We just booked our flight arriving in Paris on August 17 th...we have 2 1/2 weeks to see Normandy and Vimy Ridge and return to Paris until we fly home on Sept. 2nd. We plan to leave from Paris and rent a car very soon after we arrive on the 17 th . Any suggestions for good routes so we will see both highlights of Normandy and Vimy Ridge. We have been to Paris before and other parts of France but not the areas north of Paris. Thank you...Sylvia
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2085 posts
Nearby Vimy Ridge you can visit Notre Dame de Lorette Cemetery and the two main squares of Arras, certainly worth for having a drink. Further the Cathedral of Amiens is not to miss. Depends about your interests.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you, Wil , for the quick reply. I will add it to my notes...we love art and hiking...and the drink idea is definitely important!! We are just starting to plan so our question is still premature...just want to get a route idea...Sylvis
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2085 posts
Sylvis - The northern part of France is more well-known for WWI and II sites, with using the above search button you can find numerous threads about it. There is also a Musée du Louvre in Lens just north of Vimy, not visited yet, but has good reviews.
Walking along the cliffs near quite touristy Étretat is fun to do (however be carefull), also the place where Monet made paintings, however no idea if there is a museum. Giverny remains the place to go to about this painter and also Van Gogh´s Auvers-sur-Oise just north-west of Paris.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
Arras is worth an overnight stay, with its own history in both World Wars. Its buildings and the cuisine have been influenced by Belgium/Netherlands and Germany. The Vimy war memorial, a 30-minute drive, is worth a half-day, with an excellent tour conducted by Canadian university students. The substantial tunnels surprised me after so much exposure to trench warfare. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/first-world-war/france/vimy
I can also recommend, just north of Paris in the town of Meaux, the new Museum of the Great War, which examines France's experience in WWI with particular attention to everyday experiences as well as histories of the battles. http://www.museedelagrandeguerre.eu/en