Car Rental - Bayeux

 

Located on France’s north coast, Bayeux is a lovely city in its own right. But it’s also a great place from which to explore the D-Day beaches and fairytale castles of the Normandy coast. Bayeux is filled with medieval gems, with a city center like a storybook illustration and home to the famous 11th century Bayeux Tapestry. Car rental at Bayeux gives you the freedom to explore the city and then venture beyond it at your own pace.

Our Bayeux car rental pick-up location can be found just outside the city center and is open seven days a week. With no hidden extras, our friendly staff are waiting to get you on the road and exploring Normandy as quickly as possible. Choose from our great collection of Bayeux rental cars, with a range that includes sporty, family and compact vehicles, so you can choose the one that’s perfect your vacation or business trip.

Bayeux Locations

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Map data ©2026 Google, INEGI
Map data ©2026 Google, INEGI

A Quick Guide to Bayeux

 

Bayeux, on the Normandy coast, combines ancient history with the tumult and drama of the 20th century. As you discover this medieval city, you’ll uncover significant World War II sites, but also the legacy of much older battles that helped shape Europe. There’s great French food and culture to be found too – all accessible in your Bayeux car rental.

You can get a fascinating insight into the battle of 1066 between William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson with a visit to the Bayeux Museum. Enrich your knowledge of Bayeux’s artistic legacy as you admire the 70 meter-long, UNESCO–listed Bayeux Tapestry. The carefully preserved cloth depicts the battle of Hastings and the lead up to the Norman conquest of England.

The majestic cathedral – Notre Dame – combines 11th and 13th century elements into a Norman Gothic sensation. The crypt is stunning while more recent additions, including stained-glass that honors the sacrifices of World War II, is sensitively done.

Bayeux’s town center is a textbook example of pretty, medieval Norman architecture. Alongside the Aure River, you’ll find water wheels that, long ago, provided the power for mills. The scent of flowers drift through the streets and across humpback bridges, a heady, romantic place to be.

Take a coastal drive in your Bayeux rental car to Mont Saint-Michel, one of France’s most recognizable landmarks. A Gothic-style Benedictine abbey crowns a ramshackle village marooned off France’s north coast.

Free shuttle buses run from the parking lot to the causeway or splash out on a horse-drawn carriage for a feel of the past. Explore the abbey and its mighty ramparts and learn Mont Saint-Michel’s ancient history as a monastery, prison and strategic fortification. You’ll hear peaceful Gregorian chants echoing around the cloisters during Mass. Enjoy the stores and restaurants lining the narrow streets of this medieval outcrop and then find a lookout point to watch the tide come in and cut off the island from the mainland.

Visiting the beaches where the famous D-Day landings took place in 1944 is a must when you visit Bayeux. Walk the battlefields and beaches where thousands of Allied troops took part in history’s largest seaborne invasion. Utah, Omaha, Pointe Du Hoc and Angoville-Au-Plain beaches are all within reach of Bayeux. See the monuments, bunkers and artillery from the most important period of modern history.

You can pay your respects to ancestors and fallen soldiers at the Normandy American Cemetery and Visitor Center in Colleville-sur-Mer near Omaha beach. An exhibition telling the personal stories of American troops in World War II will give you an insight into life on the front lines. Spend some time in quiet contemplation walking amidst 172 acres of cemetery filled with rows and rows of white war graves.

Driving In and Around Bayeux

 

Set on the banks of the river Aure, Bayeux is a compact city with a network of roads that are relatively straightforward to navigate. Most cars in France are manual (stick shift), but our car rental branch at Bayeux also offers automatic options for your comfort and convenience. Parking is widely available throughout the city center, both pay and display on-street and parking lots. Most on-street parking in Bayeux is free between 7pm and 9am.

Take the A84 west from Bayeux in your rental car and you’ll be at the fairytale island fortress of Mont Saint-Michel jutting out into the sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Just half an hour’s drive along the N13 will bring you to the city of Caen, where an ancient abbey and Norman castle nestle among more modern buildings.

In the other direction, take the N13 north-west and branch off to the coast to reach the famous Normandy beaches that played key roles in World War II. Take your Bayeux rental car along the D517 to reach Omaha beach and D913 to get to Utah beach further along the coast.

Following the N13 onwards from Caen will take you to the iconic sights of Paris in around three hours. Stop in Giverny on the way to see Monet’s famous water lily garden.

The French version of a freeway is an autoroute, marked with an ‘A’, and some of these are toll roads. The top speed on these 130 km/h (80mph) although this slows to 110 km/h (68mph) in wet weather. Inside towns, cities and villages, the speed limit drops to 50 km/h (30mph). As at home, you’ll be driving on the right and seat belts must be used by the driver and all passengers.

 

This is the perfect city for history lovers of all eras, while the handsome town is sure to charm you. With car rental in Bayeux, this fine part of France is your oyster.