illini00

My Husband & I are going to Paris. This is our second visit and we want to take 1 or 2 side trips. (we have been to Versailles & loved it but want to explore something new) Looking for advice on the following:

1. We want to see a few castles in the Loire Valley. Are we better off taking a tour through Paris Vision or taking the train & renting a car? (trying to balance cost & ease)

2. We are also considering a trip to Mont Saint Michel. We do not have time to stay overnight. Has anyone done this? Was it too much for one day? Again - Tour vs taking a train somehow.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

MECindylou

I think to visit either one without too much hassle a tour might work best, but honestly, I'd choose a couple closer places instead. Giverny (Monet's house and gardens) or Chartres Cathedral might be good choices depending on your interests. Both are only 1 hour from Paris, by either car or train. Chartres has the most pure example of a Gothic cathedral in the world. The stained glass is renowned. If you go, take a tour with Malcolm Miller. If you opt for Giverny, try to either get there early, or stay till closing so you can experience it with less crowds.

If you want to see spectacular chateaux, Fontainbleu or Vaux-le-Vicomte are closer to Paris than the Loire chateaux. I'm pretty sure both can be visited in one day, especially if you do a tour.

Save Mont St. Michel for when you can do the overnight. It's so worth it!

Have fun!

gracejoan3

The Paris Vision mini van tours are good. I wouldn't do any of the tours in anything except the mini vans.

They have details of their schedules for each tour. Just figure out which suits you best.

Enjoy.....

Dejais

A nice day trip is a bike tour to Giverny with www.fattirebiketours.com to see Monet's Gardens. Cost is about 65E pp and it is a nice leisurely fun day. My mother and I did it and loved it.

Mincepie

The bike tour sounds excellent.

I think the decision depends on your travel likes and dislikes. We hate tours, because the joy of travelling(for us) is the freedim we have to change our mind or stop off for a meal or do a side trip at our own pace and not have to listen to a tour guide. We like to experience something and then maybe read up on it later.
Good luck whatever you chose. I'm not sure how long the trip to Mont St Michel is...sure someone else does..if not I will get back.

Christina

If you only want a day tour to the Loire, I think a company like Parisvision would be preferable in terms of saving time and convenience. I don't see how you could even save any money by taking the TGV train and renting a car for one day, which is very expensive. Maybe you'd save a little, but not much, as the TGV isn't that cheap, either.

djkbooks

A huge advantage of the tours is the commentary on the way and during your visit.

We went with ParisVision to Barbizon, Fontainebleau and Vaux-le-Vicomte in one day (very nice lunch included). This can be done on your own, but the door-to-door transportation (along with the commentary and guided tours) is much more efficient with a tour company.

Day trips to Mont Saint Michel are offered - a very long day. (But, you can sleep on the bus.)

fbc34

Mont San Michel is quite doable on your own. Train to Rennes (about 2 hours), then a bus (about an hour) to the Mont. They'll sell you a train ticket all the way through, or you can buy your bus ticket from the driver. It's a long, long day but so worth it if you want to see the Mont. (I'd been thinking about it since high school French class. . . many moons ago. It was a pilgramage for me.)

JanDelaware

On a recent visit to Paris, friends who live there took me to AUVERS SUR OISE (Auvers on the Oise River) where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last 3 months of his life--and where he committed suicide. He's buried in the local cemetery next to his brother, Theo who died shortly after. It's a very charming town and you can follow in Van Gogh's footsteps, seeing where he painted some of his most famous works--and what the church, wheatfields, Dr. Gachet's house, and so on look like today. There is a reproduction of Van Gogh's painting posted where he placed his easel. You can also visit the restaurant/inn where he had a room in the attic. I loved being in Auvers--and there is also a very interesting Museum of Absinthe there too. Enjoy!

kenav

HI - Don't know when you're going, but we went to Fontainbleu on our own with the train. It's not just the lodge/palace, but a real town with a park and restaurants and a carousel (we were there in April).