Idea For Stops and Things to see in France (Normandy)

DevillBelgium

DevillBelgium

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Just browsing
Hi all,
Test week coming up shortly.
We hired an T6 Ocean (very exited for a long time now)
And we decided to make an trip to Normandy.
What already have done is make a plan for the stay on 3 campings (Huttopia Les falaies, Huttopia Calvados and Le chatelet)
A few things we wanted already to see where Mont Saint Michiel, Saint Michel. Etretait Klifs.
If you have any idea's for us to see we would be greatfull.
Side note: I have an 5 year old and 14 year old coming along on the trip.
Also sleeping advice and others tips are welcome for on the caming itself since this for us is the very first time away in an California.
 
Bayer is nice, park outside the main town centre and walk into the centre.
Park 4night app is great at locating parking spots generally And is a free app.

Obvs the Bayer tapestry
Waterwheel
Bayer WW2 museum is worth a visit. (Parking available) Various tanks outside, lots of WW2 items inside with story boards etc, They have a DD Cinema presentation show in both French and English at various times throughout the Day (multi ticket for the museums will get you a discounted admission & can be bought at any of the Venues the ticket(s) are for .

Note Many places in France will close for lunch, check opening times before you travel.
many car parking spots are free during lunch time !

DD Beaches - worth doing some basic research : suggest starting at Grand Camp Maisey (site of a former Big gun emplacement) and work your way down the coast To Arromanches to see the man made break water harbour ruins, nice tourist town. (park in the town pay and display car park. )

Pointe du Hoc is a must visit and very emotional. (DYOR) Visitor centre and outside story boards etc, You can go into the German Defensive Gun positions / bunkers etc. (Bring a small torch or phone! )

Lots of free sites with good parking well worth a visit , several paid for museums en route if you want to spend a lot more time / money.

If you fancy a Venture a little further North of Maisey: Saint Mere Eglise (first liberated town during DD) Nice village area & Airbourne Museum, tourist shops, cafe (run by an English couple)

MSM park in the official car park and either walk the mile or so to MSM or get the free shuttle to the door ( MSM can get very busy). you can pay the parking on return to the visitor centre or at the barrier when you leave the Carl park.

St.Malo is well worth a visit to the Old walled city and the island, possible tall ships in the harbour etc. Walk the walls for some nice views. Check out market day, it will be busier but you get the market.
Park away from the tourist area / harbour in the outlying town (other side of the Harbour) and walk in. (Less than a mile) use Park4 night app to find free parking.

Cancale - Oyster Beds, nice sea side tourist village - park at the free carpark outside of the village on the main road (sign posted) and walk down the tarmac footpath (hill)
walk along the seafront all the way to the end & Try the oysters (note: you can buy them individually If you don’t want 6 or 12).

Honfleur - go / exit via the tall toll road Bridge !
Park at the harbour main car park As you enter the town (right hand side)
Walk around the back streets And alleyways to reveal a lot of old timber frame buildings etc.

try a locals lunch - look for the set menu for great value (le menu du jour or la formule or menu du jour).

Toll roads (automatic booths ) do take cash and give change if you don’t have a Bank card ( use small Denomination bank notes ).

Fuel filling - some places only take cards, some places like supermarket fuel station are only manned during certain hours if paying cash.
Big Brand Fuel filling stations are generally like the U.K. fill up, go in and pay.

There will be a Market on every day of the week somewhere ! markets tend to be mainly food and cheap tat.

Enjoy.
 
Perfectos said:
Bayer is nice, park outside the main town centre and walk into the centre.
Park 4night app is great at locating parking spots generally And is a free app.

Obvs the Bayer tapestry
Waterwheel
Bayer WW2 museum is worth a visit. (Parking available) Various tanks outside, lots of WW2 items inside with story boards etc, They have a DD Cinema presentation show in both French and English at various times throughout the Day (multi ticket for the museums will get you a discounted admission & can be bought at any of the Venues the ticket(s) are for .

Note Many places in France will close for lunch, check opening times before you travel.
many car parking spots are free during lunch time !

DD Beaches - worth doing some basic research : suggest starting at Grand Camp Maisey (site of a former Big gun emplacement) and work your way down the coast To Arromanches to see the man made break water harbour ruins, nice tourist town. (park in the town pay and display car park. )

Pointe du Hoc is a must visit and very emotional. (DYOR) Visitor centre and outside story boards etc, You can go into the German Defensive Gun positions / bunkers etc. (Bring a small torch or phone! )

Lots of free sites with good parking well worth a visit , several paid for museums en route if you want to spend a lot more time / money.

If you fancy a Venture a little further North of Maisey: Saint Mere Eglise (first liberated town during DD) Nice village area & Airbourne Museum, tourist shops, cafe (run by an English couple)

MSM park in the official car park and either walk the mile or so to MSM or get the free shuttle to the door ( MSM can get very busy). you can pay the parking on return to the visitor centre or at the barrier when you leave the Carl park.

St.Malo is well worth a visit to the Old walled city and the island, possible tall ships in the harbour etc. Walk the walls for some nice views. Check out market day, it will be busier but you get the market.
Park away from the tourist area / harbour in the outlying town (other side of the Harbour) and walk in. (Less than a mile) use Park4 night app to find free parking.

Cancale - Oyster Beds, nice sea side tourist village - park at the free carpark outside of the village on the main road (sign posted) and walk down the tarmac footpath (hill)
walk along the seafront all the way to the end & Try the oysters (note: you can buy them individually If you don’t want 6 or 12).

Honfleur - go / exit via the tall toll road Bridge !
Park at the harbour main car park As you enter the town (right hand side)
Walk around the back streets And alleyways to reveal a lot of old timber frame buildings etc.

try a locals lunch - look for the set menu for great value (le menu du jour or la formule or menu du jour).

Toll roads (automatic booths ) do take cash and give change if you don’t have a Bank card ( use small Denomination bank notes ).

Fuel filling - some places only take cards, some places like supermarket fuel station are only manned during certain hours if paying cash.
Big Brand Fuel filling stations are generally like the U.K. fill up, go in and pay.

There will be a Market on every day of the week somewhere ! markets tend to be mainly food and cheap tat.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...
Thanks for al the tips.
I feel like a stupid person afther reading your post here.
A bit overwhelmed with info. :D
 
As this is your first time away could I suggest you try a couple of nights somewhere local so you know where to buy the things you forget to take and could go home if needed.
DevillBelgium said:
Hi all,
Test week coming up shortly.
We hired an T6 Ocean (very exited for a long time now)
And we decided to make an trip to Normandy.
What already have done is make a plan for the stay on 3 campings (Huttopia Les falaies, Huttopia Calvados and Le chatelet)
A few things we wanted already to see where Mont Saint Michiel, Saint Michel. Etretait Klifs.
If you have any idea's for us to see we would be greatfull.
Side note: I have an 5 year old and 14 year old coming along on the trip.
Also sleeping advice and others tips are welcome for on the caming itself since this for us is the very first time away in an California.
Click to expand...
Re:
sleeping advice
Click to expand...
Try somewhere very near you for one night then you will how how much space you have and what you may have forgot to take.

Try the search link at the top near your account name at the top of the page, maybe put in Sleep. A quick search came up with this one amongst others https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/sleep.19591/
 
DevillBelgium said:
Thanks for al the tips.
I feel like a stupid person afther reading your post here.
A bit overwhelmed with info. :D
Click to expand...
Im sorry if any of that was in anyway condescending, it wasn’t meant to be.

it’s not daunting at all, just a bit different if you haven’t done it before but nothing to be worried about., it’s an adventure.
French Roads are far less congested, no pot holes and very easy to navigate & you can travel distances relatively quickly. A pleasure to drive on.

we did pretty much that trip in March with two teens, spending time near St.Malo then visiting MCM before coming across to D day beaches.

go enjoy and learn as you go, enjoy the Cali camping experience and the freedom it brings, the kids will love it.

as far as buying anything you’ve forgotten, France has shops the same as the U.K. (although French shops mainly close / shorter opening hours on Sunday, you can get anything you’ve forgotten / need, mostly from supermarkets ).

Use the Search function to find anything on the forum (top right - spyglass) or simply post a question in your thread & someone will help out.

take at least 20m of hook up cable sometimes hook ups can be 30m away from your pitch.

Enjoy your research and the trip
 
Perfectos said:
Im sorry if any of that was in anyway condescending, it wasn’t meant to be.

it’s not daunting at all, just a bit different if you haven’t done it before but nothing to be worried about., it’s an adventure.
French Roads are far less congested, no pot holes and very easy to navigate & you can travel distances relatively quickly. A pleasure to drive on.

we did pretty much that trip in March with two teens, spending time near St.Malo then visiting MCM before coming across to D day beaches.

go enjoy and learn as you go, enjoy the Cali camping experience and the freedom it brings, the kids will love it.

as far as buying anything you’ve forgotten, France has shops the same as the U.K. (although French shops mainly close / shorter opening hours on Sunday, you can get anything you’ve forgotten / need, mostly from supermarkets ).

Use the Search function to find anything on the forum (top right - spyglass) or simply post a question in your thread & someone will help out.

take at least 20m of hook up cable sometimes hook ups can be 30m away from your pitch.

Enjoy your research and the trip
Click to expand...

As far as the condensending part.
Was not so. I am a planner when it comes to going on vacation. I do not like surprises. As far as this vacation is going to be (for me) a bit of a chalenge. I need to let go. It will be completly some new experiances. No hotel, appartments or b&b. We did some camping in the past (but only with tent). Just getting older means for me issue with backpain and troubles getting up when sleeping on the floor. Sleeping in a bed will solve this.
Now my vacation will start when I leave home and no rush to get where I am going.
 
Yes we have.
Where planning to stay normaly one night each time. But apperently they do not take bookings online long before under 2 nights each.
Which is not bad and gives us the chance to a day of rest or sightseeing if wanted.
 
I would say don’t take too much stuff, you'll get bored moving it around and stashing it.
Take a small soft bag of clothes each, FYI we take 5 days clothes and use the campsite laundry (take 1 washing tablet so youdon'thavetobuy a box). Also a backpack of your own stuff to keep it together (knitting, books, sunglasses, powerbank etc...). Waterproof coats.
A stash of cards or board games.
Table tennis bats if you have them and a couple of ping pong balls, there are tables everywhere.
Check you have a corkscrew....Small chopping board for baguettes
Insect repellant and sting relief. Citronella candle for sitting out in the evening. Couple of usb fans.
Bat and tennis ball for beach cricket
Playi list of cheesey French songs...
Any little French village is interesting just explore around the campsites!
 
24H still left on the clock.
The I can pick up the Loan Cali for a week.
I am so exited that the wife told to go outside and already start sleeping in our Caddy.
It would be possible but a bit uncomfortable I think.
 
DevillBelgium said:
24H still left on the clock.
The I can pick up the Loan Cali for a week.
I am so exited that the wife told to go outside and already start sleeping in our Caddy.
It would be possible but a bit uncomfortable I think.
Click to expand...
Have a great time, when you get back you maybe hooked and start looking how to convert your Caddy.
 
My home away for a week. Looking forward niw to leave. The drive home was a dream finaly comming true. 204 - 4 motion automatic. What more can I ask for.

d78ec7c7482f4995a09f084b375d148e.jpg

ca3c25883b2dc53728f8c6d06f66ffca.jpg
 
In addition to all the above ideas, The D-Day Experience at Dead Man’s Corner near Carentan is great. The children will enjoy the iMax cinema and the flight simulator - all included in the ticket price.
 
DevillBelgium said:
Hi all,
Test week coming up shortly.
We hired an T6 Ocean (very exited for a long time now)
And we decided to make an trip to Normandy.
What already have done is make a plan for the stay on 3 campings (Huttopia Les falaies, Huttopia Calvados and Le chatelet)
A few things we wanted already to see where Mont Saint Michiel, Saint Michel. Etretait Klifs.
If you have any idea's for us to see we would be greatfull.
Side note: I have an 5 year old and 14 year old coming along on the trip.
Also sleeping advice and others tips are welcome for on the caming itself since this for us is the very first time away in a California.
Click to expand...
Great question - we are doing the same trip in a couple of months, so the responses are very helpful here too. I’m also a “planner” ! :thumb
 
Not in Normandy but if you’re arriving in Calais by ferry or train this place is worth a visit. Not much of a diversion off the A16 travelling south.
Fascinating place where massive long range weapons to target the U.K. were constructed underground.
Closed in the winter due to protected bats hibernating.

IMG_4810.png
 
Perfectos said:
Im sorry if any of that was in anyway condescending, it wasn’t meant to be.

it’s not daunting at all, just a bit different if you haven’t done it before but nothing to be worried about., it’s an adventure.
French Roads are far less congested, no pot holes and very easy to navigate & you can travel distances relatively quickly. A pleasure to drive on.

we did pretty much that trip in March with two teens, spending time near St.Malo then visiting MCM before coming across to D day beaches.

go enjoy and learn as you go, enjoy the Cali camping experience and the freedom it brings, the kids will love it.

as far as buying anything you’ve forgotten, France has shops the same as the U.K. (although French shops mainly close / shorter opening hours on Sunday, you can get anything you’ve forgotten / need, mostly from supermarkets ).

Use the Search function to find anything on the forum (top right - spyglass) or simply post a question in your thread & someone will help out.

take at least 20m of hook up cable sometimes hook ups can be 30m away from your pitch.

Enjoy your research and the trip
Click to expand...
Disagree that French shops are the same as the UK. I know I’m sad, but a trip to a good French supermarket like Auchan or Leclerc is like Disneyland for me! Especially the fish counters. :D
 
GrumpyGranddad said:
Not in Normandy but if you’re arriving in Calais by ferry or train this place is worth a visit. Not much of a diversion off the A16 travelling south.
Fascinating place where massive long range weapons to target the U.K. were constructed underground.
Closed in the winter due to protected bats hibernating.

View attachment 113865
Click to expand...
La Coupole near Saint Omer and The Blockhouse at Eperlecques also worth a visit.
 
GrumpyGranddad said:
Interesting Blockhouse in Honfleur but not been to that one. It and La Coupole are now on my list :)
Click to expand...

Been to honfleur.
Had a bite to eat and wander roud.
Thanks for all the tips. (Even thise who came in when we where back )
 
Heads up:
80th anniversary of D-day next year. So, if you’re planning a Normandy trip in early June 2024, best to book up asap. The campsite we’re booked into has been fully booked for the D-day week for many months.
 
Just returned from Normandy and Brittany, a great place to travel around. Dinard is a lovely seaside town and the new d day museum at Arromanches is definitely worth a visit - also a nice town to spend an afternoon!
54bbe6ac5b1021e01c6f6d6127ff2f3c.jpg



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