How many days in Loire Valley and Normandy Area photography interests?

Did you see how much it costs to rent a car in Belgium and to return it in France?
That is a factor that could dissuade you from doing that.

There are trains that go directly to Brugge from the airport.
Then you would not have to figure where to park.
The old town Brugge is not car friendly.

We a spent a week in the valley just visiting local sights. I would skip Eretat on this trip since far to south and make for long day drive back to Paris. You don't have the time unless you are only interested in tourist photos with no concern about the light.

To Jazz Travels: yes - I checked the rental car costs. There is a one way cost - but for AutoEurope it is not very high (around $125). For other rental car companies it is fairly high.

I would also like to dissuade you from renting the car at the beginning of the trip. You will arrive in the evening, jet lagged, and by the time you get the car it will likely be dark. Night driving + jet lag+ unfamiliar roads and signage do not make for safe driving IMO. Plus the PP is correct about the streets of Bruges. Why not take the train and pick up the car when you leave Bruges?

How about this: Sat and Sun nights in Bruges, Mon-Wed nights in Normandy (Bayeux?), and Thurs, Fri nights in the Loire. Drive back to Paris Sat evening. Better yet, drop the car in Tours and take the train back to Paris.

Thanks for your reply CJean. Good suggestions - especially Sat-Sun nights Bruges, M-W Normandy, Thu-Fri Loire. To simplify my email to relevant part of my question - I omitted one big detail. I am actually going to be in Antwerp the whole of the week before for work (which gets over on Friday - possibly before). Actually my family (wife & teenage sons) is flying into Brussels Saturday evening - hence I was thinking of renting car from Brussels, then pick them up & drive back to Bruges. But the suggestion of picking up the car when I leave Bruges (most likely Monday) is also good as I will not be really needing the car in Bruges. The other option is of course to take a train to Paris and rent a car there to avoid one way rental - but it may be an unnecessary hop.

If you are really after Mt St Michel, you want to stay the night and get magic hour and morining. If you are really really after it, you want to spend 2 nights in case of rain one of the days.

Thanks Adam. That was the plan (stay the night at Mont St Michel). If it rains I will likely try to add one more night there.

My feeling for Loire is start with which chateaux you want to see? With a car, you can see two a day easily. I think once you get over five in the area, it becomes overkill. I tried to have some variety so I saw Fontevraud Abbey, Chinon, Villandry gardens, Chenonceau, Royal Amboise and Clos Luce. Three days is probably plenty (bear in mind three full days means four nights).

In Normandy I visited Rouen (half day to see the old center), Etretat/Fecamp cliffs (end of same day). I spent a half day in Bayeux (only interested in the tapestry) and the second half of the day in Mont Saint Michel. I regret missing Norman history in Caen. I chose to skip Honfleur because I felt I would see similar (less crowded) port towns in Brittany. I think you could add another day to see Honfleur and Caen. I've since visited Le Havre several times. It's a nice coastal city but not the top of the list for people on a quick schedule. Still haven't been to Honfleur though.

That's fairly quick moving. I'm used to that pace. You have to decide on your own pace. You can ramp it up by adding a third sight during the day or slow it down by taking a half day off here and there.

I think I'd start with Brugges by train, then train into France before renting a car. I rented in Rouen (train from Paris). You will want a car for Normandy and Loire. After that you can drop the car (maybe Tours or Orleans, depending on which castles you want to see) and train back to Paris from there.

It makes sense to visit Brugges first, then Normandy, then Loire, then train to Paris.

Thanks for the reply Brad. I just saw it after I had done all the bookings. I have done almost the same you mentioned.

My planned itinerary for those who may be interested:

1. Previous week (Sunday-Saturday morning) I will be in Antwerp for work
2. Wife/kids join me Saturday evening in Brussels. We stay for the night in a hotel near the station / Grand Place.
3. Sunday during day time - get rid of the jet lag/tiredness by hanging out in Brussels for half a day (maybe till evening) - sampling Belgian food (chocolates for kids, etc.). If we don't find Brussels interesting - go immediately to Bruges in the morning.
4. Sunday afternoon /evening take a train to Bruges. Check in into a central location hotel (near Markt)
5. Monday - Bruges. I know several things will be closed on Monday - but looking at Rick Steves book most of them seemed to be museums (and with teenagers we are not particularly into museums) and a windmill inside tour (not a priority as we had done a tour of a windmill interior last year). The positives maybe that Monday may have less crowds - which may help me get great pics of the city.
6. Tuesday early morning - take a train to Paris (Thalys) - via Brussels (some backtracking). Pick up a rental car - and go to Mont St Michel.
7. Tuesday evening & Wednesday stay in Mont St Michel. Will have two sunsets and a sunrise to try to capture a special pictures.
8. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in Loire Valley.
9. Sunday morning drop the rental car at the SAINT PIERRE DES CORPS station in Tours. Most rental car companies are unfortunately closed on Sunday morning - but Avis allows an after-hours return which can be done Sunday morning. Take a direct TGV/bullet train to CDG airport in the morning and fly back to the US.

Would have liked a day more in Normandy area - but when you only have a week some places have to be cut short.

Looks like going to Rouen and picking up the rental car in Rouen is not a bad idea (will save around $250 and will not add a much time).

Thanks for the suggestions Andrew.

Actually the train to Rouen seems to be from a station called "Paris ST Lazare" while the Thalys train from Brussels arrives at the Gare du Nord station. I guess easy to do without luggage - but with a carry-on size roller bag with each person it may be a little complicated to juggle through the metro, etc. in midday train traffic.

I can't imagine much worth photographing in Caen. It is a city that was totally and modestly rebuilt after being flattened in WWII. Better towns/cities would include Bayeux, Sainte-Mère-Église, and a million small towns dotting the area. Better landscapes would include any of the beaches (Omaha, just inland from Utah, Arromanches, etc.), any of the many cemeteries, and a whole host of rural farms.