Itinerary Help
 

Hi--
Was wondering if someone could review this plan, and offer some advice. We (family of 4) will be visiting France in March 2008. My plan was to arrive at CDG on the morning of March 23 (Sunday), make our way into Paris, and spend 5 nights at a hotel. The following morning, I wanted to pick up a rental car and drive to Giverny (spend a couple of hours), and then to Caen to see the Peace Museusm. Finally drive to Bayeux and spend the evening. Next day take a tour of the Invasion Beaches, again, night in Bayeux. Following day, drive to MSM--spend a few hours there, return to Bayeux---see the Tapestry, Cathedral---again, nite in Bayeux. Next morning--drive to CDG (have a 2PM flight), return car---so thought we would leave no later than 8AM.

A few questions---none of us have been to France before--does this seem like a reasonable balance of city vs. country-side touring, or would you recommend more/less time in Paris?

Can anybody recommend where to pick up a rental car in Paris? I understand driving inthe city can be difficult--would I be better off to go back to CDG and pickup a car?

The drive from Paris to Bayeux---is it realistic to make the drive, stop at Giverney, see the museum in Caen, and get to Bayeux in one day? If not, should I skip Giv or the Museum?

Any other comments/thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

Hi
We just returned from visiting Normandy. We skipped Paris. It soumds like you're planning alot of driving back and forth. Get a Michelin map of France, the periphery road around Caen is not marked well, we got lost there twice. Decided to skip Caen and stay in Bayeux, smaller and very nice. Check out the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux. We stayed there 3 nights. They are very helpful with directions in the area and speak English well. The totel has no elevator and the rooms were small. Most of the hotels had small rooms. We visited Omaha beach and the American Cemetery the first day, very moving. The second day we visited Utah beach, St. Mere Eglise. Very good museums in St. Mere Eglise and Utah Beach. Both beaches have very sad, different feels. Utah Beach has a small cafe, that has a part that was used in WW2.
The Tapestry is beautiful in Bayeau. It may be better to drive to Mont St. Michel and stay the night there. There are hotels, including several on the causeway leading to it. They are nothing special, just American style motels. The traffic can be heavy and follow the signs in Caen to Paris. Enjoy your trip. We pick up our cars at the airports these days, saves getting lost in the cities. Rented a car in Paris once, I'd prefer the airport. I would skip the museum in Caen, having not been to Giverney. If you have an extra day consider Honfleur.

We did a similar trip a few years ago which began with 5 nights in Paris & 4 nights in Normandy. We then continued into Brittany and the Dordogne.

We picked up our rental car in Paris. The office was located near the ring road, and with very clear instructions, we were able to make our way to the autoroute without any difficulty. Our destination was Honfleur with a planned stop at Giverny. (Unfortunately, we were travelling on a holiday weekend and misjudged the amount of traffic on the road - decided to stay in the stream of cars & go directly to Honfleur.)

IMHO driving to Bayeux with stops in Giverny & Caen may be a bit ambitious in one day. Check www.viamichelin.co.uk for distances & driving times. You can decide what you are comfortable doing.

FYI - Honfleur is a lovely town with no shortage of restaurants, shops & galleries. It has a small picturesque harbour.

From there we took a number of daytrips. We went to Bayeux to see the tapestry and on our way back, visited Omaha Beach, the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-mer, Juno Beach & the Canadian monument at Courseulles. We spent a day exploring the area south of Honfleur - Lisieux & beautiful countryside! Caen is an easy drive from Honfleur. We decided to save Mont St Michel as a daytrip from Dinan where we stayed in Brittany.

Sounds like you & your family have a wonderful trip ahead! Bon voyage!

Hi SA,

Not a bad plan.

>..would you recommend more/less time in Paris?<

Definitely not less.

>is it realistic to make the drive, stop at Giverney, see the museum in Caen, and get to Bayeux in one day?

The Monet Gardens don't open until April 1, so that solves your problem.

www.viamichelin.com says it takes about 3 hr from Bayeux to CDG. You want to be there at least 3 hr before takeoff.

I suggest that you leave about 06:30 - 07:00.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Thank you for the suggestions!