If you are sick of the city, consider touring Normandy by car to see the seaside! At the Normandy Beaches, you can discover history at the World War II memorials while taking in the beautiful scenery. Many tourists fall in love with the coastline of Normandy, and with this guide, your trip will be a breeze! Here’s your guide to the best D-Day tours from Paris, how to visit D-Day beaches from Paris and how to go about renting a car in Paris to drive to Normandy. You can book your all planned day-trip from Paris here!
HOW MANY DAYS TO VISIT NORMANDY
While you may not need more than a day to visit the D-Day beaches and the American Cemetery, if you plan on visiting many memorials and museums on your trip you could extend your trip for multiple days. However, if you’re looking for a concrete answer to the question “How many days to spend in Normandy to visit the D-Day beaches and American Cemetery?” the answer is one day trip would suffice.
TOURING NORMANDY BY CAR – RENTING A CAR IN PARIS TO DRIVE TO NORMANY
The simplest way to reach Normandy is by touring Normandy by car. You can easily reach the Normandy Beaches in a rental car from Paris from about 59€ a day. From Paris the easiest route is to take the A13 motorway towards Caen. Here you then take the motorway N13 and exit at number 36 for Normandy beaches.
Public transportation to Normandy and reaching the D-Day Beaches from Paris
If you prefer reaching Normandy by train from Paris, you will take the train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux. You can reserve your trip online at SNCF. Once arriving in Bayeux, you can easily take the bus from the Bayeux station to the D-Day beaches. The bus is Bus Vert number 70, and the first one of the day leaves at 12:45pm.
Cost for train tickets round-trip from Paris-Bayeux: around 82€
Cost for bus tickets round-trip Bayeux-D-Day beaches: 4.30€
Best D-Day tours from Paris
Paris City Vision is another option for visiting the D-Day beaches from Paris as they offer coach bus tours that depart at 7am and return to the city at 9pm, serving all guests a lunch for the day!
Visits: Memorial Service, D-Day beaches, Caen Memorial
Cost: 180€
Normandy Touring sites
Discover the top sites to visit in Normandy…
Photo credit: history.com
The D-Day Beaches
The D-Day beaches, the most-visited sites in Normandy, are the locations of the highest point in the Normandy landings during World War II (Pointe du Hoc) as well where the five points of entry of the Allied forces (Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach). Omaha Beach is the most popular amongst tourists, but any beach will allow you to appreciate the courageous actions of the Allied soldiers and provide insight into the importance of the D-Day beaches in ending World War II.
An INSIDR favorite lunch spot that is nearby the D-Day beaches is Au Petit Bistrot in Bayeux. Here you will be able to try a typical 3 course French meal from just 16.90€, perfect for those who have been traveling and are in need of a good meal (especially if you enjoy your lunch with a class of local cider!).
Open Tuesday to Saturday 12pm to 2pm and 7pm to 9.30pm – 31, rue Larcher 14400 Bayeux
For more information check out their website
The American Cemetery
This site is one of the largest American cemeteries on foreign territory, occupying 172.5 acres of land in Normandy. You can visit the white crosses where the fallen soldiers are buried as well as visit the informational exhibition space inside.
Caen Memorial
For those looking to expand their view on world conflicts, some of these conflicts including The Battle of Normandy, World War II and The Cold War, the Caen Memorial is definitely worth a few-hour visit! To find a complete list of our recommendations when traveling through the D-Day Beaches in Normandy, make sure to download our D Day Beaches Map!