SkipHudgins

Fodorites are so helpful, I thought I would run my tentative itinerary by y'all. We usually drive around Italy in the fall, but this year we plan to go to France. We are drivers not train riders.
Thinking we land at Charles DeGaulle, rent car, stop by Giverncy for afternoon and then to Normandy for 3 nights. Follow by drive to Bruges for 3 nights. Then on to Amsterdam for 3 nights. Work our way back to Paris thru Reims over a couple days. Then drop off car and spend 5 nights in Paris. Then TGV to Avignon and 2 weeks driving around Provence. Train back to Paris and fly home.

We like the countryside more than cities but want to give Paris enough time. Normandy and Amsterdam are musts for this trip and Bruges seems to fit perfectly between the two.
Meeting friends in Provence at end of trip so that is pretty set in stone.

Does this sound doable for first trip to France, Bruges and Amsterdam for about 5 weeks.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

gailscout

Where do you plan to stay in Normandy? Not sure where you are coming from but flying, obtaining your rental car and getting out of Paris to go to Giverny may be exhausting. You might consider spending the night there as not to feel rushed and to give the quaint town its due. Monet and his painter friends frequented a few restaurants there and he is also buried there.

3 nights in Bruges may be too long - I'd look into some towns outside of Amsterdam to spend some time. There are a few threads on this forum about day trips from Amsterdam, which I'm reading and looking into, as I will be in Amsterdam this November and planning to do a day trip or 2 since I've been to Amsterdam before.

Reims is great, especially with a car. I'd explore the smaller champagne houses outside of Reims as well. Also, the WWI site of WWI Marine Memorial at Belleau Wood on your way to Paris is worth stopping at for a few hours.

5 weeks driving around those areas will be wonderful. Are you picking up your rental car in Avignon? There are 2 TGV stops there. The first one is smaller and you can pick up your car there - as it may be easier. We did that in 2010 and it was very efficient.

Gretchen

We went to Normandy from CDG via Giverney and spent the night in Rouen.

SkipHudgins

Thanks Gail for the insights.. My grandfather was at Belleau Woods so will add that to the list.
Picked Reims for the champagne, so glad that is the thing to do there
In addition to the cathedral.

SkipHudgins

Thanks Gretchen. We get in very early so expect to be in giverney before noon.
Would like to spend more time there, but Normandy is more of a priority to us.
So many places, so little time.