Visiting D-Day beaches this weekend

Hi all~ I was thinking of visiting the D-Day beaches this weekend, but just realized that it coincides (almost) with the anniversary. Might it be too crowded, and/or accomodations fully booked? As to crowds, if it%26#39;s not much worse than the rest of June, I%26#39;d rather go now.

Here is what I%26#39;ve planned so far, but I%26#39;m open to suggestions!

Sat.: Take 8am train from Paris to Caen. Visit the D-Day memorial, walk around. Take train to Bayeux in evening and spend night there.

Sun.: Take 8 hour tour of D-Day beaches on minibus. Spend night in Bayeux.

Mon.: ??? Return to Paris in evening.

I am wondering if the minibus tours allow for a decent amount of walking around, or if it%26#39;s mostly having one%26#39;s toosh glued to a seat. Normally I would go with something like the Bus Verts (hop on %26amp; off) as I like to take my time %26amp; walk alot, but think I would really benefit from the educational aspect of the minibus tour. Any thoughts?

Also, any ideas on what I can do on Monday? It doesn%26#39;t have to be D-Day related.

Thanks all in advance! ~SoHoll

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make sure you have your accomodation booked - I didnt book mine for last Friday and ended up paying twice what I would normally (88 Euros - scandalous!!) because everwhere was booked out

For Monday there is the Tapistry thingo in Bayeux..... (actually it%26#39;s an embroidery, but that%26#39;s mere details!) which is well worth the visit. Also, you could catch the Bus Verts to Honfleur, which is a particular favourite of mine.

Judging by the way things are going, I would leave the Bikini at home. Otherwise that would also be an option

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I did the D-Day beaches as a day-trip from Paris via the Gare St. Lazare. I booked a tour in advance on the web, and was picked up at the train station by the tour van.

It was November, so we were racing against the sunlight and was able to cover all the sites in less than 8 hours and had us back on the train to Paris.

There is good walking around %26amp; photo time, but after the guide covers all the details at each of the various locations. He%26#39;d give us 10 - 15 minutes of free time for photos and exploration.

I don%26#39;t know if I could stretch it out into a multi-day excursion.

Let me know if you%26#39;ld like to see my pics on-line.

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I tried to book hotels in Bayeeux two years ago during the anniversary week of the D-Day invasion with no luck. You can be assured that it will be crowded.

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%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; I don%26#39;t know if I could stretch it out into a multi-day excursion. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

There are over 60 sites in the area relating to the invasion of Normandy. There must be at least a couple of dozen military cemeteries alone. The landing beaches stretch for almost 100km along the coast. And the entire area of the Normandy battlefield is mindboggling in its extent.

Three or four days will give you a *slight *idea of the history that happened here and the sacrifice that so many from such a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds made here...

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I am so glad you%26#39;re going, it%26#39;s always been a dream of mine to go to the d-day anniversary there as my paternal grandfather is buried there.

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Many thanks everyone for your input. I am going to put off the trip to a less busy weekend. Given the significance of the place, I%26#39;d rather go when it is less crowded and there is more peace for reflection. Mascara, I hope you get to fulfill your dream and visit the beaches. ~SoHoll

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If you haven%26#39;t scheduled your tour already, I would recommend going with battle bus. We just got back from there 2 weeks ago, and the battle bus tour was awesome. The guide really researched and knew his stuff.

Also, we took the train from Gare du Noir to Bayeaux and stayed at the hotel luxembourg... Bayeaux is a cute little town with lots of little shops.

Bayeaux is also a LOT less expensive than Paris... lol

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