Brittany/Paris Itinerary
 

Finally on to really planning our first trip to France. Any advice or assistance is appreciated. I have used this site, TripAdvisor and a 2008 RS France book to start my planning. I'll update the guidebook later this year. I have a Michelin map of Normandy and will purchase the Brittany map soon as well.

Travellers - Me (36 Female), Grandma (56 Female), N (14 Male), J (7 Male) and C (6 Female) All will be 1 year older at travel time with the exception of C who turns the big 7 on our last day in Paris
Flights - Not booked but tracking prices and will purchase no later than April
Car - Will book with AutoEurope once I have flights
Trains - Same goes
Other transportation - plan to purchase carnets to get around Paris, day trip tickets as neededon the RER, not sure if RER or taxi is the way to go on departure back to CDG. Suggestions for our group?
Accommodations -
Brittany: self-catering gite in Treverien, Ille-et-Vilaine http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p411518
Paris: self-catering apt
http://vacationinparis.com/apts/id_18.htm

July 1
Depart

July 2
Arrive, Plan to take TGV directly from CDG to Rennes, pick up car and it's a short drive to the gite, get groceries to last for a few days

July 3
Sleep in (I hope!), swim, check out local area, just unwind and get over jet lag

July 4
Day trip to Normandy, self drive D-day beaches, My grandmother was a nurse/anesthetist in the army and landed in Normandy in Sepetember 1944 and spent several months working in field hospitals in the area and we will pay our respects at the American cemetary as well, Bayeux tapestry if time permits

July 5
Beach: We would like to spend some time playing in the sand, swimming if possible. I have been having trouble finding a suitable beach with nice sand (not pebbles or rocks) that is not too far away. Possible areas are Erquay and Val-Andre?

July 6
Le Mont St Michel - I realize this doesn't take the whole day but we plan on relaxing at the house and taking advantage of the pool if weather is good as well.

July 7
Dinan - It's market day (Thursday)

July 8
Cancale and St Malo, market day again (Friday)

July 9
Return car to Rennes, TGV to Paris, settle in at apt, pick up a few groceries. Check out the neighborhod and Place des Vosges. We want to pick up our 6 day musuem pass to begin using Sunday. Where would a good place be for this? Can I get it at the train station perhaps? Tour Eiffel in evening if clear.

July 10
Chateau de Versailles

July 11
Musee d'art et d'historie du Judaisme
Jardin des Tuileries
Musee de l'Orangerie
Arc De Triomphe

July 12
Disneyland (If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all please!)

July 13
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris - Crypt and Towers
Jardin du Luxembourg
Musee de l'Armee

July 14
La Fete de National - Definitely need help with best place to view parade and airshow, how early to get to a good viewing spot for fireworks, Is Champs de Mars the only place to really be? We don't need to be with the crowds but would like to be able to see them fairly well. Best way to get back to apt in Marais.

July 15
Happy Birthday C!
Louvre
Any recommendations on making the day special for a slightly tomboy but also girly-girl?

July 16
Home

We plan on eating breakfast in (maybe a couple trips for croissant), cheap and easy lunches like take away sandwiches, street food, dinners at "home" that we can easily pick up on our way back from touring (pizza, Chinese, salad makings, etc). Looking forward to trying the chicken and frites.

Thanks for your input

You seem to have the logistics set up well, and not overbooked your days. People here have used and recommended Battlebus as a good guided tour of the D-Day area.

13th If you are near Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle is almost a must, to see the stained glass.
Those two would take up all of your morning. Hop over to JdL, grab a takeout lunch and eat there would be fine.

I'll let others speak, but there is also a big music concert at CdM on the 14th. If it is just fireworks, being at the Palais Chaillot on Right Bank would give you a great view of Eiffel.

I'd plug in a few more items, Palais Royal near Louvre, Ile St Louis on your ND day, a Seine river cruise one night, Holocaust Memorial on Ile de la Cite... As you expand your days' itineraries, some of these will fit in.

For getting back to airport, RER is cheapest and (barring strikes) most reliable and fastest. I've also use the Air France bus (don't need to be using that airline)which has scheduled pick-up points and is a large comfortable coach bus.

Michel_Paris - Great recommendations. We planned on the holocaust memorial I just don't have it written down. I had wanted to take a tour in Normandy but 2 of the kids do not meet the age requirements as well as the tour begins at 8 am and we have a 2 hour drive according to ViaMichelin. I'm on vacation and will not be rising before 7!

Would you recommend a taxi to Gare du Nord and then the RER direct? Seems a pain to have to take our luggage on the metro then switch to RER.

Like that idea. Once you are on the RER it is a straight shot.

I believe it is Rue des Rosiers that had some of the plaques on buildings commemorating deported families. Ile St Louis also.

Have you read Sarah's Key? I was in the 16th, across the river from Vel d'Hiv. Never knew story until read book lately.

We plan on visiting rue des Rosiers so my mom can haver her fill of falafel. I also saw some pictures of the biggest challah I have ever seen and we may have to get one for Shabbat.

Haven't read it.

Topping

Any other hints, suggestions?

Your gite looks very nice. We stayed near the canal (close to Calorguen) last month and walking along it in the evenings was a pleasure. We enjoyed visits to the book town, Becherel, and the little flower town, St Juvat. Dinan is great. We didn't spend enough time there. We took the Michelin drive around the banks of the Rance one day and stopped by Saint Suliac, which a lot of people find charming. We liked Lehon a lot.

Combourg was on our list but we didn't get there. The whole area is very scenic and there are plenty of rainy-day things to do--not that rain will fall during your visit!

While heading to Luxembourg gardens, I'd do a walk around in the Rue de Buci. Nice outdoor market, cooblestone streets, and the Procope restauant is there, one of oldest in Paris (Ben Franklin ate there!). Cafe de Flore and Le Bonaparte are two cafes here where french intellectuals used to go (Simone de Beauvoir,etc..)

Near the Louvre are the covered passageways ("les Passages"). These were the old equivalent of indoor shopping back when. Nice shops, some restaurants, some with elegant decorations.

If you like antiques, across from the Louvre is the building called the Louvre des Antiquaires, with three floors of upscale dealers.

VIllage St Paul is another interesting Right Bank area with cobblestone streets and interesting shops.

You can buy Paris Museum passes at Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est, and Gare de Lyon, but not at Gare Montparnasse where you will arrive from Rennes.

Since you will have six-day passes, I highly recommend that you include a visit to the Musee d'Orsay.

July 4 is a full and important day for you and your family. I hope you also have time to see the Tapestry. You will have an audio tour and it really is amazing.

For your daughter's birthday, maybe a boat trip on the Seine? There are the Bateaux Mouches which travel along the Seine in Paris both days and evenings, including dinner cruises. And the Canal St. Martin boat trip. There are also cruises from Paris along the Marne, though this longer trip may be a bit dull for children.

Mimar's suggestion of a birthday boat ride on the Seine sounds good to me. However, I'd highly recommend Bateaux Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf, www.vedettesdupontneuf.com, over Bateaux Mouches. The Pont-Neuf boats are smaller so passengers are less likely to feel like they are in a crowd. Make it an evening cruise under the lights of Paris--magical! No dinners are served on those boats--which is just as well. The general report on the boats that do serve dinner is that the food is both mediocre and overpriced.

TimS - I have that site bookmarked already but wasn't sure if we would want to do a boat ride. Think I will add it since the day is pretty open (except for the large museum)! If we can squeeze d'Orsay in on the 13th we will. I could spend all week museum hopping but my mom and the kids are not as into it as I am. Must make everyone a little happy.

Coquelicot - I had Combourg with its chateau on the list but removed it. I found that when we went to England and had multiple stops planned in the Cotswolds we ended up staying at the first village and exploring, relaxing, shopping, exploring some more. Yes, we may have missed some wonderful site but we also came home relaxed and happy with what we did.


Great help everyone.

It seems Brittany is less traveled and there is not much out there. I can't even find a guidebook and I have been to BN, Borders and Davis-Kidd. I see them online but don't want to purchase and come to find out it isn't what I need.

Lonely Planet publishes a Brittany and Normandy guidebook. See here: http://tinyurl.com/2wrdxpb.

That looks great TimS. It even has the beach areas I found online. Will have to order it along with an updated Paris guide.

I think the Musee d'Orsay is open on Bastille Day. You could go there in the morning before finding a spot to watch the afternoon parade.

Trvlgrlmq, first see if your local library has a Michelin or other guide to Brittany, no matter how old, or if they can get a fairly recent one for you through interlibrary loan. It's worth looking through and making notes in advance. You may not even need to take a guidebook along on the trip. You sound well organized and you know your group's wants and limitations.

Coquelicot - I can tell you my library doesn't have anything. We are a smallish suburb and the library system is county based so I can only get books from my own county. It stinks really. I could go to the city to see if they have anything but can't check it out. May just do that one Saturday. Not sure if I can give up the sacurity I feel having a book especially if it has driving directions!

I'd do the boat cruise at night. VdPN is a good one. A night cruise will let you see why it is called the city of lights, and add a little specialness with the Eiffel sparkling

Does your county library have Interlibrary Loan? That's a way of getting books not in your library system.