Unusual dilemma! Changed our itinerary and have some days to fill. Driving trip. Now in area near Dijon. Scheduled for Giverny and Paris in 10 days. Could visit Chartres, Le Mans, Mont St Michel, Normandy beaches sites. Would appreciate suggestions for other important/special/or off the beaten path ideas. Short hikes? Art? History? Nature? Not interested in winery tours. Have been to Provence and Pyrenees. Thanks!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7803 posts
This trip report covers Chartres & Le Mans. I also really enjoyed nearby Angers!
Posted by
11569 posts
Easy to add Mont St-Michel then also, in Brittany , St-Mali, Dinard and Dinan.
Posted by
OP
Salida CO
42 posts
Jean—your trip posts are amazing! So detailed and fun too! I did not know Le Mans had more to offer than a race track! Thanks for sharing!
Suki—I stumbled across an itinerary with some of those sites. Will see what works for us. Thanks!
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
Consider Troyes as you head northwest. It's a very picturesque town of tilting half-timbered buildings, seemingly undiscovered by foreign tourists. (The French do know about it.)
In addition to the places already mentioned, in Brittany I enjoyed day trips to Fougeres and Vitre. I based in Rennes, Vannes, Quimper and Nantes--all very attractive. Nantes was part of Brittany until the provincial boundaries were realigned at some point.
Posted by
OP
Salida CO
42 posts
Thanks. I’ll check those out.
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
So, you have 10 days to get from Dijon to Giverny...
Personally I would not go all the way to places west of Saint Malo.
You could do something like:
- Troyes: 1 night
- Loire Valley e.g. Blois, OR Chartres: 3 nights for Loire, 2 for Chartres
- Mont Saint Michel area, with a stop in Le Mans on the way: 3 nights. You only need a few hours on the Mont, but there are good day trips in the area such as Saint Malo and Fougères.
- D-Day beach area e.g. Bayeux: 3 nights
- Giverny on the way from Bayeux to Paris, where I assume you return the car.
Posted by
OP
Salida CO
42 posts
Thank you. So many options! And rain likely for our next 2 weeks! I appreciate your suggestions re time. Think we will keep it flexible for now.