France: Paris/Normandy/Alsace
 

Hello!

We are a family of three (husband, wife, toddler) traveling to France this fall. We are spending 4 days in Paris, staying in St. Germain. 4 days in Normandy, staying in Honfleur. 4 days in Alsace, staying in Colmar. Traveling with a toddler, we don't want to pack too many things into each day. In general we enjoy exploring neighborhoods, eating, markets and unique boutique stores. We will have a car after we leave Paris for the Normandy and Alsace portion of our trip. We have hotels and the car booked.

In Paris we will be staying in St. Germain. We plan to do a tour on the first day to get our bearings. Perhaps something general like the Seine river boat or a hop on /hop off. We hope to visit parks every day so my daughter can run around a bit. We enjoy food markets, and exploring on foot. The Eiffel tower, Tuillerier, Luxembourg garden are on our list. I'd love suggestions on markets, parks, small shops and restaurants with great food but tolerant of a decently behaved toddler. We also are open to a local guide for an afternoon...perhaps for an historical or architectural perspective.

In Normandy we plan to drive the calvados route and visit calvados farms as my husband is a distiller. I'd love any suggestions on specific distillers who might be open to giving us a personal tour. We would like to spend a day along the coast at the D-day beaches. Any recommendations on a guide i can book ahead to provide a personal tour in English? We also are thinking of visiting Mont Sant Michel and Etretat. Thoughts/comments/suggestions on all of this would be appreciated. Any specific towns to visit, cheese stops, calvados???

Lastly we will drive to Alsace and stay in Colmar. We don't have any plans for this portion. Ive read about Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Ribeauville. We would like to visit some vineyards, explore around the Rhine and eat. Any suggestions on specifics would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much fellow travelers.

Maggie

Long drive Normandy-Alsace but could go via Reims and Champagne area, Nancy - really sweet city - how long do you plan to do this drive - on autoroutes a day is fine but consider spending more time and doing some side roads.

Google suggest a route via Amiens and Reims, the latter a logical overnight as it would take more than 8 hours of driving if done in one day.

Alsace is known for its <i>eaux de vie</i> such as Kirsch and Framboise.