Interested in opinions of planned BOP pre-tour self guide itinerary for this late September:
Day 1-Arrive CDG, rent car and drive to Bayeux, visit Bayeux Museum (tapestry)
Day 2-Take a guided D-Day all day tour
Day 3-Drive to Amboise, visiting Chambord chateau on the way
Day 4-Explore Amboise, bike ride, wine tasting, visit Chenonceaux
Day 5-Return car in Tours, take train to Paris, start BOP Tour
Someone just posted recently that the tapestry museum was about to be closed for renovation. Please check, because the tapestry is magnificent.
And just personal preference, but I would stay longer in Paris, either before or after the tour
Your plans sound great, though.
The tapestry is on display. The renovation isn't until 2025. The tapestry doesn't go off display until 2025. You are good! It's pretty remarkable.
Also, we used Overlord Tours for our DDay tour last month, at the suggestion of many on this forum. They offer lots of different tour options.
Mike W,
Lots of forum commentators will recommend you don't try to drive far on arrival day due to tiredness, jet lag, etc. I agree that it can be a problem if you, like many of us, don't sleep well on the flight from the US. However, I do have some thoughts on your plan.
I suggest you check out drive times between locations. viamichelin.com is a good source for routes and times, but you need to add extra time for gas/food/comfort stops. When does your flight arrive in Paris? Is it overnight flight? Are you comfortable driving a few hours on your arrival day in a foreign country? Flight arrival times are when the plane lands, not when you are debarked. It may take only one hour or up to three hours to get to your car rental office, depending on how fast you get through immigration, etc. Our experience with picking up a car at CDG is that it takes at least an hour to get going (usually a wait in line, paperwork, finding the car and inspecting it, t familiarizing ourselves with the GPS, then exiting CDG (not fun!) and getting on the right road. By this time, jet lag may sink in. (I hope not!) Getting to Bayeux before the museum closes could be difficult depending on when your plane arrives at CDG.
Other than day one, it seems like a good plan, but please factor in your travel times between CDG and Bayeux, Bayeux and Amboise, Amboise and Tours and car return times.
Have a wonderful time in France.
The tapestry museum does not close until October 2025
Can you add some days to this? Three full days (not counting arrival and departure) doesn't seem like enough for Normandy and the Loire Valley especially in a rental car. I would instead give each place three days. And if you're really tight on time I might consider biting the bullet and doing them as separate day trips from Paris. I know that is less than optimal and generally discouraged but it is possible to take an early TGV to Caen or Tours and join a guided day tour to D-Day beaches and Loire Chateaux. Again, that's not preferred but in the case of trying to do a whirlwind circuit in a rental car while jetlagged it might be the lesser of two evils. It would also give you another pre-tour open day in Paris to take another day trip - Chartres, Giverny, Reims, Strasbourg, etc.
Thank you for the responses. We decided to add a day at the beginning. We will still rent a car at CDG (~mid-morning), but then drive to Giverny to visit the Monet House/Gardens and stay nearby the first night. We were planning on staying in Vernon overnight, and would appreciate any advice on Vernon or other towns to consider.
