We will be driving to Bayeux (picking up and dropping off the rental car at CDG) and looking for a couple stops along the way. Considering Giverny, but would be happy with some less crowded, more off the beaten path suggestions- e.g. castle/chateau, abbey, scenic small towns to grab lunch. Also would appreciate any suggestions for scenic routes, we don’t mind taking a bit longer if it’s more interesting than the highway. Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't call them off-the-beaten track, but IMO, the Chateau-Gaillard in Les Andelys and the Abbey de Jumiege are well worth seeing.

Do you have the Michelin Green Guide for the area? It's excellent!

I hope you are not planning on driving straight off a long haul flight. terrible idea, dangerous for you and other road users, no matter how well you think you can sleep on a plane.

Switch off the motorways option on Google Maps and see what that suggests as a route, then search around that route for places of interest, lunch etc.

We drove from CDG to Rouen and had a nice afternoon to explore and a lovely dinner. We drove to Bayeux the next day but first we stopped at E'Tratat, Honfluer, the museum in Caen before arriving in Bayeux and locating our B & B and getting settled for a few days there.

nope. 2 hr flight, should be just fine to drive after that.

thanks to the others for the suggestions! A couple of those are on my radar so good to have some reassurance.

Totally agree with the suggestions of kja . Stunning sites.

The only other thing I'll mention are two sites near Giverny, that i like much better than Giverny: La Roche-Guyon and the nearby troglydite church of the Annunciation.

Thanks! We actually tried to stop at La Roche-Guyon for lunch and to see the castle but struggled to find parking (the big lot was closed/under construction) so ended up giving up and going to Giverny instead, but it looked beautiful and I wish we could have done more than a drive by!

Arrgh! I hate when that happens. In the French countryside parking is rarely a problem.

On the way to Bayeux past Rouen there is a nice drive in one of the loops of the Seine called le chemins or la route des chaumières:

I drove part of that route! I loved seeing the iris blooming along the ridge-lines of the roofs (IIUC, planted there to stabilize the thatch).