First Trip to Paris
 

Four of us are making our first trip to France in early October. We have six days to divide between Paris and Normandy. Where should we go first and how much time should we spend in each? The men prefer Normandy, the women prefer Paris. We land in Paris in the a.m.

The men of your group want to probably see where D Day and WWII happened. You will probably have to rent a car to go to the sites, and it takes about 2-3 hours to drive there, depending on traffic. You can also take a few day trips on the train to some cities in Normandy. I don't know Normandy that well. I would recommend spend a day or two there only if you want to, but I would spend most of my time in Paris (there is so much to do in Paris).

Yikes Merwin. This is a tall order for Fodor's. First as a general rule, do not be afraid to search this site for specifics about any detail you can think of as the next few months pass. The girls may be on the right track in that Paris a s a base fr a 6 day trip is wise. Normandy is not t be missed, bit after a day of exploring the landing beaches an our Natonal Cemetery you will be ready to "move on". I've done his rout a few times and if it were my "call" I'd infuse a little of the in between towns. Here's a suggestion. Land in Paris, transfer to a city hotel (you will be tired). Spend arrival day and day two and three in Paris. Rent a car. Rise early and drive to Normandy spend the remainder of day four in Normandy and then drive to Mt. St. Michelle, Rouen or Honfleur. Spend Day 5 in either town. Drive back to Paris on Day 6, stop in Giverney for lunch, stay at the airport on the 6th night and then fly home. This is not as ambitious as it sounds, just pick your cities, start searching on this site and asking questions. By the way, you can rent a car from Hertz at the Carrousel du Louvre and drive directly out of town...minimal hassle. Good luck ... keep posting - seafox

sorry about the typos....

When friends were confronted with a similar decision a few months ago, it was agreed that the women would stay in Paris, and the guys would do their thing. Everybody was happy! Would that work for you?