We are going to be in Paris the first week of January and were wanting to take a daytrip to Bayeux. I have noticed that most of the tour groups are closed the month of January so we were thinking of just exploring on our own.
My question is: Once we arrive will we be able to see things on our own or should we try to find a private guide? If we need a guide, can anybody suggest a company or individual who will be open sometime around Jan 5th-7th?
Thanks!
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Its perfectly easy and convenient to do your own tour. Just call into the tourist office and pick up a map of the beaches.
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Look at the Michelin green guide. It has a nice walking tour of Bayeux. The train station is just outside the town, about 1/2 mile from the center - get your hiking shoes, and a raincoat, of course.
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The Bayeux tapestry is open all year round except Christmas Day and New Year%26#39;s Day. However, quite a few other museums are closed in January, so do your research in advance, not to be disappointed. Bayeux is small enough to get around on foot if you are coming by train but you will need to join a tour or hire a car if you want to do any of the D-Day stuff.
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Try contacting the tour companies to see if they can do a %26quot;private%26quot; trip. You didn%26#39;t mention how many would be in your party, but I believe that it was mentioned on this site that there is a minimum number for a tour group. Perhaps your party would qualify or the tour company would have similar inquiries. Dress warmly...you%26#39;re by the sea in winter!
Our experience was with Overlord Tours (they were excellent!), but try others that are mentioned on this site as well. Overlord guides are French, live in the area, and could (they did not say so, just a possibility!) be available. We have done the D Day visit on our own and on a tour. I recommend trying to book a tour as you will see sites that you may miss on your own. Search this forum exstensively for all of your options.
You can take a train from the Paris St. Lazare train station to Normandy in about 1 1/2 hours. I suspect that driving would be longer and more stressful. As with any large international city, getting out of Paris on your own would not be not fun. If you are going to rent a car and tour on your own, I would recommend taking a train to Caen and renting a car from there. The pick up points for car rental are directly outside the train station, and your choices are several. Car rental in Bayeux is limited and appeared to be to be more difficult.
The trip is well worth your time. I hope you can make it happen!
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We rented a Hertz car in Bayeux in September. The Hertz agent is the Total service station on the west side of town, about a five to ten minute taxi ride from the railroad station, not awfully expensive. We got lucky, went to B%26amp;B Agarthi first and the proprietor%26#39;s daughter drove us out to Hertz later. We didn%26#39;t want to get our car until evening so that the 24 hours wouldn%26#39;t force us to return too early from our self-directeed battlefield tour the next day.
But it%26#39;s a small Hertz location so be sure to reserve in advance. English is not their strong suit, but I%26#39;d imagine you%26#39;ll do ok. Fortunately I have survival French.
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I second what WizardofAus said - totaly doable on your own. It%26#39;s not a large town and fun to just walk around and explore on your own. The beaches are different - you%26#39;ll need a car or tour. Have a great time!
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