MattKn

Here's what we've got scheduled (tentatively):

April 13 - Depart LA (overnight flight)
April 14 - Arrive CDG airport in the morning, spend the day walking Paris and getting used to jetlag...maybe take a segway/bicycle tour of Paris
April 15 - Private tour guide for Paris, tour Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arche de Triumphe, over view of Paris (we did a private guide tour in Rome and really enjoyed all of the information in a concentrated time)
April 16 - On our own in Paris, maybe shopping, eating, possibly another walking/bike tour or whatever we discovered in the past two days
April 17 - Drive to Normandy take a tour of the WWII beaches, stay in a village in that area (Bayeux or Honfleur, any suggestions here would be very helpful)
April 18 - April 18 - Drive to Mont St Michelle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint_Michel, visit for a few hours and then drive on to Loire Valley, visit the Chateaus and stay in a small village in that area (maybe Chinon or ??, again, any suggestions would be appreciated)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley
April 19 - Finish up with the Chateaus of the Loire Valley, Drive to a town between Loire and Dijon (I'm really at a loss what village/town would be a nice 2-night base here, any suggestions?)
April 20 - Town between Loire and Dijon, stay 2nd night
April 21 - Drive to Dijon/Beaune (Burgundy), night here (I think Beaune)
April 22 - 2nd night in Dijon/Beaune (Burgundy), maybe a wine-road tour today
April 23 - Train from Dijon/Beaune to CDG airport, depart around noon

Any critique and suggestions are welcomed as this is our first trip to France.

Thanks, Matt

TPAYT

Sounds very ambitious!We were in Paris(5th time) in Sept.'07 then took the train to the Loire for 4 days. Stayed at "Chateau Perreux" just outside of Amboise. Great property in a great location. We visited "Chenonceau" Chambord", "Villandry", and the "DaVinci House". All were stunning and we plan to go back to see the rest. Driving was very easy in the chateau area.

Segway tour in Paris looks like fun. We didn't do it, but saw them riding around. They also have the rental bikes all over Paris now--very easy.

Viajero2

For the Day A17 stay, I suggest Deauville or Treauville. Wonderful seaside towns with great restaurants and ocean boardwalks. Loved them both!

Day A18 is super-rush and unrealistic (how many chateaus you are looking to visit?...really.) Pick ONE home base for days A18-A21. By then you would be getting pretty fed up with the pack-unpack thing you got going.... Make a list of MUST SEEs in that area, including specific chateaus. Mark these in a map and your home base needs to be within a 2-hour drive radius max. Other than that, sounds like a lot, but it should be fabulous!

tedgale

Please, please do yourself a favour and cut this itinerary in half. In particular:

April 15 sounds like a route-march, not a holiday.

April 17: WW2 beaches would not be my preferred destination if I had so little time. Unless they have a special importance to you, these are the first things I would cut.

April 18-19: "Visit the chateaux" -- they are not that close to each other and Chambord alone (to choose my favourite) could take several hours plus an hour's drive to and from...

StCirq

First time to France and only 2.5 days in Paris? I'd rethink that.

Honfleur's not a convenient base for the WWII sites. Bayeux is.

Days 17 and 18 are downright impossible.

I think you should pare this down - a lot! Paris, Normandy, and the Loire, or Paris, the Loire, and Bourgogne. Even that would be too much for me in the time you've got, but I can understand wanting to be a bit ambitious on the first trip.

Gretchen

As others have said, do about half of this. Longer in Paris.
I would start out from CDG, rent a car and go to Bayeux. STay 3 days.Drive to the loire/Chartres for 2-3 days. Either drive to Orly to return the car, or return in Chartres and train to Paris. Spend the rest of your trip in Paris. Forget Burgundy.
Your original itinerary really doesn't even give 2.5 days in Paris by the time you get a car, etc. Even with a guide, (and don't not get the guide!) you have so shortchanged Paris.

2010

Also, check your original post on this topic for responses. I sense a theme developing!

2010

ira

Hi M,

I'm exhausted.

You are making the usual first timer's mistake of trying to cram as much as possible into a short visit, instead of enjoying it.

May I suggest that you give Paris a week and then spend the rest of your visit in Dijon, Normandy or the Loire, in that order.

You could split the Paris week, with the visit to France in the middle. That way you will be sure to get to CDG on time.

Enjoy your visit.

MattKn

OK, got the point about less is more. Instead of staying somewhere in Normandy and eliminating staying somewhere between Loire and Dijon, would day trips from the Loire be advisable, we really did want to see Normandy (optional) and Mt. St. Michelle (wife says not-optional).

Maybe extend the stay in Paris by a day and then stay in/around Loire for 3 days with a possible day trip and then 3 days in Burgundy. Or would the last 3 night be better if we trained to Provence, although it sounds like that is a long train ride.


As far as driving and being ambitious, the driving village to village and getting lost was a large part of our enjoyment in Italy. Besides, I'm a little ADD and it keeps things fresh.

Thanks for the advise, Matt

tedgale

Visit Paris last. Getting to CDG for your return flight will be much less harrowing that way.

As someone said, you could rent at car on arrival at CDG and head directly to a northern destination from there -- as you are already on the north side of Paris.

Alternatively, if you really want to visit Provence: take the TGV from CDG.

No, it is not a long trip -- trains can be much faster than driving. It is about 1h59 to Lyon -- add another 3/4 hour, say, to get to Avignon. The drive would take you 7 hours minimum.

KL467

The name of a GREAT private tour guide in Normandy is Ellwood von Siebold. www.ddaybattletours.com or [email protected].

2010

I suggest that you get a map of France and access a website like viamichelin.com to determine routes, distances & driving times. You can decide for yourself if you are comfortable with the itinerary you are considering.

Remember, you will likely be travelling on freeways as you go from Paris to Normandy, through the Loire to Burgundy before taking the train back to Paris. You simply won't have the time to take the more leisurely, scenic routes on your current itinerary.

Good luck with your planning!

2010

Challiman

I agree with others who suggest the itinerary is too much. I will only comment on the Paris to Normandy/beaches tour part: don't rush this. You need time to see these places and a guide would be a good idea. There are so many parts of this to see, and the American cemetery alone could take a couple of hours. Walk the beaches and the cliffs, remembering those brave men who landed there and sacrificed so much. You won't be sorry you gave this the time it deserves. Have a wonderful trip and enjoy all you see and do.

jjkbrook

Last year, I did I think an 8-10 day trip to France with my daughters. We visited all of your destination area - two nights in Burgundy (one S. of Auxerre, 1 at Beaune) two in the Loire, two in Trouville (with a day spent visiting Bayeaux, the D-Day Beaches and Honfleur) and three (I think) nights in my daughter's apt in Paris. We had spent considerable time in Paris previously so actually two of our Paris days were day trips to Reims and Chartres. Viewing the trip in retrospect, I wish we had lopped off the Normany part - while we saw some wonderful things, it meant too much time on the road and we would have preferred the extra time in Loire and burgundy.

I dont agree that the priority of a first timer is to spend a lot of time in Paris - for example, if you like ancient churches, medieval villages or countryside there are amazing things to be seen elsewhere (Burgundy, NOrmandy or the Loire for example) and very little of that in Paris. Paris has some wonderful museums, restaurants and shopping, but its essentially a big city IMO not so different in feeling from NY where I live - you can enjoy the wonderful feeling of France as much if not more elsewhere.

Second, you seriously need to consider that France is really a very large country, the largest in Europe, and distances are great - you will drive for hours through wheatfields, for example if you travel on your itinerary - we greatly underestimated our travel times. Do look at a road map and check mileages - and bear in mind that all the roads are not super-highways, either, for example when you are crossing Burgundy east to west. You want to slow down and enjoy your trip and not spend all your time on the road.

Finally, do do a weather check - Im not sure how spring-like it will be in your destinations - is that a factor for you? It may be beautiful with orchards in bloom, etc or it may be chilly and damp - do check.

DanM

Even revised and with ADD, this is too much. I agree that you can skip Paris if your interests pull you away from it, but I think doing Normandy, Loire, and Burgundy would be too much.

You will be exhausted after that first day. With the travel and the jetlag from LA, you will be very tired. Given that, Day 1 is too busy.

I like what you are trying to see, but it is a little too much.

MECindylou

Don't feel bad. I always try to cram in too much, too. It all looks so great! That said, I have to join the ranks and say your itinerary is too ambitious. The 2nd day in Paris is really full, and you might want to rethink the bike or segway tour on your first day. We did the Fat Tire Bike Tour at night; you have to pay close attention in traffic and go pretty fast. I'd hate to do it if I were tired.

We had a great private tour guide for the beaches of Normandy - Jacques Perreau [email protected] - he was 4 at the time of the invasion and will entertain you with personal anecdotes. I think it's too much to drive from Paris to Normandy and tour the beaches and other D-Day sites that day and a bit on the next. Then to drive to Mont St. Michel the same day - a little rushed. You might want to see the Bayeux Tapestry. Bayeux is a great place to stay - we loved the Logis les Remparts www.lecornu.fr - charming, reasonable, well-located, quiet B&B.
We also overnighted on Mont St. Michel - your wife is right! Don't miss this! We stayed at Auberge St. Pierre and thought it was just fine - good restaurant, too, and not as pricey as I had expected. You can access the ramparts right from the hotel hallway, and have a key to get back in. It's great to explore the Mount at night after the crowds have left, and again in the morning.

The Loire is pretty far from le Mont St. Michel. Check out the distances on viamichelin.com, like others have suggested. It's about 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours anyway. We stayed in Chenonceaux at our la Rosarie - totally exceeded our high expectations - I can't recommend this place enough. Very reasonable, with warm, hospitable owners. You can walk to the chateau there, which is beautiful, and it's about an hour (maybe less) from Chambord.

Maybe if you just did Paris, Normandy and the Loire, that would work better. There is certainly enough to see. My husband and son loved the Tank Museum in Saumur; we hit it on the way from le Mont St. Michel to Chenonceaux. You might even be able to slip in Honfleur on the way to Normandy. The Etap there was well-located, cheap, new, and very clean, if not atmospheric.

I have a ridiculously long trip report on TripAdvisor (just check my screen name) if you think it might be helpful.

Have fun!

MECindylou

I agree with the poster who suggested you visit Paris last - drive to Honfleur, continue to Bayeux, stay there 3 nights, then 1 in LMSM, 2 in the Loire, back to Paris for 3. You could also skip Honfleur, get there earlier and maybe do 2 Bayeux, 1 LMSM, and 3 Loire instead. Drop the car in the Loire somewhere, take the fast train back to Paris, and have a bit of that day in the city. Just some thoughts...I'm sure you can fool around with the days and see how it might work well for you.

KL467

Be sure to check the weather. I went to France in July 2007 and Paris was cool, Normandy was bitter cold, and the South of France was hot.

LoriS

Matt- My husband likes to be on the move as well, and he has a huge interest in WWII. If you're the same, I'd suggest the following (which many will still say is too much, but it's definitely doable- we did it!) We try to stay a min of 2 nights in any location for sanity. All recommended hotels are or were Relais & Chateaux. http://www.relaischateaux.com/page.php3?lang=en

April 13 - Depart LA (overnight flight)

April 14 - Arrive CDG airport in the morning. Pick up a car and drive to Honfleur. It's about a 2 hour drive and if you're used to driving in LA, this will be a breeze. We stayed at La Chaumiere which is up in the hills from Honfleur. Very nice, very secluded, very romantic. Personally, I would not stay in Bayeux or Caen- I'd rather be out along the sea or in the country.

April 15 - Take a tour of the WWII beaches- overnight again in Honfleur. Don't miss Point du Hoc/Arromanches, German Cemetery, DDay beaches, American Cemetery. With a car, you don't need to take a tour, can pace yourself and see what you'd like to. Overnight again in Honfleur.

April 16 - Drive to Mont St Michel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint_Michel, visit for a few hours then stay overnight nearby. We stayed at Hotel Richeaux outside of Cancale. (you can stay here one night-even better to do two)

April 17- Drive on to Loire Valley, visit the Chateaus and stay in a small village http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loire_Valley. We stayed at Domaine de Hauts de Loire in Onzain, but there are lots of options here. See a son et lumiere show- we did the one at Blois.

April 18 - More Chateaus of the Loire Valley-- maybe a wineries or abbaye. Overnight again in Loire.

April 19 - Drive to Paris. Stop enroute to see Cathedral at Chartres. Overnight in Paris.

April 21-22 - spend the day walking Paris and getting used to jetlag...maybe take a segway/bicycle tour of Paris

April 23 - Flight home.

Save Burgundy for another trip!

Have a great time!

MECindylou

I like the ideas of the last poster, except for the part about going back to Honfleur and then heading to LMSM. Too much backtracking for me. You can choose a place outside of Bayeux if you don't want to stay in the city. Personally, I found our little B&B to be perfect - quiet, on the outskirts, but within walking distance to the Tapestry and Cathedral.

As my friend says, that's why they have vanilla and chocolate!