JulieVikmanis

Another country heard from. Our son was in Paris working last summer and we flew over to spend some time with him. I can't tell you how much he appreciated getting a chance to get out into the countryside for a long weekend.So you might want to include your daughter in the Normandy trip. If so, you'll probably have to split up your time in Paris which wouldn't be so terrible. Just leave much of your luggage wherever your daughter is staying and take only a weekend bag. Take the train to, say Rouen. Then rent your car and travel on to your base. I'd choose Honfleur and concentrate on the lovely areas around it and skip Mt. St. Michel. Return also via train. You could go as soon as your daughter's classes are out on Friday and return late Sunday or early Monday. Then pick up your stuff from your daughter's place and go to a second hotel in Paris. That way you'd also get to position yourselves in two places in Paris and learn which areas are most appealing to you for future trips. The trip we took with our son last summer was one of the loveliest we've ever been on. We based out of Touques, near Trouville where we rented a triple room (with tiny separate room for our son) at the Best Western Aumirate for around 150 euros or so. Spent one day on the backroads of Normandy in the picturesque cheese and cider region and a second on the coast seeing Etretat, Honfleur, Fecamp, etc. Our son felt the trip really relaxed him and recharged his batteries for the rest of the time he was in Paris.

cbl30911

Thanks everyone. This gives me lots to think about. Hopefully my husband and I will have some time this weekend to make some decisions. At this point, we're still open to more suggestions.

RonZ

The drive to Rouen is short enough, in my opinion, to justify driving there directly rather than taking the train and then renting a car. Also, when driving out of Paris I like to stop by the rental agency a couple of days before to see if they have the car model I prefer.

On our last trip to the region we stopped briefly in Rouen before going on to Honfleur, a perfectly charming town. I posted a driving tour from Honfleur some time back.

Underhill

The only thing of interest in Caen is.... But what about the magnificent Abbaye des Hommes and the Abbaye des Dames?

clevelandbrown

We found much of interest in Caen. So much, in fact, that we never did get to Bayeux. The peace museum can easily take a half day, or more. There is a decent art museum, and we enjoyed walking the ruins of the ducal chateau. We hired a taxi for a half day to see our selection of the invasion sites, but this could just as well have been done from Bayeux.

cbl30911

It looks like we're leaning towards heading out to the Normandy region as soon as we get to Charles Degaulle airport on Tuesday Morning Oct. 18. Should we rent the car at the airport or will the traffic and everything be very confusing and stressful (especially after we've flown all night)? Or can we get a train right at the airport and take it to Rouen or Bayeaux and rent the car there? What is the easiest and least stressful way to do this?

tmh

You'd have to go into the city to catch the train to either of those places.

Traffic will be ok although if not familiar with any French the signs or names might cause a bit of panic but a good map as someone suggested will be a major step in the right direction for boh the driver and navigator.

Mary_Fran

Boy,I just think it would be such a mistake to jump into a rental car, in a foreign country, and head out immediately. I'd stay at least one night in Paris before heading out. In fact, I'd stay a few days, to catch up with your daughter, and try to persuade her to make a trip to Normandy with you the following weekend.

My own experience with my adult children is that, while we love each other to bits, a few days are all we need to keep our relationship fresh and happy. Beyond that, we tend to get in each other's way.

I'd spend Monday to Friday in Paris, then take off for Normandy for a long weekend, hopefully with daughter in tow. After that time together, I'd make a decision about whether I wanted to spend the remaining time in Paris, or whether I wanted to spend a few leisurely days driving through the Loire and back to paris, to spend a couple more days before heading home.

cigalechanta

As you see, one man's way is not another's. Get a guide book of the area and seek out what attracts you, though I like herself's suggestion but we dined at Saint-Simeon ( on the outskirts) but had more fun dining along the water in Honfleur and meeting people from all over.

StCirq

I'd head right out from CDG to Rouen - it's pretty much a breeze, and if you are arriving by chance from the East Coast on one of those flights that lands at breakfast hour, well, getting on the périférique out of the airport into Paris and beyond is a breeze because traffic is so dense you're only going about 30 mph. I've done this a bunch of times alone with two kids and never had a major nervous moment - and I'm not a fearless driver by any means. Rouen isn't far, and following the directions there isn't hard if you have the right maps - Michelin ones for the Paris region and Normandy at a minimum.
Good luck and bonne route!

cbl30911

Thanks for all the ideas.

Jim_Tardio

I pretty much did this last month. We spent 4 nights in Paris, then drove to Deauville where we spent 2 nights. We used Deauville as a base to explore the Normandy sites.

After our two nights in Deauville, we drove straight to Mont St. Michel, arriving fairly early in the morning. After touring the grounds we took the long drive back to CDG, spent the night at the Ibis hotel in the airport, and left for home the next day...it all worked out well.

Some suggestions: We also stayed at the Ibis hotel in Deauville. If you're not familiar with this chain, think Motel-6. But, since we had been on a 3 and a half-week trip...mostly staying in smaller, family-run hotels, the sterile Ibis was a welcome change...and it's cheap, clean and has everything you need. The Ibis in Deauville has a large parking lot right across the street and is easy to get to. The Ibis at CDG has a shuttle right to your terminal.

Car rental: I found National Car (National Citer in France) to have the best rates. We rented a Citron which had a Global Satellite navigational system. This thing was amazing and got us to every destination without any unneccessary detours. It just talks you to your destination. And we rented a standard 4 person car...no extra charge.

Have a great trip. Normandy was really fantastic, and it's all decked out for the 60th. anniversary of D-Day.