A guide by @vik.aroundtheworldUpdated: November 2026
Normandy, Tide by Tide
A 5–7 day plan for Étretat, Honfleur, Mont-Saint-Michel, Bayeux and the D-Day beaches, with real 2026–27 prices, tide timing and a train-or-car decision made for you.
An online guide for your phone: 11 parts, 26 places on the map, every price with its source.
This is what opens on your phone.
Real screens from the guide. Swipe through them.
The Porte d'Aval arch and the Aiguille needle, Étretat.
Photo: Jörg Braukmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons11 parts, in the order you will need them.
- 01
Normandy at a glance: what is where, and what changed for 2027
- 02
Two routes: five days or seven
- 03
When to go: seasons, crowds and the tides
- 04
Getting there and getting around: train, car or ferry
- 05
Mont-Saint-Michel without the crush
- 06
Étretat, Honfleur and the cider country
- 07
The D-Day beaches: what to see, what it costs, and how to do it with children
- 08
Bayeux, Rouen and Giverny
- 09
Where to stay, by budget
- 10
What to eat and drink, and what it really costs
- 11
Packing and practical details
- ★
Plus the map, the budget and the quest
An interactive map with 26 places, an example week budget, the booking calendar, a quest card with 12 missions, 8 answers to common questions and 58 linked sources.
Less than one crêpe lunch in Normandy.
A crêperie lunch in Normandy costs about €12–28 a person à la carte. The guide costs €9,99. One tip in it saves a family of three more than €300 on the D-Day beaches.
Where the €300+ comes from: the Mémorial de Caen’s private guided beach tours are listed from $150 per person, so at least $450 for two adults and a child, about €380 at a cautious $1 = €0.85. The Normandy American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc and the Longues-sur-Mer battery are free to visit on your own. Add the Mémorial de Caen museum for two adults at €20.80 each, €41.60 (under-10s free). €380 − €41.60 ≈ €338.
- Private guided D-Day tour (2 adults + child)≈ €380
- The same sites by car, plus the Mémorial de Caen museum€41.60
- You save with this one tip≈ €338
- Normandy, Tide by Tide, the full guide€9,99
Bars drawn to scale. Prices from the guide: Mémorial de Caen (tours and museum), ABMC and the Bayeux-Bessin tourist office. Dollars converted at $1 = €0.85.
What a week there really costs.
The example week from the guide: two adults and one child aged 9, seven days by car (the seven-day route), May or September 2027 - excluding hotels, car hire, fuel and tolls.
≈€1,320≈ €1,320 for the week (about €190 a day for three), before hotels, car hire, fuel and tolls
- Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, 2 adults (child free)€32
- Mont-Saint-Michel car park, one day, mid-season, booked online for arrival before 10:00€20
- Guided crossing of the bay on foot, there and back€61
- Giverny, Monet's house and gardens€33
- Étretat parking, full day, orange zone€15
- Honfleur parking, two days at the Bassin de l'Est€16
- Mémorial de Caen, 2 adults (under-10 free)€41.60
- Arromanches 360 film, family€17
- Juno Beach Centre, family pass€27
- Airborne Museum, family fare€27.50
- Bayeux: Battle of Normandy museum + MAHB combined, 2 adults€28
- American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, Longues-sur-Mer battery€0
- Lunches: 7 crêperie or simple set-menu lunches for three€380
- Dinners: 7 restaurant dinners for three (one child's portion)€504
- Picnic food, snacks, cider and cheese from markets and farms€120
A quest for the trip.
Twelve small missions to tick off as you go, for children and grown-ups alike. Try the card here; the guide has a version to print.
The Normandy Quest
0 of 12Tap a mission to tick it off.
58sources, each one linked
Researched, not guessed.
Every price, timetable and rule in this guide was checked against its source: operators, tourist boards, official price lists and menus. Each source is linked in the guide, so you can check it yourself before you book.
Curated by Vik, @vik.aroundtheworld, author of the guide Lapland with a Child. This guide is built from official sources, not from the diary of a single trip.
Questions before you buy
Is it a PDF?
No. It is a web page made for your phone, with interactive maps and Google Maps links that a PDF can't do. The quest card is designed to be printed.
How do I get it after paying?
The link to the guide appears on your order page right after payment and in your confirmation email. Bookmark it and open it whenever you need.
Can I see the Bayeux Tapestry in 2027?
Not in Bayeux for most of the year. The Bayeux Tapestry Museum has been closed since 1 September 2025 and the town plans to reopen it, in a new museum, in October 2027. Until 11 July 2027 the Tapestry is on show at the British Museum in London. If it matters to you, see it in London or plan a late-October 2027 visit and check bayeuxmuseum.com first.
Do I need a car?
For Rouen, Caen, Bayeux and even Mont-Saint-Michel, no: there are direct trains from Paris and a train-and-bus ticket to the Mont. For Étretat, the cider country and most D-Day sites, a car is far easier. The best mix is train from Paris to Rouen or Caen, then a hire car for the coast.
Is the motorway from Paris closed?
Partly. The Saint-Cloud tunnel on the A13 is closed in the Paris-to-Normandy direction from 16 November 2026 to the end of August 2027. There are signed diversions via the RN118 or the RN13 and A14. The direction back to Paris is open.
When is Mont-Saint-Michel an island?
Only during the big spring tides, roughly once a fortnight, and most strongly 36 to 48 hours after a full or new moon. Look for high coefficients (above 100) in the official tide calendar from the Mont-Saint-Michel tourist office, and be on the Mont two hours before high tide.
Is the abbey worth the ticket, and is it free for children?
Yes, it is the reason the Mont exists, and the cloister and church at the top are the highlight. Under-18s visiting with family go free, as do EU citizens and regular residents of France aged 18–25. Adults pay €16 from April to September 2026 and €13 from October to March.
Which D-Day sites are best with children?
For under-8s, the outdoor sites: Arromanches beach, the Longues-sur-Mer battery and the planes at the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église. From about 8, add Pointe du Hoc, Utah Beach Museum and the Juno Beach bunker tour. Keep the Mémorial de Caen for older children and teenagers; under-10s go free there.
Can I visit Mont-Saint-Michel as a day trip from Paris?
Yes, but it is long: the seasonal through train and bus take about 4 to 4.5 hours each way, leaving you around five hours on the Mont. The fixed fare is €29 per adult each way, half price for children aged 4–11. Staying one night nearby is much better.
Is Giverny open all year?
No. Monet's house and gardens open from 1 April to 1 November (2026 season), daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Book online; there is no fast-track entry, and only cabin-size bags are allowed.
Which languages is it in?
Nine: English, Ukrainian, Polish, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch. The whole guide, map and quest card included, is available in each of them.
Can I open it on my partner's phone too?
Yes. It is a link, so it opens on any phone, tablet or laptop.
Can I buy it as a gift?
Yes. Buy it and send the link to the person who is going.
Are the prices up to date?
Last update: November 2026. Every price says which season it is for and links to its source. Where next season’s prices were not yet published, the guide says so.
Plan the whole trip in one evening.
One payment, and the guide is yours. It opens on any phone, tablet or laptop.
- The full online guide, 11 parts, in 9 languages
- An interactive map: 26 places with Google Maps links
- An example week budget, line by line
- The booking calendar and packing list
- A quest card to print, with 12 missions
- Updated: November 2026 · 58 sources linked
The link appears right after payment and in your email.
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