Advice for adding on Normandy & Paris to Rhône River Cruise

[sayhello]

We just stayed in Bayeux last month. Our D-Day tour was with Bayeux Shuttle and focused on the American sites. Our guide was passionate and a wealth of knowledge. They do small groups. I believe our van could fit 10 people. I booked this through Viator. My grandfather landed on Omaha Beach and our entire family is here because he survived. It was incredibly moving.

I second Giverny and Monet's house. This was one of the absolute best things we did over our two week trip. It is incredibly beautiful and the town is so very charming.

We rented a car , so I am unsure of the train situation. I do know Bayeux has a train station. You can do day tours to Monet's home, Mont St Michel and the D Day sites , so it is definitely doable without a car.

We rented an Airbnb. It was within walking distance of downtown, but you could do much better. One hotel that seemed to get excellent reviews in my research was Hotel Churchill. It was centrally located and tours all pick up right around the corner.

Thanks! I'll take a look at Giverny and Monet's house. I've booked a full day tour to the D-Day sites, and a most-of-the-day tour to Mont St. Michel. If I can fit it in, I'll check out a tour for Giverny.

I don't drive in foreign countries, so tours or public transit is how I get around. Bayeux does have a train station I can get to from Paris, but it's way too early to buy train tickets, unfortunately!

I currently have a reservation for a small hotel near the town center of Bayeux (Domain De Bayeux). The Hotel Churchill, which I also saw good reviews for, is already sold out for the days I'll be there!

Thanks again!
Sayhello

 

[Woodview]

Well done in finding The Hotel Churchill it looks good . ( Google Earth ,Bayeux & Hotel Churchill & translate to English )

It has a daily Bus tour to Mont St. Michelle & is near The Bayeux Tapestry .... well worth a visit.

I hope you have booked Half Board ( Dinner , Bed & Breakfast ) as it saves you looking for a place to eat dinner.

Always good value.

 

[sayhello]

Well done in finding The Hotel Churchill it looks good . ( Google Earth ,Bayeux & Hotel Churchill & translate to English )

It has a daily Bus tour to Mont St. Michelle & is near The Bayeux Tapestry .... well worth a visit.

I hope you have booked Half Board ( Dinner , Bed & Breakfast ) as it saves you looking for a place to eat dinner.

Always good value.

Thanks. The Hotel Churchill is sold out. I already have a full tour to Mont St. Michel. I've hear the Tapestry is really nice, I plan to see it during some free time.

I have not booked Half Board. Looking for a place to eat dinner is fun.

Sayhello

 

[kaseyC]

Astotel hotels in Paris are very nice. They have a variety of boutique hotels in Paris. We've stayed at a number of them and have always had an fantastic experience. https://en.astotel.com

 

[sayhello]

Astotel hotels in Paris are very nice. They have a variety of boutique hotels in Paris. We've stayed at a number of them and have always had an fantastic experience. https://en.astotel.com

Thanks for the recommendation!

Sayhello

 

[mindeola]

The Tapestry is a great way to spend an hour or so. It is amazing to see that type of work has survived for so long. Have a wonderful time!

 

[sayhello]

Astotel hotels in Paris are very nice. They have a variety of boutique hotels in Paris. We've stayed at a number of them and have always had an fantastic experience. https://en.astotel.com

Have you by any chance stayed at the Astotel Hotel Joke in Montmartre?

Thanks,
Sayhello

 

[BluesTraveler]

@ Sayhello - do you ever look at the Rick Steves travel forum? Tons and tons of information, and you can search by subject.

 

[sayhello]

@ Sayhello - do you ever look at the Rick Steves travel forum? Tons and tons of information, and you can search by subject.

I use his app for specific trip info, but I haven't really checked out his forum. I guess I really should!

Thanks! Sayhello

 

[kaseyC]

Have you by any chance stayed at the Astotel Hotel Joke in Montmartre?

Thanks,
Sayhello

I have not stayed in that one. I've stayed in Hotel 123 Elysees, Hotel Malte and Hotel Bradford Elysees. I think you can't go wrong with any of them. They all seem to be very similar just in different areas.

 

[sayhello]

I have not stayed in that one. I've stayed in Hotel 123 Elysees, Hotel Malte and Hotel Bradford Elysees. I think you can't go wrong with any of them. They all seem to be very similar just in different areas.

Thanks! Hotel Joke is in the Montmartre area, where I'm looking to stay.

Sayhello

 

[Woodview]

Thanks! Hotel Joke is in the Montmartre area, where I'm looking to stay.

Sayhello

Thank you for the info on Hotel Joke .

It seems to be good & I have noted it for future trips .

My daughter has the solo travel bug . She has been doing Inter railing for the last 2 weeks . Chearburg , Paris , Innsbruck

Zurich & on

 

[sayhello]

Transportation may be an issue, but I have stayed at a small B&B near St Mere Eglise (Location of the Airborne Museum - significant for those of us who earned our jump wings). Les Quatre Etoiles in Turqueville, the hosts are fantastic people and their B&B is used by several US Generals when they visit for the D-Day anniversaries.

An experience you will never forget.

@mtmueller Thanks for this recommendation. It's turning out to be an interesting experience so far. I've been exchanging emails with Tonnis Muntinga from the B&B. Besides a D-Day tour with D-Day Battle Tours (thanks for that recommendation, too!) I booked a tour to Mont Saint Michel. D-Day Battle tours starts in Sainte Mere Eglise, which is right near to this B&B (but they'll pick me up in Bayeux for a fee) but the tour of Mont Saint Michel starts in Bayeux, and they won't come to Sainte Mere Eglise to pick me up (understandable, it's pretty far). So I told Tonnis that I was sorry, but it just wasn't going to work out because of transportation. But he seems adamant to work it out, asked me where I needed to go for my tours, and when I told him the above (about how it won't work for the Mont Saint Michel tour) the answer is "I will think about a solution, I let you know." They are being super helpful. Honestly, most places would have said "Well, sorry it's not going to work out, keep us in mind for your next trip". It will be interesting to see if they get this worked out or not. It looks like a beautiful, peaceful B&B! I really would love to stay there. I've got to admire their tenacity!

Sayhello

ETA: So Tonnis has replied, and they are going to take me to Bayeux and pick me back up there for my tour to Mont Saint Michel!! He'll let me know how much it will cost, but, honestly, he's already saving me 50 euro for the pickup from Bayeux for the D-Day tour, plus the B&B is 150 euro cheaper for the 3 nights than the hotel I got in Bayeux. Altogether, I think this worked out wonderfully. For anyone wondering, this is the B&B:

https://quatre-etoiles.net/en/

It just looks really nice!

This would be one of the reasons why I rarely book non-refundable hotel rooms when I'm booking way ahead of time...

Thanks again, @mtmueller !