Overnite out of Paris by Car or Train??
 

I will probably be in a Paris Apartment for 3 weeks in October, but want to get out of town a bit more than usual. Been to the Giverny/Versailles & South (Provance,Nice,etc) and the SW (Bordeaux,St Jean de Luz) Never been to Normandy and Lyon.

I think we can do Lyon with an overnite via TGV, but Normandy, wouldn't it be better by car??

If so, where would it be best to pickup a car, in Paris proper? Any ideas for a 2-nite trip to Normandy?? I would like to see Honfleur and a fast jaunt to D-Day beaches, and any other smaller towns nearby or on way to Paris (I dont want to spend much more than 2-3 nites, paying for Apt in Paris+Hotel elsewhere).
Thanks

Some heading to Honfleur take a train to Rouen and then rent a car, but I think it's easier to rent at the Gare du Nord. Very easy to drive out of the city from there. For a two-night trip I would spend the second night in or near Bayeux, turning in the car in Caen and taking a late afternoon or evening train back to Paris. Caen to Paris takes about 2 hours.

Take the train out of Paris, and if you want the ability to roam that a car provides, rent one at or near your destination. Exiting and re-entering the Paris area by car could consume t up to two hours total of valuable vacation time, and driving in Paris-area traffic is an exercise best-suited to the kind of folks who would also enjoy the excitement of a jet-fighter ride. (We rent from Avis through the French railroad company, the SNCF, for convenience because their offices are typically at train stations and cars can be picked up at any time, from the station master if the Avis office is closed.) If Honfleur is a particular target in Normandy, the closest train stations are Deauville/Touville and Le Havre. I would choose the former, less urban, with an arguably less confusing route to Honfleur. Many visitors choose Bayeux in Normandy as a base, for its location, particularly if D-Day sites are the major interest. Rouen, central, also has its partisans. In my opinion Honfleur wins hands down for its charm, walkability, ensemble of architecture, and concentration of good restaurants including three Michelin one-stars, in a town of 8,000.

The only probel with a car pickup in Normandy, is that we would miss any of the tonws between Paris and Normandy, such as Mt. Saint Michael. ?

No, Mt. St. Michel is the point of interest farthest west. I know this is apostasy, but on a two-night stay in Normandy I would not go there. You will miss much if you travel too fast.

My wife and I were in Paris late February and visited friends who live in Macon, just north of Lyon.
By car you are looking at approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours to Lyon. The TGV does it in 1 1/2 hours and with a train pass you cut the price in half for a round trip. Buy the passes via the internet.
You will need to validate them and make reservations, easily done at Gare De Lyon, which is where the train leaves from, be aware that there are machines to validate the actual tickets located near the track, look for a yellowish box.
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fa...ules/index.htm

(808) 395-2083 Fujiwara Mele
Just in case you do need help with train tickets, this lady is great! When no one else could she came through with passes for me and the wife.