Coach Rental Across France

Bayeux and D-Day Beaches Coach Hire with Driver

Bayeux is the working base for the Normandy beaches. Most sites are within about 35 minutes by car, which keeps the driving short and the visits long.

Stay in Bayeux, not Paris

Doing the beaches as a day out from Paris means roughly 560 km on the road, there and back. Under the EU rules a driver may drive at most 9 hours a day, 10 hours twice a week, with a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours. That leaves little time on the beaches. A night or two in Bayeux solves it.

From Bayeux, Arromanches is about 20 minutes by car, the Juno Beach Centre and the American Cemetery about 30, Pointe du Hoc about 35 and Utah Beach about 50. Plan two or three sites a day with a full coach.

Mercedes-Benz Tourismo 49-seat coach, exterior
Mercedes-Benz Tourismo 49-seat coach, exterior

Drop-off and parking in town

Boulevard Sadi-Carnot's Parking d'Ornano has 6 coach drop-off bays. One free coach park is near the station; the other faces the battle museum, Bayeux's Musée Mémorial, which groups of 20 or more book ahead.

The Tapestry itself is in London, shown at the British Museum until July 2027, while its Bayeux museum, shut since 1 September 2025, is renovated. A 2027 reopening is announced; keep it out of the programme until the date is firm.

Airports for groups arriving in Bayeux

  • Aéroport de Caen Carpiquet (CFR) — about 27 km

Coach day trips from Bayeux

  • Longues-sur-Mer battery — about 9 km, about 15 min
  • Arromanches-les-Bains — about 12 km, about 20 min
  • British Normandy Memorial (Ver-sur-Mer) — about 17 km, about 25 min
  • Juno Beach Centre (Courseulles-sur-Mer) — about 23 km, about 30 min
  • Normandy American Cemetery and Omaha Beach (Colleville-sur-Mer) — about 24 km, about 30 min
  • La Cambe German war cemetery — about 27 km, about 25 min
  • Mémorial de Caen — about 29 km, about 30 min
  • Pointe du Hoc — about 30 km, about 35 min
  • Pegasus Bridge (Bénouville / Ranville) — about 41 km, about 35 min
  • Sainte-Mère-Église — about 56 km, about 45 min
  • Utah Beach (Sainte-Marie-du-Mont) — about 58 km, about 50 min
  • Honfleur — about 93 km, about 1 h 15 min
  • Mont-Saint-Michel (coach park) — about 121 km, about 1 h 35 min

Rules for coaches in Bayeux

  • Aéroport de Caen Carpiquet (CFR) is about 27 km by road from Bayeux, about 30 min in light traffic. Paris-Charles de Gaulle is about 283 km and Paris-Orly about 278 km (about 3 h 10 min each).
  • Trains arrive at Gare de Bayeux, about 10 to 15 minutes on foot from the museums; trains from Paris-Saint-Lazare take about three hours.
  • The Bayeux Tapestry Museum has been closed for renovation since 1 September 2025, so the Tapestry cannot be seen in Bayeux. It is on show at the British Museum in London from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027, and will then return to the new museum in Bayeux. The town gives October 2027 for the reopening, but the museum's own pages differ, so check the date before booking.
  • Coach drop-off in Bayeux: 6 drop-off spaces in the Parking d'Ornano on Boulevard Sadi-Carnot. Two free coach parks are near the railway station and in front of the Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie.
  • Normandy American Cemetery: all visitors, including groups and tour operators, are expected to pre-register for visits from summer 2027, with the system due at the end of 2026. The grave plot areas are temporarily closed because of drought restrictions; guided tours, the visitor centre, the memorial and the chapel stay open.
  • British Normandy Memorial: local roads are narrow and in places cannot take coaches, so drivers should follow the tourist signs; the road through Ver-sur-Mer towards Crépon is closed for works until October 2026.
  • Mémorial Pegasus at Ranville is closed for renovation from September 2026 to May 2027.
  • Mémorial de Caen: free coach park for 22 vehicles; adult groups of 20 or more must book.
  • Road access from Paris: the A13 (Autoroute de Normandie) to Caen is a toll motorway (autoroute à péage); the N13 from Caen to Bayeux is toll-free.
  • A D-Day day trip from Paris and back is about 560 km of driving and falls under the EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006): no more than 9 hours' driving a day (10 hours twice a week) and a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours' driving. Staying in Bayeux keeps driving times short.

Coaches at the memorials

Buses park free at the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles whenever the museum is open; it shuts for January. Arromanches 360 keeps free coach bays by the orientation table. Mémorial de Caen: 22 free coach places, and booking is compulsory for adult groups from 20.

Around the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, local roads are narrow and some cannot take a coach, so drivers follow the tourist signs. Pointe du Hoc is a cratered cliff-top; the group must stay on the marked paths.

The American Cemetery

The Normandy American Cemetery opens 09:00–17:00 every day bar 1 January and 25 December. Arrange group visits beforehand with the cemetery. From summer 2027 every visitor, groups included, is expected to pre-register, so check how visits work by then and register if asked.

Drought restrictions have closed the grave plot areas for now; the chapel, the memorial, the visitor centre and guided tours are unaffected. No coach stop is confirmed there, so the driver confirms where to set down.

Organisers ask

Which airport is closest to Bayeux?

Caen Carpiquet, about 27 km away, around 30 minutes by car. Paris-Charles de Gaulle is about 283 km.

Are the roads from Paris tolled?

The A13 to Caen is a toll motorway. From Caen on, the N13 to Bayeux carries no toll.

Can we include Pegasus Bridge?

The bridge is about 35 minutes by car from Bayeux, but the Mémorial Pegasus museum at Ranville is shut for renovation between September 2026 and May 2027.

Other group trips we book

Vehicles with a driver