erin3232

My husband and I will be traveling to Paris mid-February- this will be our first time in France. We have 7 nights available. Obviously I would love to see Paris, so a few nights there I assume will be a must. Other than that, my Grandfather was in WW2 and in the battle at Normandy (Omaha Beach) so I would like to see that as well. We love small, quaint towns. Cafes, wine, walking and taking in the people and cities are what we enjoy best when traveling. Must see towns or where to spend a few nights outside of Paris? We are both in our mid-30's and would love any and all ideas as we are looking to confirm our layout of the trip in the next week or so.

Thanks in advance!

kerouac

Hmmm... it looks like reading the other posts about Paris here might be a good start, and then you can ask different questions.

eric502

I think with only 7 nights it would be hard to see much outside of Paris. A side trip to Bayou would be possible so you could see the Normandy beach.

something to think about:

arrive CDG - take the train to Bayou find a place to stay, then rent a car for a couple of days and see the sights.

Go back to Paris for your remaining days.

We did this a few years ago.

Michel_Paris

A search here will outline several itineraries that people have used to combine Paris and Normandy.

Have a look at:

www.battlebus.fr

Seven nights is not a long time. I would not try to visit too many places. As a suggestion, land, train to Caen, rent car, 2 nights in Normandy, the rest in Paris.

It is a perpetual debate here between Paris only vs Paris with day trips. There is no right answer, seeing both city and country can give you a broader and more enjoyable. But from experience (I've been to Paris 9/10 times), you will but scratch the surface of Paris this trip. So...make a list of your must sees in order of importance, and work a schedule around that. Be reasonable with your days (no..9AM Louvre, 12:30 lunch, 1 PM Orsay,etc..) Part of the magic of Paris can only be experienced by slowing down, sitting at a cafe, walking around 'aimlessly', which sometimes seems like an 'anti-tourist' thing to do on a first trip, but I think worth considering.

erin3232

Michael-

Thank you. That is exactly what I needed. We were trying to decide whether to land, stay in Paris for 3 nights, then off to Bayeux/Normandy for 2 nights, then back to Paris for 2. I like your idea better.

As for the Normandy area, where would you recommend staying for 2 nights while there? Caen, Bayeux, etc? Thank you.

Zambezi

Keep in mind that Paris is an enormous city crammed with tourists and they form very long lines to get into sites of visitor interest. Even with the superb Metro system, it takes time (with a lot of walking and hundreds of steps) to get around. Still, if you haven't been to Paris, there is no place in the world like it.

If I were you, I would put my days in Paris together in order to avoid duplication of effort in locating and getting to hotel and settling into neighborhood.

The small towns of Normandy are a wonderful great contrast---an antidote to the hustle---to such large cities as Paris. I headed back there next. ZZ

Michel_Paris

As a starter, I know many people recommend staying at La Chaine D'Or in Les Andelys on the way to Normandy. The Battle bus tour requires you to be there early so I'd spend my second night near there.

hotel-de-charme-gastronomie.hotel-lachainedor.com

So...possible scenario..1st night Les Andelys, next day explore/drive Normandy, second night near Bayeux, third day Battlebus, third night Normandy, Paris early next day.