LyndaBarnes

We will be leaving CDG by 10:00 a.m. and will stop at Giverney on the way to Mont St. Michel. We will spend the night in the village across the bridge at Mont St. Michel. We plan on spending the night somewhere between Giverney and Mont St. Michel the night before. What town would be an ideal place to spend the night?

pariswat

Bayeux or Honfleur. Or Caen.
Giverney - MSM is about 3 hours, Bayeux is one hour from MSM, Honfleur one hour from Paris.
Caen is right in the center but has been so heavily destroyed in 44 that it is a new city except a few buildings like churches.
Beautiful museum about battle of Normandy if you're a fan.
Honfleur is superb and quite romantic.
Bayeux is nice and hosts the tapestry.

Betsy

I vote for Honfleur. Hands down.

kja

I loved Honfleur, and will throw Rouen into the mix. You might even consider taking the train to Rouen and waiting until then to pick up your rental car -- if there is ANY chance that you might have jet lag, even a day's delay before renting a car can be a substantial improvement in safety for you and others: One consequence of jet lag is a substantial increase in microsleep episodes, which are so short that you probably aren't even aware of them, but that are strongly associated with car accidents.

Good luck!

nytraveler

We loved Bayeux - but then would never miss the tapestry and we found a great private manor chateau to stay in the outskirts.

Gretchen

Rouen or Honfleur, if you do Giverney. You will be DEAD. Have done it.
You should also include Bayeux and a lot of other Normandy in your trip. Better than MSm.
What is your entire plan for this part of your trip?

Underhill

If you are arriving at de Gaulle after a long flight, the drive to Mont St-Michel would be much, much too long. I strongly recommend driving no more than 2 hours, if that. On that schedule we stayed in the little village of Petit-Andelys and really liked the small hotel La Châine d'Or. It's set right on the bank of the river Seine and has a charming country-French restaurant that looks out at the river. We've recommended the hotel any number of times, and people who stay there agree that it's a little gem.

On the hill above Petit Andelys you'll find Château Gaillard, which belonged to Richard the Lion Heart. It's an easy visit.

See the hotel here: http://www.hotel-lachainedor.com/home.php

LyndaBarnes

Thanks for all your suggestions. We are going to Bayeux after Mont St. Michel for the weekend. The next week we are staying all week in Honfleur touring the different small villages of Normandy. Petit-Andelys sounds very nice.

FrenchMystiqueTours

I'll second the recommendation for Le Petit Andely. Keep in mind that there is a larger, twin village about a kilometer inland called Le Grand Andely. The two towns/villages combined are called Les Andelys. So be sure to stay on the river in Le Petit Andely. Check the tourist office website for more info:

http://www.lesandelys-tourisme.fr/en...-petit-andely/

http://lesandelys.com/sightseeing/