Travel advice: Normandy

[MoneyGuy]

We'll be there for a few days next June. We've never been before. What is your advice for history buffs? I haven't started my research yet. We end up there after a river cruise. I imagine we'll start with a guided tour. Thank you.

[PIMking]

jealous...

[WhiteTiger]

Watch out for the Collectors.

[Aeneas]

Bayeux and Bayeux Tapestry.
Mont St Michel
Juno Beach Centre
Honfleur
Dieppe
Rouen cathedral

That would be the highlights for me. There are 100's of things to see history related. Cemetaries, beaches, etc.

Castles and Abbeys of the Norman kings.

Nice physical scenery, beautiful small towns and villages.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Nm...

[sa226]

I've been twice. Recommendations depend on how much time you have and if you have a car.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by sa226

I've been twice. Recommendations depend on how much time you have and if you have a car.

We hope to travel by train from Paris, then might rent a car when we're there. Number of days is undecided at this point; a few days anyway. We'll probably take a fam tour first then decide what to do afterward. We'll need to find a B&B or something similar. I'll be heading over to Trip Advisor also but knew there would be people here who have been there.

[Aeneas]

We stayed in Bernieres Sur Mer, close to the beach. Was a great little house.

We had a car rental, was very easy to get around.

[chemgear]

Would highly recommended these guys - they made the experience awesome for me:

http://www.matterhorntravel.com/

The website itself will show you some of the highlights in historical context. I did the full tour from the beaches of Normandy and "followed the Allies" all the way into Berlin.

Looks like they don't have that option anymore though.

[bigtmac19]

Check out a company called Battle Honours for tours. The owner Clive is amazing. When we went in 2012 to follow my Dad's regiment's battles through France and Holland he was just fantastic. Very highly recommended.

[Redliner]

You can travel from Paris to one of the larger cities like Caen relatively easily, but to get the most out of Normandy I think you'll be better off with a car. Driving in France isn't nearly as intimidating as people seem to think (except Paris - it's just as bad as what you've heard and maybe even worse) and a car will allow you access to a lot of really cool places and lets you set your own schedule.

The D-Day beaches are a must-see. I highly recommend the Juno Beach Centre and the Canadian war cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. We stayed right in Courseulles-sur-Mer and it's an amazing little seaside town even without Juno Beach. Just a really cool, relaxed vibe.

Don't miss Le Mont St-Michel. You'll have to park a gazillion miles away and walk in, but it's an absolutely incredible place. Pay the money and do the tour of the Abbey up at the top. I expected it to be just another walk-through of mostly empty medieval church, but it just keeps going and going. Really cool place.

There are some really impressive Cathedrals in the area as well, if you're into that sort of thing. The one in Rouen is pretty spectacular.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

We hope to travel by train from Paris, then might rent a car when we're there. Number of days is undecided at this point; a few days anyway. We'll probably take a fam tour first then decide what to do afterward. We'll need to find a B&B or something similar. I'll be heading over to Trip Advisor also but knew there would be people here who have been there.

Get a car. Visit at your own pace.

We had incredibly moving experiences traveling in the area and near the d day beaches. You could smell the results of shrapnel in the bunkers. Definitely moving. Take your time

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Get a car. Visit at your own pace.

We had incredibly moving experiences traveling in the area and near the d day beaches. You could smell the results of shrapnel in the bunkers. Definitely moving. Take your time

I'm pretty sure we will get a car for mobility to go where we want. The tour mentioned also looks good.

I thought of driving up to three hours by car to the WWI battle of the Somme site, which isn't bad. There are lots of trenches but many of them are underground and, I think, on private property so you might not be able to get into them. Some of the underground trenches are dangerous because of unexploded explosives that still exist. Anyone gone to this location?

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I'm pretty sure we will get a car for mobility to go where we want. The tour mentioned also looks good.

I thought of driving up to three hours by car to the WWI battle of the Somme site, which isn't bad. There are lots of trenches but many of them are underground and, I think, on private property so you might not be able to get into them. Some of the underground trenches are dangerous because of unexploded explosives that still exist. Anyone gone to this location?

The Somme is a pretty big, there are 100's of things to see there.

Preserved trenches at Beaumont-Hamel are above ground.

I would recommend Major and Mrs Holt's Concise, Illustrated Battlefield Guide to The Western Front - South.

[Aeneas]

^ well they are trenches so they are not "above ground" but not tunnels if you know what I mean.

At Vimy you can go in one preserved tunnel. There are other tunnels and caves near to Vimy that are private.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Aeneas

^ well they are trenches so they are not "above ground" but not tunnels if you know what I mean.

At Vimy you can go in one preserved tunnel. There are other tunnels and caves near to Vimy that are private.

Sorry, I meant tunnels.

[Tinordi]

Check out Honfleur and the Pays d'Auge, amazing cidre and cheese.