After 3 days in Paris, we will be driving to Normandy with a stop in Giverny. We will have only 3 days in Normandy, one for going to the D-Day area. I have been to Rouen and Mt. St. Michel, and don't have time to go again on this trip, but would like to visit an interesting village or two in the Pays d'Auge area. If we are staying in Honfleur, is there time to take a half day drive there, and actually see anything, or is that short amount of time not worth it? What about food in the Honfleur area? Any restaurant recommendations?

Le Bouillon Normand in the port area in Honfleur is an excellent little bistro with the menu on a chalkboard. It was recommended by the B&B owners in Honfleur and a great choice. We were there in early May ('05), ahead of the tourists, and most everyone was speaking French.

In Beuvron-en-Auge, the Pave d'Auge is a Michelin-starred restaurant that is a treat for a leisurely meal. We found it by accident and later learned that it is a well-known spot. We were just looking for quick lunch, and when we got inside we realized that it is not a place for hurrying; it's more of a destination for lunch or dinner. It slowed us up on our agenda for the day but we were not sorry to have experienced it.

From Giverny you may want to go through the Forêt de Brotonne and the <i>route des chaumières</i> on your way to Honfleur. If you click on my name, you will find my trip report whose middle section deals with that part of Normandy. Further down on the thread are the correct links to the pictures of that trip.

Start with Petit-Andelys, on the route to Rouen; the town is set along the bank of the Seine, and towering above is Château Gaillard, built for Richard the Lion-Heart. An excellent hotel/restaurant in Petit Andelys is called La Chaîne d'Or, very pleasant for a meal or a short stay. Then visit the pretty village of Lyon-le-Forêt before heading to Pont-Audemer, one of the most picturesque towns in Normandy. About 4 miles farther on is the town of La Pommeraie Sud, where you will find a restaurant we liked very much: Le Petit Coq aux Champs. Like La Chaîne d'Or, it's a typical French country inn with excellent food; it's popular, and reservations are a good idea .

Also don't miss Alençon and the Vallée de la Misère with its museum of weird headcloths - seriously, one of the weirdest yet most compelling things I've ever seen in France.

There's another thread going about restaurants in Honfleur - I won't repeat myself here.