Planning our 1st trip to France and have narrowed down our destinations to Paris & Normany (Rouen, Mont St. Michael, Honfleur, Bayeux, & Caen). Anticipate overnights in Roen, Mont St Michael & Honfleur (this is still tenative). My question is the best order of our visit. Should we explore the Normandy region 1st (thinking we would be bogged down with less luggage, specifically newly purchased items) and then move on to Paris, or vice versa.<BR><BR>Our initial plan would be to travel the Normandy area by train, but am open to car rental, depending on the more economical option. I'm not opposed to the issue of carrying my luggage on and off the trains, as it usually weight 20lbs or less when packed and is a rolling backpack type, so it is quite convenient.<BR><BR>Insights to this itinerary plan would be appreciated, thanks.

We are getting ready to do this same trip and in my mind I have worked out renting a car at CDG, driving the route we are planning and returning the car to an office in Paris very close to our hotel. I think it is always nicer and basically easier to end the trip in Paris.

We rented a car at CDG and drove to Bayuex (about 4 hours as I recall). The car was a must in Normandy as we based ourselves in Bayeux and drove to Caen to see Pegasus Bridge. For our other D Day visits we took a tour which worked out well. Bayeux has enough to see to keep you busy for at least a half a day. The cathedral and Bayeux Tapestry are worth seeing and the town is very picturesque. You didn't indicate how long you have for your trip or how you will divide your time in Paris and Normandy. Knowing this might help us make suggestions.

Excellent point Bob. We plan on spending a week in Paris and have a week to spread around Normandy.

Since you will be flying into Paris, you could just turn around and take a train straight from the CDG Airport or via Gare du Nord out to Rouen first, then Bayeux, Mont St. Michel, etc. That way once you cover Normandy/Bretagne, you can come back into Paris and load up on the souvenir accruements.<BR><BR>The hotels in Rouen are moderately priced and we found many bargains there, compared to Paris. Since the city is large, we found it more convenient to stay near the train station since it was quite a walk with luggage from the center point. We found a very reasonable hotel right across the street from the train station (Hotel du Gare? I can't remember the exact name) that was $30 night USD and the owner was very gracious and helpful with local city tips, information, etc. <BR><BR>Please note that there is not much to see at Mont St. Michel and you can walk the whole thing, eat lunch and be done by late afternoon. It is rather isolated out there and the hotels are very expensive next to the Mont. Instead, we made Bayeux our base, staying at the Hotel Notre Dame and took 'Bus Fly Tours' out of Bayeux for day trips to Mont St. Michel, and the DDay beaches, respectively. It worked out beautifully and we were able to see everything we came to see!

for what it's worth, we flew to CDG early this summer, then rented a car to drive to normandy. we stayed in a B&B in arromanches --- our 3 night base --- and did day trips to mont st. michel, the museums, beaches, etc. as i posted before, the B&B was quite charming as were the hosts.<BR>we drove back to paris, 7th arr., dropped our luggage at the hotel, then returned the car to a hertz location near invalides --- and walked back to the hotel, without our luggage.<BR>we were light on luggage, but found that when we used the train or metro, the small luggage got mighty heavy on steps.<BR>have a great trip.

Our family did this trip this last spring. I agree that I would start off by going up to Normandy and then end in Paris. Our trip was marred by a string of rental car problems but the original plan was to start at CDG and drive up to Rouen the first night. Then over to Honfleur for 2 nights,Bayeaux for two nights,Mont St MIchel for a night and St. Malo in Britanny for one night before going back to Paris.Despite having to change 4 rental cars in 5 days(gee did I mention that it was Hertz?)I thought that our scheduling was great.All of the little towns are fun to explore and stop for a bite to eat so I would definitely recommend your own car and do the touring without being on a tour bus.Honfleur has some great little places to dine and was quite picturesque.<BR>Bayeaux is a GREAT place for experiencing a small scale French town for shopping and for driving around to see all the WW11 sights. The Caen museum is fabulous and a must!I am sorry "gang" but the night that we spent on the top of Mont St. Michel was incredible and a memory that I will enjoy forever.It is truly a different place when the majority of the tourists leave and you don't dine at the more touristy places. The views, the wind, the history make the place almost spooky at night...but it is tremendous!I would highly recommend if you can spare a day or two is to drive over to St. Malo. We got a place right on the English Channel and it was wonderful.There are great shops within the walled fortress but we found so many fun things like some wonderful local restaurants,the local flea market, the French Aquarium(Mysteries of the Sea),etc. that we had wished that we had had more time.It is really a gem and I would highly recommend a stopover!If the Paris traffic and jet lag would be too much then take the train to Rouen and pick up the car there.Any other questions?

Wow, Debbie, your trip sounds wonderful. Can you tell me where you stayed in St. Malo? Also, did you feel 5 days was an adequate amount of time for the Normandy/Brittany portion of your trip?<BR><BR>Do you have hotel recommendations for Roeun, Honfluer, Bayuex, Mt. St. Michel? My husband want very much to stay the night on the St. Michel, so I know that's a given. <BR><BR>On a very tenative basis, I'm thinking 2 nights Rouen, 1 Honfluer, 1-2 Bayeux, 1 Mt. St. Michel, & maybe 1 at St. Malo. The max should be 6-7.<BR><BR>Thank you for your help.

DJ - We just returned from France last week and hit a number of spots on your list. We rented a car from CDG w/Hertz and had no problems. Driving in France was easy and you will definitely need the flexibility around the WWII beaches. The Bayeux tapestry is a highlight of the area, but you must rent the audio headset as it gives a full explanation and those with headsets get to stand in front. Bayeux is very charming so stay in town where you can walk around in the evenings.<BR><BR>We stayed on Mt. St. Michel and it was worth every penny. It is so crowded during the day with tourists you can only truly experience the island at night. The tourists leave around 5-6 and then you get take lots of pictures, have a leisurely meal, and meet others staying on the island. We got up and watched the sunrise as well.<BR><BR>Have a great trip!

You've gotten a lot of great advice so far, especially on Normandy.<BR><BR>Here's another factor to consider in whether to do Paris or Normandy first (though the souvenir/stuff matter can be important), as it's your first trip to France. Are you more comfortable or familiar with cities or the countryside? Do you want to start out your time in France (I assume that you don't speak much French) figuring out the Metro and city neighborhoods, or figuring out trains, roads, signs, filling your car with gas (if you rent) and finding hotels in unfamiliar places? Some people would find the former easier, some the latter.

I just did a two-week trip (alone) to Paris, Normandy, and Amsterdam. My main interest in Normandy was the D-Day beaches. I started in Paris for a few days, then took a train to Caen and rented a car there (via AutoEurope.com), stayed in Bayeux for two nights and Caen the last night. Then, a train back to Paris and up to Amsterdam. With two people, renting a car in Paris and driving would save you some money, but you have quite a bit more driving to do. <BR><BR>AutoEurope hooked me up with Europcar at the Caen train station for about $150 for three days rental (total including insurance - my ccard had collision/damage waiver). I got a nice compact car, diesel too (cheaper gas). Great car, a Renault Menange. No hitches on the rental whatsoever, seeing how the guy who used Hertz had such a lousy time...<BR><BR>Bayeux may be a picturesque "old town", but it is also quite sleepy and touristy in my view. Good luck getting a meal after 21:30. I much preferred Caen, a lively and much bigger city - wish I'd stayed in Caen two nights and only one in Bayeux.<BR><BR>My hotel in Bayeux was a great value though - the Hotel Mogador. Nothing fancy but clean and comfortable and welcoming, only 44 Euro/night for a double room. In Caen the Hotel du Havre was OK - very modern and colorful if otherwise basic. <BR><BR>I drove to all the D-Day sites myself - I wanted to take my time. I highly recommend you read Stephen Ambrose's "D-Day: June 6, 1944" if you are not already very familiar with the D-Day specifics. Knowing in good detail what those brave men went through in Normandy makes the visit that much more meaningful.<BR><BR>I visited the American Cemetery of course and walked a while up and down Omaha Beach, but one of the most moving discoveries, for me, was stumbling onto little back roads near Utah Beach that are named - with white markers - after soldiers who died nearby. Some of these are on back roads you would never find on purpose - certainly not as part of an organized tour. Normandy is very beautiful country and quite easy to drive around in.<BR><BR>The only museum I went inside for was Le Memorial in Caen. Give yourself plenty of time there - it's a great museum (covering all of WWII before and after, not just D-Day), not a place you can rush through in a hour.<BR><BR>Andrew<BR>