Normandy - (Fall 2025) - Day 6
Had to return the rental car to Caen this day. Stopped for some breakfast pastries before heading out the Bayeux for the day.
Nesmond XX
This was a nice little pastry stand not far from the cathedral in Bayeux.
Caen
After returning the rental car, we spent the day exploring Caen before taking the train back to Bayeux.
Caen is a proper city but had taken a lot of destruction after D-Day so a lot of the buildings are newer. The center of the town where the commercial district is located has a little bit of an older feel with the paver streets and pedestrian walkways lined with shops and restaurants. It is quite a fun and lively area.
Caen is a proper sized city but the sites were still fairly walkable from the train station.
Abbey of Saint-Étienne
The first stop was to go see the remains of William the Conqueror. He is buried by the altar of this church. There is a museum attached for which you have to pay to enter but the cashier told us it was free to just enter the church and directed us to the red door on the side of the building to get in.
The church also housed a lot of the towns folk during the fighting of the Battle of Normandy after D-Day. It was a men only church back then but they allowed the women and children to enter for the first time back then to shelter there.
Château de Caen
This castle in the town center is a great (and free) place to visit. The thousand year old castle has a lot of history as it was originally build by William the Conqueror and has since gone through various stages of builds and destructions and recoveries.
The castle walls provide great views of the city and there are art installations throughout the grounds. There are some sections of archeological ruins and some restored sections including the original chapel.
Once inside, there are some separate museums and exhibits that you can pay for but most of it can be explored for free. There is also a restaurant inside the castle walls.
Bistrot L'échoppe
I was searching for a place for lunch in town and the photos of the ribs at this restaurant looked fantastic. However, we realized that they only served them for dinner and they had a limited menu of items for lunch. We chose the quiche like items that they had on offer since they looked more traditional than the burger options. The beer tasted good after a long day of walking.
Vertigo
This place looked like the kind of place that got busy and clubby at night but was fairly chill during the day. It is located pretty centrally in the commercial district of Caen. I needed a place to relax and charge my phone for a bit so we stopped in here for a coffee.
Le 1824 · Cocktail Club & Salon de thé
We came upon this bar while searching for a proper cocktail bar. This one is located inside the Hôtel La Particulière. It is small but opulent (and expensive) but made for a perfect place to have a mid-day break. Large selection of liqueurs and cocktails on an iPad menu.
L’Antidote
We stopped for one more drink in Caen before heading back to Bayeux on the train. This pleasant little bar was on the edge of the central town area. It was a bit too cold to sit outside comfortably but it was nice on the inside.
Le Conquérant
Back in Bayeux, we got some drinks at this bar that styles itself after a British Pub. There was soccer on the TV of course.
La Broche Royale
Ended the evening with my favorite nighttime snack in France, the kebab. This place was right next to the hotel where we were staying and seemed popular with the younger crowd in town.