maranawades

We will be driving from Versailles to MSM in March with 2 children (4yo & 11yo)
When it was just the 2 of us, we drove from Rouen to MSM, stopped in Honfleur and other places along the way for a leisurely day, arriving in the early PM.

Asking for opinions...

As it looks like all three routes are around 4 hours - which is preferred?
We're not going to be in a hurry.
We would probably do best to drive around 2 hours, stop for lunch/sightseeing, then drive for 2 more hours.
I've thought about Caen, Honfleur, Villedieu les Poeles if we take the Northerly route, but I'd like to hear what ideas others have.

Thanks!

StuDudley

The fastest route to MSM will take you 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hrs. And it is all boring autoroute. It will take you close to Honfleur, Cabourg, Deauville, etc - but it seems you have visited this area on a previous trip. I would instead head out west on the A13, N13 past Evreux, and then the D613, and D438 south to Bernay and have lunch there. Bernay is a very cute small town - which you may welcome after Versailles and perhaps Paris. See the itinerary I attached above for a description of this town and where we had lunch. It should take you 2 hrs to get there from Versailles.

Next, head into the beautiful Pays d'Auge. Take the D131 southwest, and then the D4 wast to Livarot - perhaps the best cheese in Normandy. The town is charming and you can take a self-guided tour of a cheese making facility. See my itinerary for details - but I misspelled Livarot in the attached itinerary (I have corrected my original). It should take you 50 mins to get from Bernay to Livarot.

After Livarot, take D575 north towards Lisieux, but get off before Lisieux and take the N13 west to the D59 north, D117 west, D85, D146 to perhaps the most charming village in Normandy - Beuvron en Auge. Explore the village. It should take you 50 scenic minutes to get from Livarot to Beuvron.

Then hop on the A13 autoroute to MSM. It should take you 2 1/2 hrs to get to MSM.

Total driving time is about 6 hours - 1 1/2 hours longer than the non-scenic A13 autoroute.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Oops - the attached Normandy itinerary was for another thread.

See attached below

Stu Dudley

Coquelicot

I heartily second Stu's suggestion of Bernay. There are a lot of half-timbered houses there, original since the town escaped bombing in WW II. Two pretty streams run through the town. There's a hidden Renaissance courtyard, still with its well.

Another stop I might suggest is Mortain, a small hilly town with remarkable waterfalls. It is quite a hike down from town and then back up, but it's possible to drive to the biggest waterfall and park there, which I wish we'd known beforehand.

jpie

Two thoughts that might interest you. If you route through Bernay you will be pretty close to Monet's Garden-although with kids, that may or may not interest you.
Alternatively, you could also route south and stop in Chartres-you could stop for lunch and visit the cathedral.

I have done both of these drives with friends and they are both fun.

Coquelicot

jpie, is there a Bernay near Giverny? The Bernay I liked so much (and which I think Stu is recommending) is over an hour's drive from Giverny.

jpie

Hmm-if this is the Bernay I am thinking of-(but to be fair haven't visited) it is Bernay, 27300. Yes it is over an hour from Giverny-but they are coming from Versailles, so the route would look like this and wouldn't be a big detour-only about 15 minutes off the main road. I used to live near Versailles and we would leave early to get there right about as the garden opens at 9:30-just under an hour's drive. Then maybe spend some time there and leave for Bernay for lunch time or have lunch in Giverny which is also nice. But with kids this might not interest them.

Coquelicot

jpie, I see how Giverny would fit into that drive nicely, and for me seeing Monet's garden followed by Bernay would be a big plus.

The more potential routes the better is the way I feel.

StuDudley

I'm guessing that the kids will enjoy the gardens at Versailles with all the water effects, more than the garden at Giverny with the Lilly pond & bridge.

Stu Dudley

maranawades

So....Our return flight was cancelled today, but we're going anyways.

We'll stay at Versailles for a couple of days actually. Big fan of the palais and market there. We wished we spent more time there last time.

THANKS so much for all these suggestions. You have all been very helpful. We may have a bit more time to play with if Disney closes.

Crossing our fingers....

janisj

"So....Our return flight was cancelled today, but we're going anyways."

This must be a joke - surely it is!! You are actually traveling to a country that is dealing with thousands of identified cases . . . with children no less. Almost nothing surprises me, but . . . really??

StCirq

Are you kidding? You don't get news where you live? What makes you think anything, including Versailles, will still be open? As of now, you can't get in without a ticket with a timed entry - by the time you get there France will have been declared a Stage 3 emergency and almost everything could be closed. The ADP announced last night they are likely shutting down Terminal 3 at Roissy. What makes you think you'll get into the Bayeux Tapestry, Le Mémorial, the D-Day sites, restaurants, grocery stores.....? What makes you think you'll be able to fly home? What makes you think you won't be quarantined here in France or when you get home? Disneyland IS closed, BTW.

Honestly, I live in France and have no worries myself at present because of my circumstances, but your plan is just nuts.

progol

It looks like Versailles, along with the Louvre, will be closing to the public. Other museums are also planning to shut down:

https://www.france24.com/en/20200313...navirus-crisis

rhon

Unfortunately, it is cavalier attitudes such as this that are enabling the spread of this virus. If you have no concerns about you and your children, at least consider family and friends when you get home. If your trip was a bit further away, fair enough, but this month, really? Have you considered you may actually take it to France with you ? We were due to leave on April 2nd for ten weeks and have cancelled.

kja

Another voice saying please, PLEASE, for your own sakes and for the sake of your family and your friends, and for the sakes of all the people you will encounter along the way, just P.L.E.A.S.E...D.O...N.O.T...G.O.

geetika

I can’t believe the OP truly plans to go ahead with the trip, taking two small children along for the ride! On aura tout vu!!!

DH and I have a three week trip to London, Barcelona and Paris planned for mid-May but will be cancelling. We’ve been to all three places many times in the past and will surely go back again once the dust settles...

StCirq

More and more countries are closing their borders every day - Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Malta, Czech Republic, Slovakia, so far (maybe more announced today). Delta just announced no more flights between the USA and Europe for the next 30 days. And so on and so forth. It's utterly irresponsible to just plow forward with vacation plans in Europe right now. And with two young children? The mind boggles.

Odin

Jet2 flights from the UK to Spain were turned back to the UK today, Cyprus will have a travel restriction from Sunday for 2 weeks as well plus some airlines are cancelling flights. And Cyprus usually does nothing to stop it's precious tourism so this step indicates how serious it is. It will only get worse.

janisj

The OP has only 2 posts on Fodors - my guess they will be the only two. This is so totally irresponsible.

hetismij2

I don't suppose they will be back, but France is in partial lockdown from tonight.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51892477