My husband and two boys and I spending five nights in Paris in June. After that we are planning to drive to Honfleur (stopping in Giverny ), staying in Honfleur 2 nights, then move on to Mont St-Michel, where we are staying 1 night. We then plan to leave the next morning to Paris and catch the Eurostar to London.
I am just not sure of the driving times. Will we be able to travel out to Normandy and possibly do a half day tour there from Honfleur?
Also, what is the driving time from Honfleur to the D-Day sights and what is it to the Mont?
We are planning to rent a car in Paris at Gare du Nord, and return it there if possible.
Does it sound like we are spreading the traveling out too far in the given time?
I would like to not spend too much time in the car, as the boys are 6 and 9. Thanks so much for any advice/ recommendations anyone can give!
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www.viamichelin.com
This will allow you to plan your route step-by-step, including drive times.
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I would stay in Honfleur and vist Mont St. Michel from there. Not move for 1 night. Mont St. Michel is beautiful, but very touristy. The beaches and Normandy area are more interesting. A great history lesson for your boys, if you prepare them ahead of time.
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Thanks for the map and advice. I just hope we haven%26#39;t made a mistake staying 2 nights in Honfleur.
Will we be able to drive to the D-Day area, see the sights and get back to Honfleur at a reasonable time?
Also, I just read a post that kids under 12 aren%26#39;t allowed on the bigger tours. Does anyone have a suggestion for a guide or one that kids (our little guy is 6) can go on?
Thanks everyone for all the help.
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Rather than two nights in Honfleur and one in MSM I would do one in Honfleur and two in Bayeux. From Honfleur to MSM is about 2 hours and the nearest part of the US beaches section is going to take about 90 minutes each way. From Bayeux it is about 15 minutes and Bayeux is a really pretty old town with lots of shops, bars and restaurants.
From MSM to Paris Gare du Nord is going to be about 4.5 hours whereas you could do MSM from Bayeux.
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I use www.mappy.com for my travel plans. I have found the times listed between points to be right on. Also driving from Honfleur to the D-Day sights is doable, but you might be better based at Bayeaux as Honfleur is at the far end of the drive and Baueaux is almost right in the middle. Or you could stay in Arromanches-les-Bains which is an interesting seaside village. Be sure to see the German WWII cemetery, Orglandes War Cemetery as well as the Normandy American Cemetery. They are both not to be missed and so different in tone. Point du Hoc is another place not to miss. Take your 3 to 4 days in the Normandy area and see the beaches and don%26#39;t miss the diarama at the Musee du Debarquement. It is amazing and gives a real picture of the amazing feat accomplished by the Allied troups. Check out this website for more about the attractions frommers.com/destinations/…0572010029.html I am glad you are taking your children. We were there once during VE day which is a big holiday in Europe and there were lots of children from all countries.
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Oops! I meant Port-en-Bessin is a great base for the D-Day. It is a fishing port town and has good restaurants and a really nice market on Sundays as I remember. Not Arromanches. I know nothing about that village except that the Musee is there. Do you know about parking in the car parks? We found out the hard way and now realize how it is done in most of Europe. You pay for your parking with the ticket (take it with you when you park the car). Insert the ticket at the kiosk when you are ready to leave and pay there. Then you insert your paid ticket into the gate in order to get it to raise so you can get out. If you haven%26#39;t done this, you won%26#39;t be able to leave the car park and if there are cars behind you, they get a little bit irritated cuz they can%26#39;t get out either. Again, personal experience at Arromanches!
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If you stay in Bayeux, you can also take a look at the Bayeux Tapestry -- no, it%26#39;s not just an old piece of embroidery -- it%26#39;s the story of the 1066 Norman invasion of England led by William the Conqueror.
It%26#39;s an amazing 230-foot visual story of the invasion, as told from the British point of view, full of knights and swordfights and castles. (Talk about something that will get 6- and 9-year-old imaginations spinning!) There%26#39;s even an appearance by Halley%26#39;s comet -- in one of the earliest documented sightings.
There%26#39;s a very cool video on YouTube that animates the second half of the tapestry -- well worth a click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDaB-NNyM8o
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Thanks Have bag..., and Sunshine, and Thiaumerie. All this has really been so helpful. I am now changing our trip to be 2 nights in Bayeux and one in Mont St-Michel. We may try to just see Honfleur on the way up from Paris if it works out.
All the info about what to see at the D-Day area is great. Loved the tapestry on Youtube- we will do that for sure.
I also appreciate hearing about things for the kids. It really makes me get excited about taking them. I was a little unsure about it.
Thanks all again so much!
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Another good thing for the kids (and adults) at Arromanches is the 360 degree cinema. There is a film shown every half hour which only lasts 18 minutes, so is the right length for the attention span of a youngster. There is no speaking, so no problems with the French language but it alternates between current day French countryside and clips of the war. It%26#39;s extremely well done - you stand in the middle of a big room with the film going on all round you. And I bet the kids remember the kitten! Whenever I ask any of our guests how they enjoyed the visit the kids always say %26quot;oh the kitten was so cute%26quot;. Now you%26#39;ll have to go to see what I%26#39;m talking about!
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Just as a reminder, you can visit MSM from Bayeux and not move for the 1 night.
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