Actually there are two of us. I am coming up with a plan that might work, thanks to having many questions answered on this site. We will probably go on a tour to London and Paris that allows free time. They are responsible for luggage, hotels, air, and eurostar, trasportation to hotels, and all breakfasts. We will fly 4 days early to Heathrow, take a bus to Oxford, stay 3 nights in a hotel, maybe Eastgate?, rent a car the second day, go at our own pace around the Cotswalds, having time to rest if needed, bus back to London, hook up with our tour at a hotel they provide, take their tour of city next day, and then have two full days to do our own thing, a play, the Tower, and Harrods. They get us to Paris and to their hotel. We take their tour and then spend one day taking the train to Monet's garden and back. Next day we take a train to Bayeux, take the Battle Bus Tour, and spend the night at Hotel D'Argouges, look around the town next day and eat at Port-en-Bessin. Train back to paris and hook up with group again and spend the last day with the group. Next day head home. We are paying for two different hotels one night this way, but it accomplishes what we want--time on our own, and help with luggage, transfers, and coping with the big cities. How does this look?

To be honest - it looks incredibly complicated. I don;t understand what the tour is doing for you - since you're mising most of it. If it's just to travel from London to Paris - it's the esiest thing in the world to take the train.

Also - to trek from paris out to Giverney and back - and then the next day to Bayeaux for an overnihgt is just a lot of back tracking - never mnd paying for two hotels.

Why not just do the whole thing yourself - I'm sure it would be easier and cheaper!

I guess I don't understand why you want to pay for an organized tour when clearly you have spent a ton of time self-planning and have a clear picture what you want to see and do. Seems to me it would be easier to pick one method or the other. Honestly I've not heard of anyone taking a tour AND doing so much on their own, not in the same trip anyway.

But as long as you are comfortable with your plans it doesn't really matter my lack of understanding your reasons ;-)

We did a similar tour in Italy in 1996. It saved us a pile of money for the grade and location of hotels, airfare, and transport that the tour provided, but still gave us flexibility to do what we wanted in each city. We also extended the tour before and after at the the same hotels that the tour started and ended at--and the tour operator was able to arrange the same daily rate that they got for their 3 and 4-star hotels.

We might have done it for an equivalent price to the tour if we had arranged 1 or 2 star hotels or hotels in less convenient locations, but there is no way that we could have gotten equivalent air, hotel, and in-country transport for the price we got from the tour company.

Rufus--I have figured out that we too will save a pile of money doing it this way. We both have some health problems and while we will do fine out of the two big cities, I like the idea of being part of a group while in them. Twenty years ago my husband, 2 kids, and myself lived in a VW bus for 4 months and traveled through Europe and Scandinavia. It was wonderful, but those days are gone forever!

Tekla--just be sure to check out where their hotels are located. Some tours put folks way out in the boondocks.