Anne-Charlotte PasseraLooking for a romantic getaway outside Paris? How about you travel to Bayeux where there are more restaurants or crêperies than people.
We spent 2 days there to visit Jacky and Doudou after ringing in the New Year in Paris. Also, it was time for me to pay a visit to Tango in order to come to terms with the mourning of his passing. I wasn’t able to attend his funeral as Zazou and I were actually on top of Machu Picchu on the day of his funeral. Tango didn’t want us to change our travel plans no matter what.
Therefore, it only took me 2 years to make it to his grave. So that is the sad part of our family getaway, but Big Boss made it all better later on that day, so read on…
How to travel to Bayeux
Bayeux is about a 2-hour train ride from Gare St-Lazare in Paris. You can book your tickets online with SNCF. It’s very easy to do so. If you’re planning to travel to Bayeux during peak times, it’s best to book in advance.
The town might be ‘small’ but there are loads of trains going back and forth between Bayeux and Paris. You could even do it in a day. However, I strongly suggest spending at least a night or two there. This way, you’ll have more time to appreciate the town and its surroundings. Bayeux is also full of cute Bed & Breakfast.
We took a relatively early train from Paris (Gare St-Lazare) around 10 am to arrive just in time for lunch at Jacky’s house.
Trains in France are very comfortable even for the second class. Although this wasn’t a TGV it went a lot faster than taking Amtrak from Philly to New York and you can get some pretty good deals as well. This is definitely a good alternative solution to renting a car, especially when traveling with kids.
The beach from Bayeux is not far per say. It’s about 10-15 minutes away by car. I know that there is a bus that exists as well to take you there but I don’t know the details.
Normandy weather
Luckily for us, the Paris weather didn’t follow us to Bayeux. We were even able to get some sun!
Usually, it is the other way around. Jacky is always complaining (it is a French thing) that it is cold, humid, and rainy but just to prove her wrong the weather was quite the opposite of that. However, it wasn’t bathing suit weather either as we were there during the first week of January.
Normandy travel tip: When you travel to Normandy, no matter what the season, always bring a rain coat and a long sleeve shirt.
Day trips from Paris
How to prepare them when you travel with kids. Which train stations to leave from? This is our little guide.
DAY 1 – BAYEUX
So what is so interesting about Bayeux aside from visiting my family? Well, I am no historian so you will need Wikipedia for that. The must-sees however within the town are its Cathedral and its Tapestry. Around the town, you can go to the beach and learn about D-Day and WWII.
During WWII, Bayeux was the first city of the Battle of Normandy to be liberated. On June 16th, 1944, General Charles de Gaulle made the first of two major speeches in Bayeux in which he made clear that France sided with the Allies. Most of the soldiers buried in Bayeux were killed during the invasion of Normandy.
Tapestry
The Bayeux Tapestry tells the epic story, in wool thread embroidered on linen cloth, of William, Duke of Normandy who became King of England in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings.
Yes, a piece of cloth that is important enough to be part of the UNESCO Memory of the wold list since 2007. Listen, I studied this tapestry in Art History as well as in history class. So it’s some badass church art from the 11th century. It’s the first type of manuscript of its kind.
Originally, the Tapestry was displayed within the cathedral. It was placed in a vault for safe keeping during WWII.
Unfortunately, as we were in France, it was closed during the holidays and a good part of January. Hence, we didn’t get a chance to see it.
Cathedral
You can’t travel to Bayeux without visiting the Cathedral. Luckily for us, it was opened while we were there.
Fun fact: You just might get a chance in meeting Jacky at the cathedral as she volunteers there.
The cathedral was built in the 11th century and is of romanesque and gothic style. It is absolutely stunning by day and by night. It has been listed as a historical monument since 1862.
Luckily, Bayeux’s cathedral escaped the Second World War destruction without any noteworthy damage.
The crypt has strong pillars with Corinthian capitals and Romanesque vaulting from the 11th century. The paintings of angels and the frescoes are from the 15th century.
D-Day beaches and WWI
My older brother Doudou is actually a guide in Bayeux. I will tell you more about that a bit further down the road.
He took us to Juno beach, which is the Canadian beach from D-Day. We even saw some old bunkers from WWII. It was really interesting and fun to listen to my brother tell us about the whole history of D-Day in Normandy.
Yep, if you go to Normandy, do not miss out on visiting the D-Day beaches and museums. There is a wonderful memorial museum in Caen which Doudou took me to a long time ago to visit. It gives you a great overview of what World War II was like and a behind-the-scenes look on D-Day.
Even if you are not a fan of history, at least check out the beaches. If you go to Caen, don’t expect to see old buildings. It was completely shaved down during WWII so it does lack character. Caen is only a short train ride from Bayeux, so again, no need for a car.
Love is in the air
Our first evening in Bayeux was spent together as a family. Jacky made Big Boss and Blondie Bear taste snails and they didn’t like it at all. Junior and I love snails, well more the sauce than the squishy part of the snail. I was surprised that Big Boss actually tried some as he is no daredevil food-wise, as in at all!
What was going to be yet another ordinary night in our day to day lives was actually going to be one for the books. Date to remember: January 2.
As we were getting ready to go to bed in my mother’s bedroom, Big Boss got down on 1 knee. OMG! A sense of WTF and relief came over me. Relief, because I truly realized at that moment that had he done that in public I would have pooped my pants. My face would have most definitely turned into a fluorescent tomato.
As I saw him get down I could already feel my face turning red. I was completely stressed out and nervous.
Moving along, the WTF part was: Wait, are you for real? This is serious? You are doing that now? Getting down on one knee like in the movies? I’m in my granny’s nightgown (the opposite of romantic and sexy!!!).
But just before getting down, he said: you know how Jacky said (she likes to play the old school type and be dramatic) that we can’t share a bed in her house unless we are married or engaged? Hmmm…yeah what is your point? …Knee drop…
So that was our engagement moment which I fully enjoyed throughout the next day.
DAY 2 – MONT SAINT-MICHEL
As I mentioned before, Doudou is a guide in Normandy with Normandy American Heroes. He had arranged for us a full day of exploring.
If you are into World War II history and whatnot, you should absolutely check him out. He can organize a private and personal tour for you and you won’t be disappointed. Your trip will be tailored to what your wants and needs are. Whatever you wish, he can make it happen.
Of course, I am biased as he is my brother, full disclosure, but nonetheless, he provides full transportation to important and interesting points of interest for private groups. He can even organize for an airport pickup from Charles de Gaulle to Normandy for you.
Doudou organized a full day for us and we loved it! For once, I didn’t have to plan for anything which was freaking FANTASTIC. Our first stop was at Mont St-Michel, which I had never been to. So that was a great first one for me.
Le Mont Saint-Michel
The Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The monastery sits on an island, accessible on foot during low tide. There are cobbled streets surrounded by stone wall fortifications which is why it has always been a nuisance for would-be invaders. This is a great place to visit, especially with kids.
Access
Le Mont St-Michel is about a 2-hour drive from Bayeux. It is totally doable as a day trip from Bayeux, especially if you are not the one driving. You can also travel from Bayeux to Mont St-Michel by train but it takes longer than going by car.
Another option is using Daytrip. You can pick and choose where you’d like to stop along your travel journey from Bayeux to Mont St-Michel. The only thing is that it’s just one way. I used this company in Vietnam and it was a great travel option. However, although your chauffeur can explain things to you along the way, he isn’t an official guide and won’t tour with you.
From the car park, there is a free shuttle that takes you up close and personal to the Mont St-Michel. It takes about 12 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on the shuttle.
You can also walk to it, which is about a 35-minute walk. Another fun way (we didn’t do it), is to take the horse-drawn carriage ($$) and it takes about 25 minutes to get there.
Logistics
You need to wear decent shoes if you are planning on visiting Le Mont St-Michel. You’ll be doing a lot of walking and it can get pretty steep.
I don’t really recommend going there with a stroller because of the cobbled stones. Climbing on top of the fortifications and visiting the abbey is not meant for strollers. Heck, they didn’t have strollers at the time so you and the kids can manage. Granted, I doubt there were many kids living there in those days anyway. Use a baby wrap carrier instead to make your life easier.
Food
If you plan on having lunch at the Mont St-Michel, DO NOT eat on the island. Instead, park your car (save money) at one of the local restaurants close to the parking lot before heading to Le Mont St-Michel.
We had a full course meal at La ferme St-Michel and it was absolutely delicious with great service. It was so good, that we lost track of time and ended up spending 2 hours there. So so good!
If you want to bring back something from Mont St-Michel, try La Mère Poulard‘s shortbread. Also, they usually come in a metal box that you can use later to store sugar cubes, tea bags, or other cookies. Alternatively, you can use it as a wrapper for a Christmas gift.
American Cemetery
Our next stop was the Brittany American Cemetery . Do not confuse it with the one that you see in Saving Private Ryan which is the Normandy American Cemetery. We got lucky as there was no-one around.
Therefore, we ended up getting a private tour with the groundskeeper (he has a special name, one I cannot remember). Inside the memorial, you’ll find interesting information about the different troop movements during World War II and the liberation of Normandy. (I hope I got that part right)
At the end of the day, you can catch a glimpse of the flag ceremony. Junior was allowed to participate in it as he is after all an american citizen or at least he was born there. Only americans can hold the flag and it is interesting to see how a flag is folded.
St-James Factory
We finished off our day at the St-James factory. Since we took so long for lunch and at the cemetery, only the shop was opened. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t tour the factory. Inside the shop, you can watch a video on how the company came to be so popular.
We walked out of there with 4 matching hats. Yes, I can be a dork sometimes. They came in very handy when we went back to the freezing cold of Paris and Montreal.
I always like to bring things back from our travels. If they are useful and different, even better. Should you have the time, I suggest that you make a pit stop there. It is a little off beaten and that is why we recommend it. If you like the St-James style and look, best to buy at the factory. They have the best prices.
Everyone in France is familiar with the St-James style and even the designer Jean-Paul Gauthier made reference to it in one of his collections. It is after all still made in France.
So, as our first day as an engaged couple, I tried to take discreet pictures of myself with the ring to see if people would notice it. I couldn’t help myself! Also, I wanted to be able to tell certain people about the engagement before everyone knew about it on social media.
DAY 3- BYE BYE
Our last day in Bayeux before catching our train was spent just strolling around town. We saw more cemeteries and went to the place where Charles de Gaulle made a speech. Finally, we just walked the small streets, admired the local stores, and passed by the cathedral (again).
This was a perfect little escapade from Paris. We had cold but sunny weather to go along with it. So if you have time to spare in France, travel to Bayeux and explore its surroundings? Don’t forget to book a tour with Normandy American Heroes as well!
À bientôt 🙂
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