My boyfriend and I booked tickets to Paris last minute (got a great priced flight!) and we're now quickly trying to put together an itinerary as we're going to France in a few weeks. We've both been to Paris before (but not together) and want to spend a few days exploring Paris. We have gone back and forth so many times on whether we want to spend the full week in Paris + 1 day in Versailles or do Paris for a few days, 1 day Versailles, and explore towns for a few days too. I think we've finally come to decide on the latter. Would love to get people's feedback on what area we should explore. We like doing cultural activities, we'll probably go to a couple of museums/churches in Paris (so that will suffice for us), and are HUGE foodies. We're in our 20s and definitely want to maximize our time there together.

Here is what we're thinking:
Day 1 - Paris
Day 2 - Paris
Day 3 - Paris
Day 4 - Versaille (This would put us there on a Wednesday. I know it's packed with tourists in the summer no matter what, but we heard Sunday and Tuesday it's worse since they are closed on Monday. Is this a good plan?)
Day 5 - _______
Day 6 - _______
Day 7 - _______ /night flight back home out of Paris (maybe stop in Giverny in the morning)

These are our options for the other two days:

• North of France: some places we found were Rouen, Etretat (the views look beautiful but is this worth going out of the way?), Honfleur, Bayeux, Mont St Michel, and/or spending one day exploring the D-Day beaches. If we were to do this option, what would you recommend?
• Alsace Region
• Grenoble and see the Alps - but I feel like this may be far to take a train to
• Bordeaux/Loir Valley - several people have told us to go here as well, but it seems to be a bit far out of the way and it's another big city, and we're looking to explore outside

We're open to all suggestions but are just really trying to nail down our plans!
Thank you!!

Another option not mentioned - TGV train to Avignon - 2.75 hrs from Paris. Rent car or take local transports to many neat nearby places - Arles, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, etc. - research them in interested. Classic Provence - Avignon is a really neat old city itself.

Loire Valley is close really - just an hour by TGV to Tours - could take trains to some neat cheateaux or mini-bus tours - Tours is a university town so lots of nightlife for folks your age.

Normandy with only two days just take train to Bayeux and then rent bikes or car or take tours to nearby D-Day Beaches - could also do a day trip by train to Mont Saint-Michel.

Anyway for a good look at trains and booking discounted tickets check www.oui.sncf; www.seat61.com; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

As for Versailles book a timed entry to palace and wander around the vast park and gardens at leisure - take RER Line C to within a few blocks of palace from palace entry.

Have you been to Paris before? If not, I think spending all of your time in Paris, with the planned day trip to Versailles is a good plan. Paris has endless attractions and you'll never run out of things to see and do. This is a relatively short trip, so I think less is definitely more.

You only have 2 days available. You can't do much in 2 days and you certainly don't want to eat up time you don't have by traveling to places far away. Plus you will be there in peak-peak-peak season. I would avoid Provence in August since you'll probably have a hard time finding accommodations.



How are you going to travel??? By car or train??


Bordeaux is nowhere near the Loire


Why would you spend a day in Versailles and then go visit similar (but smaller) chateaux in the Loire?


Why would you spend time in Paris & then go to another large city like Strasbourg or Rouen??


Best option, IMO is to start in the countryside someplace where you can drive to from CDG. Then take the train back to Paris and end the trip in Paris


I would:
Land at CDG. Rent a car and drive 2 1/4 hrs to Honfleur and stay there for 2 nights and visit Etretat and the Pays d'Auge in Normandy. Then drive to Bayeux and visit the WWII stuff and stay 1 night. Then return the car, and take the afternoon train to Paris & spend your remaining time there.



Here is part of my 25 page Normandy & Brittany itinerary that describes the Honfleur to Bayeax area. It starts in Rouen, but you will have to change it to start in Honfleur.


Day 4
Leave Rouen going northwest on the A150 autoroute. This autoroute will end, and the D6015 will continue northwest to the A29 heading west. Get off the A29 at exit # 8, and take the D926 northwest to the D149 heading northeast. In Hericourt, take the D131 north which follows the lovely Durdent River. This is a very scenic road. When you soon approach the Chateau Auffay on your right (see your 304 map) take the road off to the left into the village of le Hanourd. This is a very interesting village. You’ll take lots of pictures. You won’t find le Hanourd in any tour books. I read about this (and the drive getting there) in my France magazine. After le Hanourd, get on the D925 heading northeast then west to the pretty village of Veules les Roses*+. Look up VEULES LES ROSES in the GG. This is a very charming village on the coast. Pick up a walking itinerary at the tourist office & spend a couple of hours wandering around – you’ll love this village.

After Veules les Roses, head southwest along the coast. We stopped at several towns/sites along the way – but there wasn’t anything that I would recommend until you hit Etretat***- (see the GG). Don’t visit the town. First head up to the Falaise d’Amont** and admire the views. Then head into town, park the car wherever you can (difficult), and spend an hour or so walking up to and around the Falaise d’Aval***. This is a fantastic spot with great views of the cliffs. There is a picture in the current GG.

After the Falaise d’Aval, take the D39 heading southeast (bypass le Havre) & pick up the A29 at exit # 6 and head to Honfleur

Honfleur**+ See HONFLEUR in the GG
Beautiful port town. Very touristy, but there is a reason it’s full of tourists. Follow the walking itinerary in the GG.
Honfleur is quite crowded mid-day, so it’s best to explore the town in the late afternoon or in the morning

Hotel – L’Ecrin in Honfleur http://www.hotellecrin.fr/ - stay 3 nights. See the Michelin red guide for the location of the Hotel. Getting to the hotel can be a little difficult, but there is parking & the hotel is very helpful (I believe they speak English).

If you are planning on staying in Normandy for 1 week or more and can work with a Saturday to Saturday rental, consider staying in a Gite. As of 2012, we’ve stayed in 36 different gites scattered around France, for a total of 79 weeks. We rent them through Gites-de-France. Here is the one we stayed in while in Normandy in ’11. Of the different 45 gites we’ve rented – this was one of the best. Rated “4 wheaties” – the top rating. It is ideally situated to visit most of the sites I’ve mentioned in this Normandy section.
http://www.gites-de-france.com/locat...e-14G1582.html . I have a write-up on how we rent gites through Gites-de-France. E-mail me if you would like this write-up.




Day 5
Explore Honfleur in the morning.

See the Cote de Grace** described in the excursions section about Honfleur in the GG, and on map 304 – just west of Honfleur. Drive along this road and also drive along the ‘green” road between the D279 and Honfleur.

There are some very beautiful old resorts along the coast from Trouville to Cabourg. These “old style” resorts have lots of old Belle Epoque/Victorian houses, so if you like to see this type of stuff, drive along the coast. See DEAUVILLE **- in GG. We really didn’t find these resort towns to be that interesting compared to other resort towns/cities in France. There is some nice architecture scattered around – but that’s about it.

A small inland village that we really enjoyed is Beaumont en Auge+. There is a wonderful restaurant in this village where we had one of the best dinners in the region. Read about the village and our dining experience at the end of this itinerary.

If you like towns with cross-timbered buildings, head to Pont l’Eveque – which, of course, is famous for cheese by the same name. Most of the picturesque houses are along the D675 and west of the D579.

Return to Honfleur

We dined at two different restaurants in Honfleur – neither of them remarkable.

Day 6 (not Tues)

Pays d’Auge*++ see PAYS D’AUGE in the GG
This is the Normandy countryside that makes this region famous. Follow the route in the Michelin guide. From Honfleur, head towards Pont l’Eveque, and then get on the D48 heading south towards Lisieux. Skip Lisieux* and then get on the D64 heading south from Lisieux. Follow the route clockwise.

While on the above GG route:
- St Germain de Livet*+. This is a very pretty chateau.
- Liverot – this town is famous for its cheese by the same name – one of the best in Normandy. There is a very good self-guided tour through a cheesemaking facility just to the south of town on the “white” road that runs through town (not the D579). There are a few half-timbered buildings in town (BTW, I would not recommend a visit to Camembert)

Once back at Lisieux, head west on the N13, then the D50 & find your way to Cambremer. First, stop at Pierre Huet for a tour of the Calvados distillery, and then a tasting. Then walk 100 meters to the wonderful Les Jardins du Pays d’Auge*+. This was by far the best gardens we visited in the region.

After the gardens, take the D101 southwest to Crevecoeur en Auge (see CREVECOEUR in the GG). Crevecoeur is an interesting Chateau*, although it’s more of a series of buildings where there are displays and films about Normandy Architecture.

Retrace your route east on the N13 to La Boissiere, and then head north on the D59, continuing on to the D117/D85/D146 to Beuvron en Auge*+. This is a very pretty village – perhaps the “cutest” in Normandy. Our gite was very close to here, and we had a very nice dinner at the Michelin 1 star Le Pave d’Auge* in Beuvron.

Return to Honfleur

Other “attractions” in the area:
- Chateau Vendeuvre** very nice garden also.
- St Pierre sur Dives Monday morning market in an old timbered hall and outside on the parking lot & street. Town is not worth visiting by itself.
- Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent. If you have noticed lots of ceramic finials on buildings – this is where they are made and sold. We spent a lot of time here. www.poterie-bavent.com . It is located between the towns of Bavent & Ranville on the D513 where it meets the D224
- Falaise* – newly opened William the Conqueror museum* in the Chateau. It was only OK. Good Sat morning market. We enjoyed the Automates museum.
- Suisse Normande** see SUISSE NORMANDE in the GG follow the route outlined. Clecy*- is mentioned and we visited the Sunday market there (not that great), and we didn’t see much that we liked in the village.
- Carrouges Chateau** See CARROUGES in GG. This is an extremely picturesque and interesting Chateau – don’t miss.

Recommended Restaurants
- Le Dauphine. A Michelin 1 star in La Breuil en Auge. See my wife’s write-up at the back of this itinerary.
- Le Pave d’Auge in Beauvon en Auge. Another Michelin 1 star, but more touristy than the others.
- Auberge de l’Abbaye in Beaumont en Auge. Delightful & cozy place. See my wife’s write up.
- Chateau les Bruyeres. Very nice place. If you don’t want to stay in Honfleur and would rather stay in the “interior” of Normandy in the beautiful Pays d’Auge, this hotel/restaurant would be a good choice.
Photos Château à vendre en Normandie, photos Manoir à vendre en Normandie, photos propriété à vendre en Normandie .

Day 7

D-Day beaches & museums
Head out early and get to Caen by 9am.

Le Memorial** See CAEN in the GG The Memorial is north of Caen (the museum is well marked on the north ring road around Caen – it is in an industrial park). It opens at 9:00 so get there as soon as it opens.
This museum explains the war and the conditions & events leading up to the war. In addition to the exhibits, there are 3 (maybe 4) films to see. Only the first two (I believe) are of any interest. The best one shows the D-Day events from both the Allied & German perspective (they are shown simultaneously on a split screen). Plan on 3 hours at this Museum (have lunch there in the cafeteria)

Pegasus Bridge+ See PLAGES DU DEBARQUEMENT in the GG. Visit the museum and try to attend an explanation of the British glider landings on June 5 and the capture of this important bridge across the Orne river.

British Landing Beaches (Sword, Juno, Gold). The British beaches are in an over-developed area & not as haunting as the American landing beaches. You might just want to drive quickly through this area.

Arromanches See ARROMANCHES in GG
Musee du Debarquement – watch the film
360 Degree theatre
Walk along the beach & see the Mulberries up closely

Hotel – Chateau Sully or Lion d’Or in Bayeux. Stay there for 2 nights.

Day 8

Bayeux**- A quick walk through town before viewing the tapestry.
Bayeux Tapestry*** open 9-6:30
Battle of Normandy museum*+ (open 10-12:30, 2-6)

German Batteries at Longues-sur-Mer. See PLAGES DU DEBARQUEMENT in the GG

American landing beaches. See OMAHA BEACH in GG
American Cemetary at Colleville sur Mer
Pointe du Hoc** More German batteries



Ste Mere Eglise. See STE MERE EGLISE in GG. I found this a little tacky & the museum wasn’t that great. My wife spent the summer of ’66 living with a French family while studying French at a High School in St Brieuc, Brittany. While on a field trip to Ste Mere Eglise, the mayor of the town gave each American student a small piece of cloth that was clipped from the parachutes of the 82nd Airborne Division, who landed & liberated their village on June 6 – at great cost.

We did not visit Utah Beach.

Return to Bayeux


Stu Dudley

Thanks so much for posting!

Kathie - We both have been to Paris before, just not together. We both probably spent 3 days in Paris each but it was several years ago. Although we know the time will go by quickly, spend 6 days in Paris + 1 in Versailles sounds like a long time. We don't feel the need to see every museum so were hoping to explore outside of Paris as well.

Stu - Thanks for the trip report! It looks like you all covered a large area of Normandy. I totally agree on your comments about the Loire - we have friends who paired it and Bordeaux with Paris for a 10 day trip, but since we will have just seen Versailles, I doubt we'll go pop around to 3 other chateaux as well. We had heard Strasbourg and Rouen (and Grenoble too not sure if I listed that above) were much smaller than Paris, so it would be a very different vibe there than in Paris. We think it would be fun to explore some of the smaller towns and would be fine with renting a car (we'd need automatic) or just taking the train. That would just limit some of our options of where we could go.

>>It looks like you all covered a large area of Normandy<<


My wife & I retired early in 1999 so we could travel more. Since then, we've spent 2 months in Europe every year - about 85% of that time has been in various regions of France. We just returned from a month in southern Brittany and we'll be in Paris for 3 weeks in Sept/Oct.


We spent a day in Grenoble - and were underwhelmed by it. Both Rouen and Strasbourg are in our "top 5" list of large cities in France. However - what keeps us returning to France for 2 months every year is the fabulous countryside. It is extremely diverse - compared to other countries in Europe, IMO. I encourage you to not "city hop" - but to visit some countryside. I think you would enjoy the Pays d'Auge in Normandy. It's the most scenic countryside that is adjacent to Paris, and would allow you to experience something different from the large cities. Also, the WWII stuff is memorable - but I don't consider a visit there to be an exploration of the countryside. Parts of that section are a little overdeveloped, and most of it was destroyed in the war.



We are huge chateaux fans - we've spent 8 week in the Loire Valley visiting the chateaux. But the countryside there is not nearly as charming as Brittany and Normandy. And except for Chinon and possibly Angers, the cities & towns are not that great.



Stu Dudley

Thanks for all of the info, Stu! We're going to do some more research based on what you said.

Good for you and your wife that you've been able to travel so much these past years! Enjoy the time back in Paris in the fall.

Neither Strasbourg nor Rouen is a small town. They're both cities, with all that entails. If you're looking for countryside, neither of those will suit you.

The Loir is different from the Loire. Which are you talking about? Presumably the Loire, where all the castles are. It's nowhere near Bordeaux, which is a whole other entity, though one worth visiting.

You only have a week - that's barely enough time to go roaming around anywhere. I'd stay put in Paris and do daytrips to places like Chartres, Pierrefonds, Fontainebleau, Moiry-sur-Loing, Auvers-sur-Oise, Ile des Impressionistes, Chantilly and Senlis, etc.

It would be foolish to think you should stop in Giverny on your way to CDG to take a flight home. Never be more than a taxi ride away from your departure airport.

I would do what StuDudley recommends and start in Normandy; Honfleur, Deauville, beaches and WWII sites.
We loved our stay at La Maison de Lucie in Honfleur.

Like Tulips, I agree with StuDudley's idea of starting in Normandy, at Honfleur if you can find rooms there (we booked late once and found their Mercure perfectly acceptable), exploring around there and then ending in Paris. I'd hate to see you lose a whole day at Versailles stuck in horrendous crowds. Consider dropping your car in St. Germaine en Laye, visiting (or just viewing) their castle and then going into Paris and home from there.

I like Stu's plan, Etretat is not really worth the getting there.

I would look at a train to Reims/Epernay or to Strasbourg and the wine area around Colmar, both areas are wine orientated and worth a couple of days exploring

Stu comes through again! I always appreciate his in-depth suggestions, and I agree that for a shortish trip like yours, Normandy is a good choice since it's close to Paris and the airports and has a wide variety of landscapes, traditional architecture, and charming towns. If you consult Michelin maps, even online at viamichelin.com, you'll see how many scenic roads there are, marked in green. Be prepared to meander. One thing I love about France is driving along a country road and coming across a chateau I've never heard of (and most likely not open to the public because it's lived in).

Once you get away from Paris, stay off autoroutes and take any road that hugs the Seine. If you can be in the area of Gasny for lunch, there's a very good restaurant, l'Auberge du Prieuré Normand. Little La Roche-Guyon has a lot to recommend it--it's right along one of the bends of the Seine, it's at the foot of white cliffs, its chateau is built into them, and the chateau has a big garden of fruit trees, flowers, and vegetables. For a wider view, drive up to the top of the cliffs. A few miles to its west is Giverny and Monet's garden.

Downstream of Rouen there are 8 free ferries crossing the Seine. La Bouille is small but charming. Jumieges is also charming and has the remnants of an abbey. If you take the ferry there, look both ways to appreciate the white cliffs on one side and the white ruins on the other bank.
Right along the Seine in this area is tiny Vieux-Port, where just about every house is a thatched-roof cottage with irises growing on the rooflines.
We liked Pont-Audemer's market, held in its historic center, but I forget which day. Le Bec-Hellouin is another village with an abbey and if we went back, I'd try to time it so I could see the permaculture gardens nearby.

In other parts of Normandy I really loved Bernay, which was never bombed so its medieval buildings are well preserved. I second Stu's recommendation of the chateau at Carrouges. Mont Saint-Michel is in Normandy near where it meets Brittany and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

I think I've just talked myself into going back to some of these places on our next trip.

with just 2.5 days I'd suggest taking train Paris to Rennes then bus meeting morning trains to Mont-Saint-Michel - stay the night - many hotels on mailand where causeway to island ends - then take train to Bayeux - neat old town and next day mini-bus tours to D-Day beaches and back to Paris - yeh can't see all the detailed stuff mentione above but can see two neat places and plan to come back in future. I would suggest thought always being in Paris night before flight - train strikes can always pop up - best be in Paris day before flight.

I agree the WWII beaches are probably the best shout. St Malo is one place that I don't think anyone has metioned that I personally thought was beautiful. That said might be a bit far at just over 3 hours on the train from Paris

If going to D-Day Beaches area near Bayeux investigate the several companies that pick up at hotels in mini-vans and take you on half- or full-day tours of the major sites - public transit is poor. A Google search will give many options.

Hello StuDudley - we have a month in France coming up (Sept/Oct) and are visiting Brittany as well as other parts of France. I wondered if you are doing a trip report? I'd love to pick up any tips of things to see and do.

Hope you don't mind me butting in on your thread fancyface

Thanks, Kay

I'm finishing up my Brittany itinerary today. Send me an e-mail at [email protected] & I'll attach it to the reply e-mail.


Stu Dudley

Consider doing your Giverny day on other than your trip home one. It will give you insurance for any delay. Look at some of the guided day tours out of Paris--let someone else do all the legwork for you.

Thanks Stu, I've emailed you today.

Kay

With a night flight out of CDG one could with an early start stop by Giverney or Auvers-sur-Oise (which I prefer - van Gogh and Cezanne held court here and many post-Impressionists came too and copies of their now famous pictures are posted around the village) en route to CDG - right on way and just off autoroutes - but yes start early and for Giverny Monet House and Gardens book a time slot to avoid long wait - Auvers is all out in open.