deepak918

We would like to get feedback on our below Itinerary.We prefer budget travel with our main interest in sightseeing. Departing Paris on April 18 we have 7 days in hand.

Day 1,2, 3- Normandy..Is April a gud time to visit?
Day 4,5-Loirre valley
Day 6,7- Dordogne.Carcassone

We are planning to rent a car from Bayeax and drop it in Narbonne to catch train to Barcelona

kja

That's not much time for ANY of your destinations! Are you sure you can see what you want to see with this plan? Have you plotted your priorities on a calendar, including the time you need to actually get from place to place?

Good luck!

StCirq

It could well be cold, windy, and wet in Normandy at that time of year, but who's to say?

I fail to see the point of traveling halfway across France for a day in the Dordogne and a day in Carcassonne. By the time you get there, you won't have enough time to see anything. The Dordogne and the area around Carcassonne merit about two weeks, minimum.

Have you even looked at www.viamichelin or www.mappy. com to see how long these drives are?

Sorry, but this is a highly unrealistic plan.

StuDudley

Tough schedule!!

There have been several recent threads about getting to Bayeux on arrival day. The very best you can hope for is to arrive at 3PM - and perhaps exhausted if you have a long flight to CDG. So your itinerary might look something like this:

Day 1
- arrive in Bayeux, secure car, drive to hotel, & check in 3:00 to 4:00
- visit the Bayeux tapestry 5:00-6:00
- freshen up & have dinner 6:00-9:30

Day 2
- Visit some sites in the area

Day 3
- visit more sites

Day 4
- Check out of hotel & get in car 9:00-9:30
- Drive to Amboise (3 1/4 hrs) and check onto hotel 9:30-1AM
- Visit one chateau - perhaps Amboise & Da Vinci house 1:00-4:00
- Wander in Amboise 4:00-5:00
- May or may not have time for another chateau
- Freshen up for dinner & have dinner 6:00-9:30

Day 5
- Visit 2 chateaux - Chambord, Chenenceau, or gardens in Villandry

Day 6
- Check out of hotel & ready to go at 9:30
- Drive to Sarlat (5 hrs) 9:30-2:30
- Check into hotel 2:30-3:00
- Explore Sarlat 3:00-6:30
- Get ready for dinner

Day 7
- Visit 1 cave - finishing at noon
- Drive to Carcassonne (3 1/2 hrs) 12:00-4:00
- Visit Carcassonne 4:00-7:00
- Drive to Narbonne (1 hr) 7:00-8:00
- the latest train to Barcelona left 1 1/2 hrs ago.

You have a huge amount of wasted travel time and almost no time "being there"

Time to re-plan.

Stu Dudley

deepak918

really want to visit Normandy n Dordogne ..How abt renting a car from bayeax and drop it in Loire valley n catch train to Bordeaux.Pick up another car from Bordeaux to explore Dordogne.Itinerary as below.Is it too much for 7 days?...apreciate ur comments.
Day 1,2 in Normandy
Day 3,4 in Loire valley
Day 5,6,7 in Dordogne.
Day8.,Train to barcelona

StCirq

Yes, it's way too much for 7 days. You're all over the place. Slow down.

PalenQ

Day 1,2, 3- Normandy..Is April a gud time to visit?
Day 4,5-Loirre valley
Day 6,7- Dordogne.Carcassone>

It will take much of a day to drive between each location.

Cut a day off Normandy perhaps - drive by the Loire - Chenonceaux - Amboise a good one-night base

drive direct to Avignon area for a few days - the heart of tourist Provence - and catch train to Barcelona from there.

That's if you want to drive towards a place within a fairly short rail ride of Spain.

Or skip Normandy

Start with car pick-up in Saint-Pierre-des-Crop

2 days Loire

then down to Dordogne and over to Narbonne or better IMO Loire to Avignon - 3-4 days there with loads of great day trips. Direct trains to Barcelona from Avignon TGV station - return car there.

Your original plan has too much zigzagging in too little time.

check www.voyages-sncf.com for info on trains to Spain -buy early for discounted tickets- up to 3 months I believe -much cheaper than full fare.

PalenQ

As April could be funky in northern France and especially Normandy and even the Loire -you may want to just head to the Loire, see a chateau or two and head south -Avignon to Narbonne- Carcassonne possibly

Or ditch Loire and Normandy - take a high-speed train to Bordeaux or area and rent a car and do Dordogne- Carcassonne, etc.