Hello! Husband and I arrive CDG on 28 May and depart 4 June. We've been to Paris so are renting a car immediately. Below is our plan with some questions sprinkled in. Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

- Drive to Bayeux for 2 nights. Full day D-Day tour on Monday. We are in no rush driving anywhere this trip, should we do scenic (toll-free) routes? Not sure how expensive tolls in France are, haven't researched that far yet.

- Drive to Mont St Michel for 1 night. Saw lots of people satisfied with the Mercure and they have a/c, but they have no availability on 30 May. I can compromise on a lot, but I don't want to be hot while I sleep - is a/c a big deal that time of year or should we just grab any nearby hotel/b&b within walking distance?

- Drive to Dinan via Cancale for 3 nights. Explore St Malo, maybe drive along the coast. We like pretty views, cute towns, castles, etc. more than museums. Husband is interested in taking the ferry to Jersey for a day so we may do that as well - if so, should we take our rental or leave it in St Malo?

- Drive to CDG to stay the last night before we fly home. We collect Marriott/Starwood points and the Sheraton and Marriott at CDG both have the same rate - any preference? Or, since our flight isn't until 3pm on the 4th we could stay an extra night in Dinan or somewhere between there and CDG - have never been to Chartres?

Last thing, while my wonderful husband eats anything and likes trying new foods, I'm vegan-ish (no meat, I do eat eggs but no cheese). Any vegan/veggie-friendly restaurant recommendations would be fantastic. We are not foodies but not limited on budget either. We like Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, etc. but realize there probably isn't much of that in small towns. I can always make due with cheeseless pizza and omelettes or grocery store fare.

Thanks!

Just to answer a couple of questions:

I wouldn't normally need AC at the end of May, but weather is so unpredictable these days it's hard to say.

One of my cardinal rules of travel is never to be more than a taxi ride away from a departure airport. You can take your chances.

You are very unlikely to find Indian, Thai, or Mediterranean fare in those parts, and if you do it is unlikely to be much good. You can almost always find a vegetarian meal anywhere in France - salads and omelettes are ubiquitous. Vegan? not so much.

Thanks StCirq - maybe we'll find Indian if we go to Jersey for a day since almost everyone I know from the UK loves a curry!

About road tolls: We drove from the airport (in our case Beauvais) to our vacation rental in Normandy (vicinity of Vire), then all over for ten days, and up to Sainte-Mère-Eglise (for an excellent D-Day tour with ddaybattletours.com) and back to Beauvais via Bayeux etc. - all avoiding the toll roads.

They can get really expensive, and if you’re not in a rush, setting your GPS to avoid tolls lets you enjoy the villages and towns along the way. You’ll see many pretty churches and be tempted by many delicious boulangeries and such, feeling more “in France” than on the impersonal freeways.

The round-abouts make intersections a breeze, there are hardly any traffic lights.

Chartres is awesone, of course. You might also consider using that extra day to visit Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny. You won’t be the only ones, it is very popular, but if you love Monet, you’ll be enchanted.

You'll find a big selection of fillings for galettes (buckwheat crepes) in Brittany and there will be meatless/cheeseless choices.

Sunday, May 28, is Mother's Day and the following Sunday, June 4, is Whit Sunday. We found both of these days even quieter than the usual French Sunday.

To find restaurants, we search viamichelin and I would cross-check their recommendations with Pudlo's blog.

www.viamichelin.com

http://www.gillespudlowski.com/

On that last nite, where to stay depends on how much risk you're willing to accept. Having a similar time for a flight back I stayed in Rouen my last nite and had no trouble taking the train into Paris, Metro a few stops, and then RER to the airport. But of course something can go wrong and it may be expensive to miss your flight (depending on your ticket changeability rules). Chartres looks a little more direct on the way back and is also a nice town to visit, although I'd choose Rouen over it since it also has a nice cathedral and a bit more to explore than the small town of Chartres.

I stayed in Dinan, nice town! Good base for exploring the region, and pleasant in it's own right.

I would suggest getting the Michelin Green guides to the region and spend some time planning options so you have some choices depending on weather and energy level.

Merci Michel & Coquelicot - definitely leaning toward the "avoid tolls" option when we plan our routes on Via Michelin, and galettes looks like a fun option.

Thanks Mike, I have never used Green Guides to plan a trip - will definitely check them out.

http://www.normandy-battlefields.com/

One suggestion for Normandy. Click on the link above. We stayed here in May 2014 and had a fantastic time. Eddie and Sharon are British. Eddie will take you anywhere in Normandy and does an outstanding tour. We did the beaches and St. Michael during our four night stay. Just a suggestion.

On our trip we rented the car at CDG and drove to the chateau. We never used the car again as we were driven by Eddie. I highly recommend this place. Fantastic experience.

Quick question - are the maps in the Michelin Green Guides suitable for driving, or would you recommend a supplemental map in addition to what's in the books? I do like to plan everything on viamichelin.com in advance, but like the flexibility of having a map in case we feel like a detour.

Thanks Dawg, looks like Eddie is definitely an expert!

"are the maps in the Michelin Green Guides suitable for driving"

Many of the maps, such as the ones that give suggested daytrip routes, are about 5" x 5" or less. If you are comfortable navigating just knowing the name of the town you are heading for they could work, but I brought the Michelin maps 512 & 513. These are quite large but are detailed.

I also brought a GPS, but I like to use a map when planning each day so I have a sense of the route. Also my GPS sometimes seemed to perversely steer me onto smaller and slower roads. It's a lot easier to look for alternates on a real map instead of a tiny screen.

If there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. There is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit.

I really enjoyed Chartres – and not just the Cathedral (which is, IMO, magnificent; consider a tour with Malcolm Miller, even if he is a bit of a curmudgeon), but also its market and strolling around town and a little museum….

Another strong vote for the <i>Michelin Green Guide</i>.

Enjoy!

Thanks everyone - we have a direct flight PIT-CDG and my husband sleeps well on flights; we've also driven right after landing in Ireland with no issues. I think we will be OK but will definitely take your thoughts into consideration KJA - it's probably an easy connection to Bayeux.

Not sure how expensive tolls in France are, haven't researched that far yet.>

Paris to Caen by autoroutes (toll roads) costs just 16 euros in tolls and if wanting to get to Normandy quickly take them -side roads are nice but leave those for when you get there- they take much much longer than the autoroutes. And you can get off to see places en route like Les Andyles- Jumieges - Giverny, etc.

http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/key-rates.htm

The cost of the toll may be cheaper than the extra petrol used on side roads with lower speeds and slow speeds in towns.

Don't speed in France no more - lots of speed cameras -lots of folks here say they got tickets in mail back home months later-not cheap either.

And don't drink and drive no mo either -lots of booze check points and limits are I think 0.05% BAC. So when stopping by those ubiquitous Calvados cidre farms have a designated driver.

In my continuing effort to inform my fellow travelers about the risks of driving with jet lag, please note that being able to sleep during a flight doesn't prevent the micro-sleeps that make one prone to car accidents with jet lag. Unfortunately, that you've managed before simply means that you have been lucky. You and everyone else on the road with you. Please do consider your alternatives. And you have many: CDG to Bayeux is, indeed, easy by public transpiration, as is transportation from CDG to any number of other good overnight locations from which you can rent a car.

>> CDG to Bayeux is, indeed, easy by public transpiration<<

Really? Please provide detail. All I could come up with is:

1. RER to Gare du Nord
taxi to Gare St Lazare
Train to Bayeux
about 4 hrs (I would not expect to make the train station transfer in less than 1 hr)

2. Taxi from CDG to Gare St Lazare
train to Bayeux
about 3 1/2 hrs - this might be acceptable to many people

We'll need to get to somewhere west of CDG next year. I'm currently planning to take the TGV from CDG to Rennes that departs at 2:49 - but Rennes is too far west for people going to Bayeux. A train from Rennes to Bayeux gets to Bayeux at 7:31 which might be a tad late for most people.

Stu Dudley

I guess "ease" is subjective! ;-) Train from CDG to Magenta; train to Haussmann St. Lazare, 4 minute walk to Gare St. Lazare, train to Bayeux.

Or it would seem to me that the OP could reverse the order of their time in Normandy: Train from CDG to Rennes, overnight there (a delightful place, as you know, Stu!), pick up car, on to St-Malo, etc.

you don't mention it, but i'm sure it's in your plans... the Bayeux "tapestry". don't miss it. even d.h. (whom was semi-dragged there) loved it !! it really moved me.