My wife and I are seasoned travelers but we have never been to France outside of Paris. We're looking forward to spending a week visiting friends in the UK and then we have two weeks to ourselves in France. Our thought is to pick up a rental car in Paris and then...
1. Morning in Paris, afternoon drive to Chartres
3. Spend day and night in Chartres
4. Spend day and night in Orleans
5. Two nights in Amboise, one day for Château de Chambord, one day for Château de Chenonceau
6. Morning at Château Vilandry, afternoon drive to Nantes
7. Morning in Nantes, drive to Carnac
8. Morning in Carnac, drive to La Roche-aux-Feés
9. In and around La Roche-aux-Feés
10. In and around La Roche-aux-Feés, drive to Mont saint-Michel
11. Morning in Mont Saint-Michel, drive to Bayeaux
12. Bayeaux, tapestry and environs
13. D-Day Beaches
14. Drive from Bayeaux to Paris
15. Paris
16. Fly home
Thoughts, suggestions, comments, scorn, laughter, help? Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Atlanta
2511 posts
Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny are one of my favorite places in France. It’s just outside Paris, you could spend a couple hours there on your way back to Paris. Perhaps you have no interest in a visit?
In Amboise visit Leonardo da Vinci’s Chateau with life sized models of his inventions on the grounds. Spectacular and beautiful!
Posted by
OP
Torrance, CA
66 posts
Thanks for the tips! We had thought about Giverny. How long should we plan on a visit taking?
Posted by
Atlanta
2511 posts
I would spend a couple hours, the house is charming and looks the same as the day Monet passed away. It’s filled with replicas of paintings he collected by his painter friends. The extensive gardens are filled with flowers almost all year round. It might be closed in winter, I’m not sure, but you can google it or look in a guidebook - Rick Steves has guidebooks that you can purchase here on the website online store.
When will your trip be?
Another thought, it looks like you plan to spend the night on Mont St. Michel, which I would recommend. You will have a chance to experience it on your own without the big crowds.
Posted by
OP
Torrance, CA
66 posts
The France portion of our trip will be the last three weeks of October. And yes, we want to stay on Mont Saint-Michel. We try to do everything we can to avoid crowds!