Is it advisable and possible to travel from CDG to Bayeux via rail? I%26#39;ve never been to France and am planning a seven night stay in Bayeux. I don%26#39;t know whether it%26#39;s better to rent a car at CDG or train to Bayeux and rent there. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
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The one wrinkle with rail travel is that from CDG, you must take the RER (light rail) in to Paris (Chatelet RER stop) then transfer within that station to the metro line 14 toward St. Lazare. Trains from Paris leave from Gare St. Lazare.
Now, that description is very detailed, which likely makes it sound complicated. It%26#39;s really not. But it%26#39;s not as convenient as hopping a train straight for Bayeux once you clear customs at CDG.
The real trick is to match up your arrival with a train departure for Bayeux (Cherbourg is the end of the line, which confused me on the monitors at the station, fyi).
If you find a nice fit for your CDG arrival and departure from Gare St. Lazare, then it%26#39;s nice. Otherwise, if too big of a gap (more than 3 hours) you can find yourself in that unglamorous situation of hanging out and killing valuable time with your suitcases, unable to really do much because of those bags.
I just did the train route a few weeks ago. It wasn%26#39;t bad, but it%26#39;s kind of a pain traveling all the way into busy Paris to get your train (and paying to do so) and then getting on a crowded train (if you%26#39;re second class as I went) for the trip.
If you%26#39;re not averse to driving, why not drive from CDG, where you%26#39;re already outside the city anyway. You%26#39;re going to need a car after all to properly explore Bayeux and the surrounding region. And then you%26#39;re on your own schedule.
Train trip was fine for me, but next time I would drive, if I were to go. Would allow me to stop along the way, and then I wouldn%26#39;t have to find transport from Bayeux station to hotel. (We stood around for about an hour looking for a taxi, although it was Feb. 29!)
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Very helpful reply! I%26#39;ll take your advice and simply rent a car at CDG and drive. Thanks so much!!!!
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Sorry to have to disagree with mntoathens BUT...having a car in Bayeux may be more of a problem than you think. There is nothing to see in Bayeux that you can%26#39;t easily walk to. Is you%26#39;re going to do the D-day tour(s)
PLEASE use a tour company. (I sincerely suggest BattleBus). Yes you can do the tours from your own car, BUT, the tour guides give you so much more information about what you%26#39;re seeing. They%26#39;ve talked to the troops that were there on D-Day and have sometimes touching, sometimes humorous anecdotal stories that expand the experience like you can%26#39;t believe.
We enjoyed it so much that were going back in July to do the 2 we did last year (American 2 day and Band of Brothers) and adding the British and Canadian tours.
If you%26#39;re plans are at all flexible, you might want to plan on being there over the weekend of July 5-6. There%26#39;s a Medieval Festival in Bayeux that weekend that, I%26#39;m told is %26quot;ton%26#39;s o%26#39; fun%26quot;.
I%26#39;d also suggest the Churchill Hotel. It%26#39;s right in the middle of town.
Oh yeah...To get back to your original question...We took a cab from CDG to St Lazare (about 45 mins and 55Euros) and took the train to Bayeux from there. Waited about 5 minutes for a taxi at CDG. Coming back is a bit more hassle. Our train from Bayeux got in at 0900 and we had to wait in the taxi queue for an hour. Made our flight but the wait was making me nuts.
Sorry...I got a little wordy but we really enjoyed the experience and I hope you will too.
Regards,
Mudge the verbose
aka Brad Eney
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certainly no car is needed to see Bayeux, but with 7 nights, I assumed the original poster would be looking to explore the area outside Bayeux -- Mont St. Michel, Rouen, etc.
If you only plan to see Bayeux, then a car is not necessary at all.
As for exploring WWII sites, I also would strongly recommend a tour. And Battlebus is the one I%26#39;d recommend as well.
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