Help with Loire - Normandy - Paris Plans
 

Hello, All -

I'm new to this forum and thought I'd ask for help. :)

My husband, myself & my parents are going to France for 10 days in 3 weeks. We originally planned to stay 4 nights in Loire & then go to Paris for the remainder. I have always wanted to go up to Normandy and see the D-Day beaches. My husband & I can't decide if we should try to add that in or not.

My questions: Should we rent a car at Charles De Gualle or is it better to take a train to Loire & rent our car out of Tours?

What chateaus do you all recommend? My husband & father will have a lower tolerance for multiple chateaux, so I want to choose a few and not try to hit numerous ones.

Any suggestions regarding going to Normandy? Is it worth it? We are thinking of spending one less night in Loire and one night somewhere near Normandy. How much hassle will it be? We don't want to "overplan" - we'd like to make time to relax and not just cram everything we can into our trip.

Thanks for all your suggestions!
Jenny

Get the Michelin Green Guide for France. The guide will stick to highlights of each region, which is enough given the limited time that you will be there. If going to Normandy you will need more than the 4 days you allocated outside Paris.

As for rental: be aware that there is an extra fee added at the end of your rental for picking up a car at the airport. We had to pay $52 for the privilege this June. On the other hand, it probably will cost more than that to get four people to the Loire valley by train.

If you want to see both areas, I recommend doing the driving before ending in Paris. CDG to Normandy, then to the Loire, perhaps taking in Chartres en route. Return the car in Tours and train to Paris. Three nights in Normandy (your first night after plane) and 2 in Loire would be a nice division I think, and doable.
I believe you would have to go into Paris for a train to either the Loire or certainly for Normandy. This is a waste of time and money when renting at CDG is quite easy, particularly for driving north.
I recommend the Green Guides to EACH area for a more complete idea of routes and things to do. The Green Guide to Normandy is excellent.

Normandy is worth the trip, imho.

We did a half-day tour and wished it was the full-day. We used Roel from Victory Tours, but there are others that come highly recommended also. Make sure that you take a small one -- his maximum is 8 people I think since that is all will fit in his van and our day (July), we were a group of 5 total. If you have family or friends who landed there, tell him in advance and he will research where specifically that company landed. I loved hearing the stories that an experienced guide will share...

sorry I can't help with the renting car advice... we just got ours at CDG and drove from there.

enjoy!

Wow - you are all amazing! Thanks for the quick responses! We are now considering going to Normandy before Loire - you all have great suggestions!

Jenny

We took a fantastic tour of the WW2 sites last spring. The tour was led by Elwood, who runs his own tour company. www.ddaybattletours.com
I can't recommend it enough.Check out his site--he is from England and lives in St Mere Eglise....you will 'live' the battles. You will not regret seeing these sites. Hope this is helpful. We loved all of France and can't wait to return. The French were friendly, helpful, and appreciated it if you tried a few French words!

I was reading about D-Day Battle tours yesterday. Recommended by Rick Steves. Thanks for the info!

It looks like we will see if we can cancel one night at Loire so now our itinerary will look like this:

Arrive CDG, rent car & head to Loire - 3 nights there

Drive to Normandy - stay near D-Day beaches - 1 night

Drive to Paris - drop off rental - stay remainder (5 nights) at an apartment near the Luxembourg Gardens

RER out to CDG

Jenny

I agree that to rent a car upon arrival at CDG and head out to Normandy is best. HERTZ weekly rate is strongly recommended. They have tons of offices in Paris and you could drop off the car at the Louvre, for example, if that is easier for you. A car in Paris is a liability; get rid of it upon arrival. DEFINITELY GET A GPS.

That first day, take it easy, stay at Chartres. Take in the Cathedral, next day head out and do Mont St. Michel, afternoon head out to Normandy- Utah Beach, etc... (2 days for the Normandy Area) Start looping back towards the Loire Valley; pick two; Chenonceau and Chambord. There; done. Head back towards Paris; if dropping at the airport, take the train back into Paris, very, very easy. Last four (4) days for Paris. Easy, relaxing sightseeing, wine, dining, make great memories.

I would reserve a hotel for the first day, you should always have an address when landing somewhere :-D. Other than that, in the Normandy area I would stay either at Caen or even Deauville. Late Sept/Oct should not be crowded. Have a great trip!