Normandy

My next recommendation for any trip to France is to take a day and travel to Normandy. There are many options in getting to Normandy and here's what I found:

1. There are many tour groups that organize train tickets, pick ups and informational tours of the various sites. Tours can be great, but also more expensive than if you did it on your own, and also strap you to a particular schedule. The experience of Normandy is not just about historical sites, but also exhibits a beautiful rural countryside. Therefore, as interesting as the historical facts might be, I think it's also worth it to have the time to just sit and enjoy the landscape.

2. There are several trains that leave Paris and travel to various cities in Normandy. The center of the D-Day attractions is a city called Bayeux. When I looked into booking a train to Bayeux I ran into a few issues. One, the earliest train I could find out of Paris left around 9:00 and took about two hours to travel to Bayeux. (Check out this website for train information.) This wouldn't be a problem, but once you arrive in Bayeux you then have to find a bus or taxi service to take you to the D-Day attractions. Again, this causes a bit of a scheduling issue, because you either have to pay the taxi to wait or wait for another infrequent bus to travel between the rural towns.

3. Eventually, we decided the best way to travel to Normandy and experience the sites was to rent our own car. We found a very cheap car rental place near our hotel and by 8 in the morning we set off for Normandy. Having the car allowed us to follow our own path through the attractions, spend as much time as we wanted and to fully enjoy the countryside. And after we priced everything out, the car was only slightly more expensive than a train, but the flexibility was invaluable.

D-Day Attractions:

Start your exploration at the seaside resort of Arromanches-les-Bains. This is a cool little fishing port that still exhibits wreckage of the man made harbor the Allies built in 1944. Next to the beach is a museum that houses maps, videos and photographs of the building of the harbor, but I wouldn't recommend paying the money to enter. Just buy or check out Rick Steves' Book on Paris and he'll give you the full historical background.

While you are at Arromanches-les-Bains walk up the hill and see a short, but very well done video, called Arromanches-les-Bains 360. As indicated in the name, the video is shown on screens around the entire room and show real footage of D-Day.

In the background you can see the port of Arromanche-les-Bains.

From Arromanche travel down the coast to Omaha Beach. Covering almost 173 acres is a fantastic and humbling museum of the events leading up to the D-Day battle, leftover lookouts and artillery from the Germans and the Normandy American Cemetery. Save yourself a considerable amount of time to fully experience this site.

At Omaha Beach.
The American Cemetery.

From Omaha Beach we traveled farther along the coast until we came to Pointe du Hoc. This was probably the most breathtaking site I had ever visited. To see the real effects of war and the destruction it can cause was incredible.

That's me standing in the middle of a crater from a bomb.
More craters.

I should also state that there are many other attractions in addition to the ones we saw. However, we felt like these three major sites told the story and allowed us to take our time and fully absorb the historical event that took place. So, don't feel overwhelmed when you start planning your trip. Touch on the highlights or spend a few days. Either way you'll still walk away with an appreciation for this monumental battle.

To finish our trip to Normandy we drove into Bayeux, which is an adorable town, and had our first real French meal at a Michelin starred restaurant called Le Pommier. My husband chose the set menu with Foie gras and an amazing apple pie, and I had a deliciously prepared cod. After dinner we walked the streets and enjoyed this charming little city.

Me after being very well fed.