marymacnp

Thanks Stu, I sent you an email

Gretchen

Stu has certainly given you the best rundown. Nice/the Med isn't a real good place in october. Provence is better seen from Avignon,etc.
MSM is an interesting entity, but just too touristy now.
We spent a nice 6 days in Normandy (driving from Paris), and then 8 in Paris one year. YOu could something like 4 days in Normandy, go to Paris for 4 days, even stopping at Chartres on the way, and then train to Avignon for 4 or 5, returning to CDG for your flight home.
Bayeux is a good base for the beaches. We stayed one night inRouen, one in Honfleur and 3 in Bayeux. There is MUCH to see in all the little villages--not just sticking your nose in to look and shop.

marymacnp

Plans are begining to take shape! We fly into Nice from Newark, connecting in Brussels. We arrive at 11:30 am on 10/9/10. We have booked 3 nights in St. Paul at Hotel Les Messugues. We then plan 3 nights in St. Remy. Here is where I am in a quandry. Planning to take train to Rennes, the only direct train leaves late in afternoon and arrives after 9pm. The other trains leave very early and connect through Paris(it looks like different stations). Looking at Hertz the rental car will be almost as much for the second 3 days as the first 7. Would be about $75 more to rent the car the whole time. I know the drive is awful, but it seems like $500 pp for extra car and train ticket is excessive. Perhaps we should train to Paris, do that in middle of trip, head out to beaches for 2 days, then leave from Paris. Any thoughts?

marymacnp

I checked an there is a flight from Marseille to Rennes, for @$40.00 pp. That seems like the best way to go, its less than 2 hours, so 1 hr to airport from St. Remy and a little over 1 hr to MSM from Renne, sounds win win to me

Gretchen

take the train south from CDG. Rent a car and see what you want. Take the TGV north to Rennes, or somewhere in Brittany/Normandy. Do what you want and go home TOOOOO much time driving with nothing much to do. Concentrate your times.