the D-Day invasion as well as a D-Day museum.
- Visit Mont-Saint-Michel. A small island and monastery that is one of the main attractions to visit in the Normandy region. We didn’t have a chance to get there on this trip, but the pictures and history of the area make me want to return. There are tours leaving out of Bayeux as well.
My #1 Traveling Tip when visiting Europe?
9Find a local grocery store.
Finding the local grocery store can save you a lot of money on essentials like bottled water. A 1-liter bottle at the grocery store cost €0.60 compared to €2-3 for a 12 oz. bottle at the hotels or restaurant. It’s also great for grabbing toiletries or essentials you may have forgotten to pack!
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