Hello, we are planning a trip in early August....leaving the USA Friday evening arriving in Paris Saturday morning around 10am. We plan to stay in Paris Saturday (jet lag day), Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. On Thursday morning, we were going to rent a car which opens at 8am and drive to the D-Day beaches (seems to be about a 3 hour drive in car). After a day at the sites, we planned to get a B&B a bit south of Bayeux. On Friday morning after breakfast drive down to Amboise (about a 3 hour drive) and take in a chateau or two. We have a hotel reservation in Amboise. Saturday morning start heading northeast because we are flying out of Paris Sunday morning. We could take in a chateau or site along the way and planned to end up in Chartres where we have a hotel reservation Saturday night. And Sunday morning we head to DeGualle airport for a 1:40pm flight.
Some stress with the following decision....are we doing too much. Some questions bothering me are....do we just stay in the Normandy area an extra day and eliminate the Amboise leg of the trip. After a Thursday and Friday night stay in Normandy, we could leave Saturday morning and head east. We want to cut some of the travel Sunday morning to avoid flight issues. Is Chartres the best location to get closer to the airport? I have been trying to research towns to see which one makes the most sense.
Is driving to Normandy Thursday too rushed to see the sites? We figure by the time we get the rental car at 8am and get to D-Day sites, it will most likely be noon. Does the afternoon allow enough time to see key sites? I know I want to see the cemetery and the cliffs. They say the welcome center is a must see also. I could skip the museum if I had to. I am more interested in seeing the lay of the land versus inside the museum. Seeing the German cemetery if close by and if time allowed. I am guessing by 4pm we should be finishing up to allow time to get to the B&B and eat dinner so it is not too late.
This is a first for us, so we are not totally convinced our approach is sound. I know being in 3 hotels in 3 nights may seem aggressive.