Provence, Loire, Paris.... Whew, It's A Lot!
 

Hello-
My family and have the opportunity to do a home exchange with a family in Paris for 2 1/2 weeks (possibly 3) this August. There will be five of us traveling (2 adults and 3 children --- 15, 9 and 5). This will be my children's 2nd visit to Europe. We'd like to spend about 4 days in Paris sightseeing and then branching out to other destinations (day trips or longer). I'm not sure yet if we'll be brave and drive or if we'd like to use only the train system. If possible, we'd like to see the Normandy area (Mont St Michel, Omaha), Provence/ Cote d'Azur and Loire Valley (Chenonceau). Any suggestions on a possible itinerary? Not sure if we're trying to squeeze in too much! Using Paris as base but, a few nights stay at any of these regions is fine. Open to suggestions of places to stay as well!

Thanks in advance!

I've done a Loire Valley /Pairs combo. In my opinion, the best way to see it is by car. I rented in Paris and did a ~10 day tour, from East to West. Very scenic, lots of castles, small villages, caves, vineyards,etc. I rank it as one of my favorite trips. And, not too far from Paris. I also added Fontainebleau (I got lost and ended up there) to the beginning of the trip, and Chartres/Giverny to the end.

For Provence/Normandy, I'd take TGV and rent car once there. There is a recent thread of someone wondering how to visit Provence without a car, might be worth looking for.

Well, first off I'd stay away from the Cote d' Azure in August. Second, I think you should stay in Paris for a full week - you'll probably regret leaving after 4 days, and since you're doing a home exchange, you'll want to just get involved in the neighborhood a bit, y'know?

You could divide the next week up between Normandy and the Loire. I think 3 days in the Loire and 4 in Normandy and then back to Paris would work well, but you could easily add time to either destination. It makes for a nice loop.

And I'd definitely rent a car. The logistics of getting 5 people on and off trains and getting to places like le MSM and Loire chateaux without a car could be way more formidable than driving in France. You can plan a nice loop from Paris and see some nice countryside in between your destinations.

Thanks for the info. I think we're going to brave it and go ahead and drive. This will be a 5th trip to Paris so, that's why we were limiting it to 4 days ---- I love the city and as a result we haven't seen more of what France has to offer. I like the idea of driving Paris-Normandy-Loire-Paris as a loop. Approximately how long is the drive from Paris - Normandy, Normandy - Loire and Loire - Paris? Thanks. I always value the information I gather at this sight!

oops. typo..... I value the information gathered at this site! Thanks.

Well, www.mappy.com will give you specific distances and times, but since you've got some time, I'd plan a leisurely route. Leave Paris and head to Rouen for a night. Then move on to Honfleur for a night or two. Then head to Bayeux. Take the N and D roads, not the autoroute - there's loads of lovely countryside to see.

Spend 2-3 days in Bayeux. Visit the D-Day beaches and Ste-Mere-Eglise, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches. Spend a half-day at the Memorial museum in Caen. In Bayeux see the tapestry and the cathedral.

Then drive to le MSM. Spend a night there, and next day visit St-Malo, Fougeres, and Vitre before heading to Angers. Spend a couple of nights there - see the chateau and the tapestries and the Jean-Lurcat museum. Head to Saumur and visit in and Chinon, then move on to Blois or Amboise and base yourself there to visit the chateaux in the eastern Loire. The day you drive back to Paris, stop at Chartres.

You might consider adding Giverny to your itinerary. I believe it is on the way from Paris to Normandy. It is where Monet's house and gardens are. It is just beautiful. The house is just as it was when Monet lived there. The water lillies are on the pond and the gardens are just lovely.

We went as a daytrip from Paris, I think the train was only about an 1 1/2 hours?? Then a short a bus ride to the house.

Happy planning!

St Cirq gives excellent advice. We are doing a similar loop in May but are also spending a few nights in Brittany.

The roads are good in France and you drive on the right. I also recommend a car.

We did a similar trip a few years ago. Paris-Reims-Normandy-Loire-Paris in a ten night trip. We tried to spend at least two nights per location. We drove, and I'd suggest the same, especially with childen, since it gives you the option to stop along the way- road stops, misc sites, etc.-that you'd miss on the train. France is very easy to drive, road signs are better than the states, just buy one of the Michelin Road Atlases for France before you leave- they are also available at CDG on arrival. Daytrips to these locations are hard from Paris-it really doesn't give you a long enough time period to enjoy the regions. In addition to www.mappy.fr, www.michelin.com also has excellent route planning. You'll have plenty to do and along with the other comments, I would probably avoid Provence/Cote d'Azur.

A couple daytrips that you could do from Paris would be Chartres, Reims, Versailles, Fontainebleu.

Normandy is wonderful and with several days here, you can easily see Mont St Michel, the D-Day beaches, and possibly the village of Honfleur. Often overlooked is the German cemetery, but it provides a striking contrast to the American and Commonwealth cemeteries. Be sure to visit the gun turrets art Arromonches (sp?)/Pointe du Hoc- kids will like playing in these, my 35+ year old did. Too much to see from a day trip to Paris, IMO. A visit to the village of Honfleur will give you some relief from all of the war-related sites. We have two hotels in the area- one near Cancale for visiting Mont St Michel (Chateau Richeux) and one near Honfleur (Le Chaumiere)- both are members of Relais & Chateaux. You can easily drive up to Normandy from Paris in 2 hours - more if you stop along the way - as there's excellent autoroutes.

http://www.relaischateaux.com/page.php3?lang=en

The Loire is a wonderful experience in itself. A daytrip will NOT do it justice. Loads of chateaux, churches, the Abbaye at Fontevraud (sp?), small wineries, the mushroom museum in Saumur, etc. Again, a car made it very easy to stop along the way to see various things. Also, try to plan time to see one of the son et lumiere shows. We stayed at Domaine des Hauts de Loire in Onzain (also Relais & Chateaux) and loved it, but we didn't have children with us. Paris to Onzain is about 2.5 hour drive.

Have a great time!

Thank you very much for all of the great suggestions/information...... Any places you might suggest for overnight stays along this route?