Transportation
Caen is a popular tourist destination in France and as such getting there should be easy. The more traveled routes to Caen are by car, train or ferry, the train being the most favored.
Get in
To get to Caen follow the A13 motorway or N175 from Paris or Rouen, the N13 from Cherbourg, A84 from Rennes or N138 from Tours and Le Mans via N158 at Sees.
Trains leave every 2 hours from Saint-Lazare station in Paris to Caen and Cherbourg. A trip takes a couple of hours and costs about 25 €. The train posting in Paris St-Lazare can be confusing to the first time traveler, as the train line number is not posted until 15-20 minutes before the departure. Look for the train heading to Cherbourg, since Caen is just a stop along the way and wont be a listed destination. Punch your ticket in one of the yellow machines before boarding, to validate it.
Ferries cross the Channel from Portsmouth (UK) to Ouistreham, 15 km north of Caen.
Get around
Within Caen and its close suburbs, use the bus and tramway network, called twisto. Here are a few stops in the city: L’abbaye d’Ardenne, Les plages du Débarquement, Les villes balnéaires de la côte Fleurie(Cabourg, Houlgate, Deauville, Trouville), Les petites stations balnéaires de la côte de Nacre, Le pays d’Auge, La Suisse normande, Le Bessin, Le Bocage virois, Le Mont Saint Michel
