Add 2-3 days in Loire or Normandy to Paris/Burgundy trip?
Oct 19th, 2007, 05:39 PM
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Add 2-3 days in Loire or Normandy to Paris/Burgundy trip?
We spent a week in Paris and a week in Burgundy this past April and loved both locations, but didn't think we would be back for a while. We have been invited to return to Paris and Burgundy next July with friends who are doing home exchanges, so our lodging would be free. The apartment in Paris is available for 16 nights, starting on a Thursday. Our friends would like to start in Paris for 5 nights, then down to Burgundy for 5-6 nights, then back to Paris.
Since my husband and I so recently visited Paris and Burgundy, we would like to add another location to see someplace new. (Although, of course, there are many things in Paris and Burgundy we have yet to experience.) We are thinking of flying in a few days before the Paris apt is available to spend time in Loire or Normandy, or someplace else within a 3-4 drive from Paris.
We would love suggestions of where to go for 3 days. We will likely be arriving on Bastille Day if that makes a difference. We love wine, old churches and castles (my husband prefers fortified medieval castles to the gilt-covered chateaus like Versailles), and just wandering through pretty villages.
Also, would like to hear if people think we are trying to do too much and should just stick with Paris and Burgundy. TIA!
Since my husband and I so recently visited Paris and Burgundy, we would like to add another location to see someplace new. (Although, of course, there are many things in Paris and Burgundy we have yet to experience.) We are thinking of flying in a few days before the Paris apt is available to spend time in Loire or Normandy, or someplace else within a 3-4 drive from Paris.
We would love suggestions of where to go for 3 days. We will likely be arriving on Bastille Day if that makes a difference. We love wine, old churches and castles (my husband prefers fortified medieval castles to the gilt-covered chateaus like Versailles), and just wandering through pretty villages.
Also, would like to hear if people think we are trying to do too much and should just stick with Paris and Burgundy. TIA!
Oct 19th, 2007, 09:40 PM
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If you can add those 3 days to your trip, head for Normandy for those medieval fortified castles that your husband prefers. About 2 hours from Paris are the twin towns of Les Andelys; above Petit-Andelys towers the impressive ruins of Château Gaillard,a castle built for Richard the Lion Heart. A good place to spend the night, along the banks of the Seine, is the charming small hotel La Chaîne d'Or. Ask fo a room at the back to have a river view, and don't miss the excellent restaurant.
Near Rouen, worth a visit in itself, is the Château de Robert le Diable. The nearby Abbey Road offers a number of fine ancient abbeys, such as Jumièges and le Bec-Helouin. Then there are all those picturesque villages...
In 3 days you can good a good taste of Normandy, enough to make you want to return and explore still more.
Near Rouen, worth a visit in itself, is the Château de Robert le Diable. The nearby Abbey Road offers a number of fine ancient abbeys, such as Jumièges and le Bec-Helouin. Then there are all those picturesque villages...
In 3 days you can good a good taste of Normandy, enough to make you want to return and explore still more.
Oct 20th, 2007, 01:50 AM
#3
hi, Kay,
if you are arriving on Bastille Day, I would make sure to have room reservations a long time in advance plus a restaurant as well - anywhere good will be booked out for Bastille Day and probably a few days afterwards as well - the french like to extend holidays or "faire le pont". [technically taking the day before or after a weekend with a holiday attached, so as to make a long weekend of it].
Underhill's suggestion looks a very good one, especially with the restaurant recommendation as well.
have fun,
regards, ann
if you are arriving on Bastille Day, I would make sure to have room reservations a long time in advance plus a restaurant as well - anywhere good will be booked out for Bastille Day and probably a few days afterwards as well - the french like to extend holidays or "faire le pont". [technically taking the day before or after a weekend with a holiday attached, so as to make a long weekend of it].
Underhill's suggestion looks a very good one, especially with the restaurant recommendation as well.
have fun,
regards, ann
Oct 20th, 2007, 07:52 AM
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If your husband prefers the fortified medieval castles over the gilt covered ones, why are you considering a trip to the Loire?
I find Brittany to be much more interesting than Normandy - by a big margin. Coastline is prettier, towns are cuter, more medieval castles, etc.
There are several TGV trains that leave CDG and arrive in Rennes with no train changes. I would take one of these, visit Rennes (one of my favorites), and then settle in near Dinan. Visit Dinan, St Malo, Mt St Michel (very early in the AM), & the Rance Valley,. Visit the interesting fortified castles of Fougeres, Vitre, Josselin, & Combourg. Drive along the spectacular Cote d'Emeraude, stopping to explore Fort la Latte - another feudal castle.
Take the TV back to Paris from Rennes.
Stu Dudley
I find Brittany to be much more interesting than Normandy - by a big margin. Coastline is prettier, towns are cuter, more medieval castles, etc.
There are several TGV trains that leave CDG and arrive in Rennes with no train changes. I would take one of these, visit Rennes (one of my favorites), and then settle in near Dinan. Visit Dinan, St Malo, Mt St Michel (very early in the AM), & the Rance Valley,. Visit the interesting fortified castles of Fougeres, Vitre, Josselin, & Combourg. Drive along the spectacular Cote d'Emeraude, stopping to explore Fort la Latte - another feudal castle.
Take the TV back to Paris from Rennes.
Stu Dudley
Oct 20th, 2007, 08:04 AM
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I would rent a car in Paris, drive down to Angers and then go east towards Burgundy. There are the Loire chateaux to see, and you might want to stop by Bourges to visit the cathedral. Apremont-sur-Allier is a plus beau village and has a garden that is well worth a visit, as is the garden in Villandry. For a more modern take on gardens, go see the annual garden show in Chaumont.
To whet your appetite, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/ys4jys
To whet your appetite, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/ys4jys
Oct 20th, 2007, 08:19 AM
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If you are going to visit Bourges like Michael suggested (a good idea), make sure you also visit the medieval Chateau of Meillant just south of Bourges. You might also consider stopping in Nevers on the way from Bourges to Burgundy.
Stu Dudley
Stu Dudley
Oct 20th, 2007, 10:53 AM
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Recently spent 3 nites at the "Chateau Perreux" outside of Amboise in the Loire Valley. It is a stunning property and we loved every minute spent there. We visited "Chateau Chenonceau", "Chambord", and "Villandry"--all were unbelievably beautiful.
The Loire is a wonderful way to begin or end your Paris vacation.
The Loire is a wonderful way to begin or end your Paris vacation.
Oct 20th, 2007, 01:43 PM
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While the châteaux of the Loire Valley are interesting to visit, they do not quite qualify as fortified medieval castles--with perhaps a few exceptions such as Angers. Most are "just" very large country houses.
Oct 21st, 2007, 02:44 PM
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Thank you for all of the recommendations – I now have more places to research.
Stu asked why I am considering the Loire Valley despite my dear husband’s (DH) preference in castles. We both love wine from Vouvray, and would enjoy tasting at a few of the vineyards and stocking up on wine for the rest of the trip and to take home (we’ll also be picking some up in Burgundy, of course). Also, the Loire looks “manageable” in 3 days. There would be plenty to keep us entertained, but we wouldn’t feel like we had to rush around to see every chateau. If we stayed near Amboise, we would be close to Vouvray and Chenonceaux, which I would like to see, at least from the outside. Langeais looks like a place we would both enjoy exploring, as does Chinon (for the medieval town and the wine), and both are about one hour away from Amboise. I think we would both enjoy the gardens at Villandry. Basically there would be plenty to do within an hour’s drive of our lodgings so we would not feel the need to change hotels and could probably relax a bit more.
I started considering Normandy because Mont St-Michel is on my list of places that I must see at some point, but maybe the height of the July tourist season is not the best time. (I would prefer to travel in Spring or Fall, but our schedule is dictated by the house exchanges this time.) We could stop at Giverny on the way from or to Paris (DH and I both want to visit there sometime). The more I research, the longer the list of interesting places becomes: Les Andelys, Jumièges, Rouen, Bayeux, Etretat, Lisieux, Dinan. We would probably need to switch hotels because we would want to be in or near Mont St-Michel for 1 night. I’m not sure if we should go for the 3-day “taste” of Normandy, or if we would end up feeling rushed the whole time and should save it for another trip. Brittany is probably out of the question this trip, as taking the TGV and renting a car there would cost an extra $200-300 over just renting a car in Paris.
Stu asked why I am considering the Loire Valley despite my dear husband’s (DH) preference in castles. We both love wine from Vouvray, and would enjoy tasting at a few of the vineyards and stocking up on wine for the rest of the trip and to take home (we’ll also be picking some up in Burgundy, of course). Also, the Loire looks “manageable” in 3 days. There would be plenty to keep us entertained, but we wouldn’t feel like we had to rush around to see every chateau. If we stayed near Amboise, we would be close to Vouvray and Chenonceaux, which I would like to see, at least from the outside. Langeais looks like a place we would both enjoy exploring, as does Chinon (for the medieval town and the wine), and both are about one hour away from Amboise. I think we would both enjoy the gardens at Villandry. Basically there would be plenty to do within an hour’s drive of our lodgings so we would not feel the need to change hotels and could probably relax a bit more.
I started considering Normandy because Mont St-Michel is on my list of places that I must see at some point, but maybe the height of the July tourist season is not the best time. (I would prefer to travel in Spring or Fall, but our schedule is dictated by the house exchanges this time.) We could stop at Giverny on the way from or to Paris (DH and I both want to visit there sometime). The more I research, the longer the list of interesting places becomes: Les Andelys, Jumièges, Rouen, Bayeux, Etretat, Lisieux, Dinan. We would probably need to switch hotels because we would want to be in or near Mont St-Michel for 1 night. I’m not sure if we should go for the 3-day “taste” of Normandy, or if we would end up feeling rushed the whole time and should save it for another trip. Brittany is probably out of the question this trip, as taking the TGV and renting a car there would cost an extra $200-300 over just renting a car in Paris.
Oct 21st, 2007, 05:26 PM
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>>Brittany is probably out of the question this trip, as taking the TGV and renting a car there would cost an extra $200-300 over just renting a car in Paris.<<
That seems high to me. How did you break it down? How many are traveling? Did you check the PREM fares for 3 months from today to see what you're likely to pay. You may save 1 day's car rental also - depending on when you plan to pick up & return the car in Paris. What is it worth to you to NOT drive into Paris central?
Stu Dudley
That seems high to me. How did you break it down? How many are traveling? Did you check the PREM fares for 3 months from today to see what you're likely to pay. You may save 1 day's car rental also - depending on when you plan to pick up & return the car in Paris. What is it worth to you to NOT drive into Paris central?
Stu Dudley
Oct 21st, 2007, 06:42 PM
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Stu,
I checked the fares for a couple months out and it looked like the best we would do is about 100 Euros per person roundtrip on TGV between Paris and Rennes. (200 E for 2 people.) A three-day car rental in Rennes is 238 Euro. I can rent a car at CDG and return to Gare de Lyon, near our apt, for 256 E for 4 days (actually, that's the one-week rate, but I assume we can return it early), so that would be a 182 E savings. Alternatively, we are going to need a car for a week to go to Burgundy, so if I can find a place to park the car for 4 days in Paris, the 2-week rental rate is 415 E. The TGV, plus 3-day rental in Rennes, plus 1-week rental for Burgundy would cost almost 700 E versus 415 E for a 2-week rental (plus the cost of parking).
I wish Avis would let us pay the 2-week rate to use the car for 4 days, return to them in Paris to "park" for 4 days and then use again for 6 days. If I spoke French I might call to try to work out a deal like that.
I checked the fares for a couple months out and it looked like the best we would do is about 100 Euros per person roundtrip on TGV between Paris and Rennes. (200 E for 2 people.) A three-day car rental in Rennes is 238 Euro. I can rent a car at CDG and return to Gare de Lyon, near our apt, for 256 E for 4 days (actually, that's the one-week rate, but I assume we can return it early), so that would be a 182 E savings. Alternatively, we are going to need a car for a week to go to Burgundy, so if I can find a place to park the car for 4 days in Paris, the 2-week rental rate is 415 E. The TGV, plus 3-day rental in Rennes, plus 1-week rental for Burgundy would cost almost 700 E versus 415 E for a 2-week rental (plus the cost of parking).
I wish Avis would let us pay the 2-week rate to use the car for 4 days, return to them in Paris to "park" for 4 days and then use again for 6 days. If I spoke French I might call to try to work out a deal like that.
Oct 21st, 2007, 09:32 PM
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I can see Kay SD's point. Normandy & Brittany are excellent options for a future visit (as indeed are several other regions of France), but if the focus of this trip is Burgundy then the Loire has the advantage of being right next door. Not that the others are too far away, but if the Loire is on your must-do-sometime list anyway, this looks like as good a time as any to do it.
3 days would be enough time to cover an arc from Chartres to Bourges and up into Burgundy via Nevers and the plus beau village of Apremont-sur-Allier mentioned by Michael. (Yes I know, we're stretching the Loire boundaries a bit)! Other plus beaux villages in that arc would include Lavardin, Crissay-sur-Manse, Candes-St-Martin, Montresor (and others I'm sure), plus some great chateaux including fortified ones like Chinon.
3 days would be enough time to cover an arc from Chartres to Bourges and up into Burgundy via Nevers and the plus beau village of Apremont-sur-Allier mentioned by Michael. (Yes I know, we're stretching the Loire boundaries a bit)! Other plus beaux villages in that arc would include Lavardin, Crissay-sur-Manse, Candes-St-Martin, Montresor (and others I'm sure), plus some great chateaux including fortified ones like Chinon.
Oct 22nd, 2007, 09:33 AM
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Kay
To determine the train costs for PREM fares, you need to look exactly three months from today - 1/22/08. You'll see that PREMS are 22E per person from Paris to Rennes. I did not check the PREMS from CDG to Rennes. We took the CDG/Rennes TGV last month and went first class because the price wasn't that much more. However, those are the PREMS in Jan - PREMS in July might be higher - I don't have any experience tracking PREMS from low season to high season.
When I purchase PREMS, I do it exactly 6:15PM Eastern time 3 months plus 1 day from my travel date. So if you travel July 14, you should get tickets on April 13 at 6:15PM EDT - which is 12:15 AM April 14 in France.
Good luck finding parking around the Gare de Lyon.
As I read your post, you plan to visit Normandy or the Loire, then Paris, then Burgundy - so the Loire's proximity to Burgundy has no advantage, unless you change the sequence of travel.
Actually, if you only plan to visit Normandy & Brittany in 3 days, I would opt for the Loire instead. Brittany & Normandy need more time. Since we retired early so we can travel more, we've spent 5 weeks in Brittany and 1 in the Loire. We plan to go back to Brittany again, but that's enough of the Loire for us - and we love Chateaux(saw over 30 of them last year with 2 weeks in the Auvergne, 2 weeks in Burgundy, and 2 weeks in Beaujolais).
Stu Dudley
To determine the train costs for PREM fares, you need to look exactly three months from today - 1/22/08. You'll see that PREMS are 22E per person from Paris to Rennes. I did not check the PREMS from CDG to Rennes. We took the CDG/Rennes TGV last month and went first class because the price wasn't that much more. However, those are the PREMS in Jan - PREMS in July might be higher - I don't have any experience tracking PREMS from low season to high season.
When I purchase PREMS, I do it exactly 6:15PM Eastern time 3 months plus 1 day from my travel date. So if you travel July 14, you should get tickets on April 13 at 6:15PM EDT - which is 12:15 AM April 14 in France.
Good luck finding parking around the Gare de Lyon.
As I read your post, you plan to visit Normandy or the Loire, then Paris, then Burgundy - so the Loire's proximity to Burgundy has no advantage, unless you change the sequence of travel.
Actually, if you only plan to visit Normandy & Brittany in 3 days, I would opt for the Loire instead. Brittany & Normandy need more time. Since we retired early so we can travel more, we've spent 5 weeks in Brittany and 1 in the Loire. We plan to go back to Brittany again, but that's enough of the Loire for us - and we love Chateaux(saw over 30 of them last year with 2 weeks in the Auvergne, 2 weeks in Burgundy, and 2 weeks in Beaujolais).
Stu Dudley
