Travel to and staying in Normandy, France?

Question

I am living in Germany (near Frankfurt) and would like to travel to Normandy to see the any WWII memorials and the beaches where the invasion took place. I would appreciate any input people have on where to stay, what to see, what they did while there, and about how long one should set aside to spend there. I plan on traveling by train, will rely on local transport and foot travel while there, and do not speak French. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

www.france-hotel-guide.com

Answer 2

Although there is not much to do there, the city of Caen has a memorial that is quite good. Here is the website: http://www.memorial-caen.fr/fr/index.php

Cheers.

Answer 3

This was a long time ago (in 2001) but I took the train, and got off at the Bayeux stop, and right across from the train station (literally right across the tracks) was a place to stay that was incredibly cheap. I think it was the equivalent of 18$ canadian. It was just a room with a sink, the bathroom was out in the hallway but it was clean and safe. You can walk to the small town of Bayeux from there and there is also a british cemetary that is very moving within 3 blocks. In the town of Bayeux there are buses that will take you to Omaha beach. There was barely any english spoken in Bayeux though. You need to do more research before going.

Answer 4

I highly recommend the town of Bayeux, and in particular, an inn/hostel called "Family Home".  I stayed there several years ago, and it is still my favorite accommodation in all of Europe.  It is very affordable, charming, clean, with a variety of rooms (private available) and an excellent base for WWII sightseeing.  The Normandy beaches are very close, and many tour operators will pick you up directly from Family Home.  

Within one day I was able to go to Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, and all of the British beaches as well.  Also, there are some excellent museums by the beaches and the American cemetery.

There is a nice train station in Bayeux, and I know there are regular trains to and from Paris.  As for seeing the sights without a car, I chose small tour operators right when I got into town, and it was no problem at all to see everything I wanted to see.  My WWII sightseeing was done in just a couple of days, but if I had to do it again, I might give a few more days.  A week might be a bit much, but if you have the time, the rest of Normandy is very beautiful, too, and very accessible by train.  In terms of language, everyone at Family Home spoke English, and the tour operators do as well.

Enjoy your trip!

PS--if you do choose Bayeux, you must see the Bayeux tapestry--a fascinating 70-meter-long tapestry from the early 13th century that tells the entire story of the Norman Conquest.  Also a highlight, every night at Family Home (I cannot confirm they still do this, but at the time, they were famous for it) there is a huge communal dinner, with more food than I could possibly have eaten, and everyone staying comes and meets each other.  It's just the friendliest place.