Risa

Will probably have a chance to do Paris and Normandy late July or early August next year. Have read that the crowds are miserable and that many things are closed. Does anyone have first hand experience to share? Thanks

Rex

Many mom'n'pop type shops - - and some restuarants - - are closed for prolonged periods (weeks) in August or July, in northern France. The crowds in the SOUTH of France are notoriously overwhelming. I have never been to Normandy (especially the beaches, for example at Deauville) in August - - actually never to deauville in ANY month - - but I imagine that they are very popular. I have been to Paris (1992), and to Chamonix/Talloires (1996) in August and found them to be both very pleasant.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Therese

Access to Deauville is directly off the autoroute (there's one that basically deadends into town, which should give you an idea how popular it is with Parisians), so the road itself is no problem. I lived there one spring and early summer, and by July things were hopping. I've not been in August, but imagine it could get pretty crowded. <BR><BR>Try booking a hotel room and see how easy it is---if it's difficult then you'll have a good idea of how crowded things are. <BR><BR>The beach at Deauville, by the way, is interesting from an anthropological point of view: wealthy Parisians at play. If you're interested in a more laid-back beach scene I'd suggest neighboring Trouville (just across the small river Touques) or Villers-sur-Mer just up the coast.

judy

Just got back from Normandy and Paris last week. We were in the Normandy area for three days. Wish we would have had more time. We went to the D-Day Beaches and the Peace Memorial in Caen, as well as the American Cemetery in St. Laurent and stopped briefly in Bayeux. Weather was cool, which was great, because we had come from 90 plus temperatures. There were crowds but it wasn't terrible. <BR><BR>Also, we went to Mont Saint Michel. We arrived late afternoon. The Mont was the most crowded area, but we expected that and felt we had to stop by since we were so close. I'm so glad we did. It was magnificient. We walked up the first pair of stairs to ramparts and left the crowds below us. We stopped at a cafe and some shops and made our way up to the abbey. When we came down from the abbey, we stopped for dinner and by that time all the crowds had left. The tide had come in and it was amazing to see how different the area looked. We left about 10:00 p.m. and I will never forget the way the Mont looked in the soft light as we drove away. It was magical. I wish we had planned ahead and spent the night at the Mont because it was so amazing how different it was once the crowds had gone.<BR><BR>We then headed to Paris for three days. I loved being in Paris in August. Sure, some of the stores and restaurants were closed for vacation, but the crowds were not terrible. In fact, one morning we walked right into the Orsay; no line or having to wait. We had a great time in Normandy and Paris, and would go back in August any time.

Wayne

As others have said, Paris isn't overly crowded because lots of people head for the shore to the northwest or to Provence or other points south. I wouldn't recommend heading for the beaches or for Provence. An alterntive for a couple of days would be the Clermont-Ferrand area, and I especially like Le Puy-en-Velay near there.<BR><BR>I didn't find Paris in August to be oppressively hot, but maybe I was lucky. I would still recommend a hotel with A/C just to be sure. And as for the places in Paris that are closed for their own vacations in August, there didn't seem to be a problem. Paris has so many neighborhoods and so many shopping spots that closing a few of them doesn't seem to have much of an impact.

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Alison

I just got back from Paris and Normandy 2 days ago. There were some places that were closed, but most things were open--should call first to any shops/hotels/restauraunts to see if they are open before heading over.<BR><BR>We also arrived during a heat wave--up to 94 degrees and very humid, which is very very unusual. Now, I love Paris more than any place on earth, but I have to say, it was pretty hellish. Not only was the heat oppressive, but it made some people angrier and more agressive (not to mention more, uh, FRAGRANT on the metro.) I have never seen the museums more crowded than they were this trip. Versailles was positively clogged with people the day we went, and I've been there three times with no such experience. I was there in early July and it was fine.<BR><BR>We were happy to get away to Normandy for a couple of days, was a nice change of pace and temperature, there were tourists everywhere, but I would not say it was crowded--maybe b/c there was more space to move around?? <BR><BR>By the time we got back to Paris, the temperatures had cooled significantly, so our last couple of days were much more enjoyable than our first few.<BR><BR>Anyway, that is a summary of my experience, I will also post a trip report if that helps. Overall, I would say go ahead and go for it, the weather is impossible to predict, but if I were you I would shoot for late July rather than early August. <BR><BR>Enjoy your trip!

peggi

We just returned from Paris...while some things (such as the original Berthillon for ice cream) were closed, it wasn't as though we couldn't find a place to eat! And quite a few of the restaurants are just closed for a week or two, so some may be open, some closed, while you are there. We thought crowds were lighter than they would have been any other time, although there are fewer "Parisians" around. We were lucky and did NOT have a heat wave. Our hotel DID have a/c, however.