For D-Day tours, opften recommended is:

www.battlebus.fr

For Hotels, with that budget you will have lots of choice. You could consider the following on Ile St Louis:

www.paris-hotel-lutece.com
www.jeudepaumehotel.com
www.hotelstlouis.com

This area is very nice. With that budget, you might also want to consider an appartment.

My trips to France have always been in July. But I do wonder if weather is a consideration when chosing between Normandy & Provence in April?

2010

If someone told me I had to travel in April - I'de sure pick Provence over Normandy. In fact, I'de pick Provence over Normandy in any month. If I had to stay north, I'de pick Brittany over Normandy.

Stu Dudley

Thanks again for the great advise.

Would it be doable and sane to have the following itenerary:

Paris 5 days (with a day trip to Normandy and one to Loire in a minivan or privately guided tours)
Train to Provence 2 days
Train to Dijon 2 days, then train direct to CDG on the day of the flight out

Matt,

That is a doable schedule, but you will, I think, lose two out of four days in travel, even with the TGV. It would be best to choose one of your two out of Paris destinations and spend less time traveling.

In order to make your connection to CDG easier, I would vote for Dijon. It is a wonderful city with many weeks worth of excursions available from it.

I think many tourists overlook Dijon and Burgundy. That means it is less crowded and the main attractions are available on relatively short notice. If you want to take a day trip into the countryside, which I would recommend, there are guided tours available and several relatively inexpensive local car rental agencies.

it is your choice, but you are attempting to visit 5 spots in a short
time.
If you have the energy to move around and don't mind seeing just the highlights of Paris , anything is doable.
Don't forget, when you change cities ,
you often lose a good part of the day.(packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, getting to and from the train station, and travel time)

Jeff seems to know Dijon quite well and I fully agree with him!

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: Less is more!

As others have advised, you need to pare down the number of places you wish to visit for your first 10-day trip to France. Splitting the time between two places will allow you to focus, to explore & savour what each has to offer.

There will be plenty for you to do in Paris for 5 days -- I would probably not recommend day trips from Paris to Normandy & the Loire Valley. If they are of interest to you, then perhaps you should go to either Normandy or the Loire Valley for the 5 days remaining in your trip! You will find lots of information here on where to stay & what to do in both regions.

Remember: Less is more!

2010

We've been to Paris many times, and always "train it" to another area and rent a car.

Sept.'07 we did the Loire. Stayed at "Chateau Perreux" outside of Amboise--beautiful property very close to all of the chateaus you would tour. 3 days was not enough, you'd probably want 4 or 5.

We've also trained to Avignon, stayed at the "Auberge de Cassagne" in Le Pontet just outside of Avignon. Another great property and restaurant. Found Avignon rather boring, but the other towns in the area were great.

Another time trained to Aix en Provence. Close enough to Nice, Antibes,Cap Ferrat, Villafranche-sur-mer,even Monacco.

Another time stayed in Antibes and really enjoyed all the Riviera has to offer.

Paris is just the best place on earth and very easy to get around. The "Madison Hotel" on St. Germaine is a great location close to the Seine on the left bank. The rooms are beautiful and they serve a wonderful complimentary breakfast. Just be sure to upgrade to a room overlooking the street as the back rooms are rather dark.

For your 1st trip I suggest NotreDame and Ile St. Louis, the D'Orsay museum(the Louvre is too huge and overwhelming),the Eiffel Tower-day or night, but night is more romantic, Place Vogses and the Carnavalat Museum(small and charming), the Rodin, Luxeumborg Gardens,the Arch de Triumph,and Momarte(kind of seedy but O.K. and cute during the day.

I'll bet this won"t be your first trip to Paris!!

I went on the Rick Steves 15 Days in France tour in 2007 (www.ricksteves.com). Awesome! The name of a GREAT private tour guide in Normandy is Ellwood von Siebold. www.ddaybattletours.com or [email protected]. Beware of the drivers in the South of France. Sarlat is nice with the big Saturday market. We were there on Bastille Day. Paris is great, and our tour company already had everything set up for us.