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Voykit pocket guide · France
Caen
Give Caen 2 nights as a D-Day base: Mémorial de Caen plus the abbeys and castle fill one day, the beaches a second.
Caen is the capital of Calvados and the practical base for the Normandy landing beaches, 15 km from the coast and about 2 h by train from Paris Saint-Lazare. Four-fifths of the city was destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, so the draw is two Romanesque abbeys, William the Conqueror's castle, the Mémorial de Caen and the beaches, not the streetscape. Two nights covers the city and one beach day; three if you want Bayeux and Arromanches both.
- Country
- France
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, grey, short days)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Contactless cards work in most shops, cafés and restaurants.
- Daily spend
- Budget €70–110 excl. bed · Mid €120–190 excl. bed · High €200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, SFR, Bouygues Télécom and Free sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at tabacs; ID is required to register.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Ambulance (SAMU) 15 · Police 17 · Fire 18
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; type E sockets have an earth pin sticking out, so Schuko (type F) plugs need a C/E hybrid or an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or bar: Leave small change, €0.20–1.; Restaurant: Service is included; leave 5–10% in cash for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro or two.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day, more for private guides.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere unless signed otherwise. Restaurants must serve a free carafe of tap water on request.
- Toilets
- Paris has free automatic public toilets (sanisettes); elsewhere use cafés (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €0.50–1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–3 |
| Lunch menu (plat du jour) | €13–18 |
| Dinner, mid-range, per person | €25–40 |
| Beer: bar / supermarket | €5–7 / €1.50–2.50 |
| Tram or bus single ride | €1.60–2 (check) |
| Mémorial de Caen entry | €19.50 adult; €17.50 ages 10–18 and 65+; under 10 free (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CFR · Caen Carpiquet
- A few kilometres west of the city; flights from Lyon, Nice and Paris (check current routes).
- CDG · Paris Charles de Gaulle
- Train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Caen, about 2 h; allow 1 h 15 min across Paris from CDG.
Typical fares
- Paris Saint-Lazare → Caen, TER/Intercités
- about €33.30 standard, from about €15 booked early, about 2 h (check)
- Caen station → city centre
- 15–20 min on foot; tram or bus about €1.60–2 (check)
- Caen → Bayeux by train
- about 20 min (check)
Get around
Twisto runs the tram and bus network inside Caen; two of the three tram lines serve the SNCF station. The station is a 15–20 min walk from the centre. For the beaches, buses are few and infrequent, so a car or a guided tour is the practical choice; Bus Verts covers the wider region.
See and do
Known for
- Mémorial de Caen
- Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames
- Château ducal de Caen
- D-Day beaches base
- Tripes à la mode de Caen
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bayeux | Train from Caen to Bayeux, about 20 min | About 45 min |
| Arromanches-les-Bains | Car or guided tour; Bus Verts from Bayeux is infrequent | About 45 min by car |
| Honfleur | Car via the A13 and Pont de Normandie, about 65 kmCar via the A13 and Pont de Normandie, about 40 mi | About 1 h |
| Ouistreham | Bus from Caen to the ferry terminal, about 15 kmBus from Caen to the ferry terminal, about 9.3 mi | About 30–40 min |
| Deauville | Train from Caen, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Lisieux | Train from Caen, about 25 min | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Centre-ville / Vaugueux
- Walk to the castle, both abbeys and the restaurant street; best for a short stay without a car.
- Around the train station
- 15–20 min walk to the centre; useful for early trains and the Les Rives de l'Orne shopping centre.
- Port de Plaisance
- Quieter, near the Sunday market and the Quai Vendeuve pubs; 15 min walk to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Good day | Bonjourbon-ZHOOR |
| Thank you | Mercimair-SEE |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtla-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ?par-lay VOO ahn-GLEH |
| I would like a table for two | Une table pour deux, s'il vous plaîtewn TAH-bluh poor DUH seel voo PLEH |
| Where is the station? | Où est la gare ?oo eh la GAR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say 'bonjour madame/monsieur' on entering any shop, bus or office; avoid: Asking a question before saying bonjour — it is read as rude
- Cheek kisses (la bise): Follow the other person's lead; one to four kisses depending on region; avoid: Initiating la bise with strangers or in business
- Addressing people: Use 'vous' and titles until invited otherwise; avoid: First names and 'tu' with older people or staff
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated in restaurants; call the waiter 'monsieur' or 'madame'; avoid: 'Garçon', snapping fingers, asking for the bill before you are finished
- Conversation: Debate is a pleasure; food, politics and philosophy are fair game; avoid: Asking about salary or religion; loud voices on trains
- Dinner at a home: Bring flowers (not chrysanthemums), chocolates or a good bottle; arrive 10–15 minutes late; avoid: Cutting the tip off a cheese wedge or asking for ketchup
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders in churches; avoid: Beachwear in town centres
Scams and watch-outs
- Beach buses run a handful of times a day: check the timetable before you commit, or you may be stranded.
- Many Caen restaurants close one or two days a week and shut the kitchen early; book or eat before 21:00.
- Sunday and public holidays: much of the centre is shut apart from the market.
- The Mémorial is 2 km west of the centre; it is a walk or a short bus ride, not a stroll from the castle.
Caen is a calm, low-risk city; the real hazards are weather and logistics — rain most months, and beach buses that run a few times a day. Standard city care around the station and Rue Ecuyère at closing time.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Caen yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mémorial de Caen
- Abbaye aux Hommes and Abbaye aux Dames
- Château ducal de Caen
- D-Day beaches base
- Tripes à la mode de Caen
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ville de Caen (official): caen.fr/
- Mémorial de Caen (official): www.memorial-caen.com/
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (official): mba.caen.fr/en/
- Caen Airport (official): caen-airport.com/
- Twisto — Caen public transport: www.twisto.fr/
- Wikivoyage: Caen, revision 5337865 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5337865
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Caen
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Caen; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in Paris. Consular help for the region is handled from Paris.
Service is included by law in French restaurants; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/caen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.