Nomandy Itinerary. I think I have it! Suggestions are priceless
 

People of the world, this is my itineary so far.
Aug. 6 arrive CDG. Take train to Giverny overnight
Aug. 7 Drive to Hornfleur do an overnight.
Aug 8 to 12 Bayeux, Caen, WW Beaches etc.
Aug. 13 to 15. St Michel, St, Malo, Dinan.
Aug. Turn car in and train to Paris
Aug.15 to 20. Paris.
I have Hotels for Bayeux and Paris. Any suggestions for Giverny,Hornfleur and the saint michel/malo area?
Please, let me know what you think of my plans. Any help will always be appreciated.

I don't think you'll want to spend the night in Giverny (or Vernon). I'd just keep going to Honfleur (note correct spelling).

The Hotel Ecrin in Honfleur is quite nice and a favorite with quite a few Fodorites. There's also supposed to be a wonderful B&B there that someone here (MichelParis?) recommends? You might search on B&B Honfleur.

St-Cirq is right again: there's no reason to spend an entire day and the night in Vernon. However, after seeing Monet's house and gardens you could drive on to Les Andelys and see the ruins of the castle built by Righard Coeur de Lion.

A good place to spend the night would be La Chaîne d'Or in Petit Andelys, a pretty little village right on the banks of the Seine. The hotel is quite comfortable and the restaurant looks just as a country French restaurant should look. The food is excellent, especially the apple tart flamed with Calvados. Some of the hotel's rooms, including the dining rooms, overlook the river.

If you do go to Giverny, you must also visit the American Museum there and lunch at the Anciente Hotel Baudy(a restaurant and museum.) Should you want to spend the night, there are several B&b's I forget the names but you can google Giverny.

Dear SGLW,

Personally, 4 nights in Bayeux is too many and 1 night in Honfleur is too few.

I would take (at least) 1 night from Bayeux and add it to Honfleur; the town is lovely, and you can drive either north to L'Etretat or to the coast (Trouville and Deauville) if you want to tour during the day.

The B&B in Honfleur that gets deservedly great reviews is Cour St. Catherine B&B, http://www.giaglis.com/, run by Liliane and Antoine Giaglis. They are warm and welcoming as hosts, and there is a classy ambiance to the B&B. We were there for 2 nights in 2006, and I wish we could've stayed longer.


While I liked Bayeux - the location is great and has several major sights, Honfleur is a charming, attractive - definitely quaint - seaside town that I found intoxicating. I'm a sucker for a stroll along the waterside at twilight, and this is the place to do it. Very romantic town.

We chose to stay on Le Mont St. Michel, staying 1 night in the Auberge St. Pierre. I enjoyed sleeping on the Mount, because it's the only way to be there when there are no tourists. During the summer, in fact, it can stay pretty busy until midnight, but around 8 or 9pm, it's at least manageable. I would NOT visit it during the day during the summer - the crowds can be unbearable.

I recommend staying the 2 nights at the end of your visit in Dinan; we loved that town as well. With the extra day, you can also visit the towns that interest you, getting a taste of Brittany. I don't know about St. Malo, though - we drove past St. Malo on our way to Dinan, and found the traffic unbearable. We had considered stopping to visit, but found it too crowded to bother.

I stayed in Hotel Arvor in Dinan; it's not fancy,but it is very well-maintained and the location is superb; they even have a little parking lot beside the hotel. I found the staff very helpful, too.

I hope this is helpful; you have a long time to tweak your trip (this is for 2009, right?).

Paule

If you are able to change your hotel reservations in Bayeux, I would also suggest adding more days in Honfleur and spending fewer days in Bayeux. You may want to adjust your itinerary to reduce the number of hotel stays you currently plan. Driving distances are not as long as they seem.

DH & I stayed in Honfleur (4 nights) & took day trips to Bayeux & the D-Day beaches, drove along the coast & inland to explore the countryside.

In Brittany, we stayed in Dinan (3 nights) at the Hotel D'Avaugour - had a lovely room that overlooked the garden! From there, we visited Mont St Michel & St Malo as well as drove along the Emerald Coast to Cap Frehel.

You will be visiting a beautiful area of France! Good luck with your plans!

2010

I 2nd the suggestion to stay on Mont St Michel for one night. We were there in May this year and the crowds at 3pm were just insane. You could barely walk up the street. At 6pm all the people disappeared and we were able to enjoy the mont. The next morning we got up eary and were the only ones inside the abbey. Magical.

We stayed at Auberge St pierre. Nothing fancy, and a bit expensive but I think its the only way to enjoy the Mont.

We also stayed at Hotel Arvor. Very basic, but perfect location. We LOVED Dinan.

ttt