Our family's August itinerary is finally set...I think. Travelling will be me, hubby and 2 daughters, ages 14 and 23. Trip begins August 15, upon arrival in Paris.

3 nights: Paris..7th arr
2 nights: Bayeux
1 night : Mont St Michel(on island)
3 nights Loire Valley
4 nights: Chamonix

We plan to fly home via Geneva to minimize backtracking. We thought this itinerary would be a nice mix of city, countryside, and "active" opportunities. Although we enjoy sightseeing, we don't like this exclusively, as most of our vacations are active/adventurous.. We usually need a vacation to recover from our vacation!

All hotels, except Chamonix, are booked and confirmed, since we are considering adding an extra day.(we're avid hikers) We will have a rental car when we leave Paris.

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks

P.S. Has anyone taken the Aiguille du Midi Cable car to the summit? How scary is this?

Are you arriving in Paris after a long, overnight flight? If so, you'll be jet-lagged and sleepy. If this is your first time to Paris, you won't see much in only 3 nights. That's 2.5 jet-lagged days.

Otherwise I like your trip. Will you be dropping the car at Geneva airport? That might incur an extra charge for dropping in a different country.

Hi lj,

I agree with M.

I would add the extra time to Paris.

You can be active/adventurous at home, but Paris is a different experience.

In mid August I'd try to get out of the city and into the country, however since all hotels are booked it is kinda redundant advice. Enjoy more time in the countryside at Chamonix or perhaps on the way there.

Thanks everyone!

Mimar...believe it or not, via a Hertz rental, it's a bit less expensive to drop off in Geneva than Paris!

Also, 2 years ago, we flew into Zurich for our 12 day trip and hit the ground running. None of us seemed to suffer ill effects from jet lag. Hoping that's the case this time!

Lori

Be aware that according to viaMichelin, the quickest route between the Loire valley (Blois) and Chamonix will take 6 hours; and that's being optimistic.

http://www.viamichelin.fr/web/Itiner...=km&devise=1.0

Hi Michael!
I know it's going to be a long drive...but that's part of the fun. Any suggestions for a stopping point for lunch and a much needed break?