Itinerary help for Paris

It looks good to me, but I would skip the Loire Valley this trip as it really needs 3 nights/ 2 full days to do it justice and it would take most of a day to get there by car. I would use your 3rd day in Normandy to visit Mt. St. Michel. I would drop the car after MSM and take the train into Paris. Be s8re to leave a night in Paris before flying home. If you have an early morning flight, stay at one of hotels AT the airport - there are 4 or 5 at different rate levels, including Ibis, Novotel, Hilton, and Sheraton.

As far as seeing "everything" in Paris, you won't. Prioritize your must see sights, planning to see one or two of the larger ones each day. Fill the rest of the time with nearby sights of lesser importance, or simply wander neighborhoods, sip wine at a cafe or enjoy a rest in a park. You will get a lot more out of your Paris experience this way, and you will return.

I like your idea of recovering from jetlag in Reims. You'll be able to hit the ground running when you get to Paris. Bon voyage.

Thank you so much for the advice. It can be overwhelming to piece together a trip when we've never been there and there is so much to see!
We will definitely add Mt St Michel and that addition will make dropping Loire Valley much less painful!
My husband mentioned staying the night before we leave at the airport, so I'm sure we will do that too.
You've given us a lot of good advice and it's good to know we are on the right path!

Thanks again for your help!

I would finish in Paris. Nothing harshes the mellow like having to race back to Paris the day before your flight home. I think going to Reims for a couple of day is great; be sure to book a couple of tours before you go. We booked last minute and the first 3 I contacted were full up. Lovely little city. I would go from there to Normandy. Consider working in Etretat and Honfleur. The Loire is nowhere near -- I'd spend the time you have with Normandy.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/normandy/
Then drop the car in Caen and take the train to Paris and you are there with no last minute hustle. I doubt by the way you can get a car in Vernon -- we like to pick up at airports because we have had a couple of instances of not getting a car when reserving at a smaller site or having to take a car we didn't want including one time in Rome a car with serious damage. It was that or not car. when you pick up in a larger place, this is less likely to be an issue. Reims I would think would be big enough to be a good place to get a car.

If you do decide on this schedule, I would come into CDG the afternoon before the flight and stay AT the airport. There are several hotels AT the airport from cheap Novotel to expensive Sheraton. You can take the RER into Paris for a last evening stroll and dinner and be AT the airport in the morning for the flight out. But IMHO it is best to finish with Paris.

I actually really like the idea of ending in Paris! And can I ask a few more questions?
Is there a train we could travel from Reims to Normandy? And do you think Bayeux is the best place to stay? Or would you stay at one of the other cities you mentioned, Etretat or Honfleur? Or are these cities more of a daytime drive through?

Thanks for your time and information!

I would stay in Bayeux for your Normandy experience.Bayeux is the starting point for D Day Tours like Overlord which is one of the best,check reviews on TA.
Mike

With 4 nights 3 days, I would stay two places maybe 3. I usually like to base but for a short trip like this followed by several days in Paris, hopping around might work better. We liked the Churchhill in Bayeux. If you wanted to rent in Normandy then taking the train to Caen would put you in a place with better rental options than Bayeux. Note that the car rentals close for a long lunch and outside of airports and train stations, they are usually closed on weekends. So check that. You could also pick up on the edge of Paris and drive to Mont St. Michel and spent the night there, then head to Bayeux for a couple of nights to do the beaches, then maybe Honfleur or Rouen or wherever and back to Paris.

Honfleur is charming but is fine for an afternoon. You could then visit another site the next morning and drive to Paris that afternoon late. No reason not to just drive to the edge of Paris.

Thank you everyone for all your sage advice. We really appreciate it and feel like we can confidently get our itinerary together now!

When you go to Reims be sure to see the cathedral, site of the coronation of French kings. Also be sure to go 30 minutes south to Epernay where there are many prestigious Champagne houses that welcome visitors with tours and tastings. Also go to nearby Hautvilles that was the home and burial place of Dom Perignon. You can find details on the web about all of these. Also, if you go to Mont. St. Michel, try to spend the night there and visit the cathedral either early in the morning or late at night, and enjoy the town when the hordes of tourists are gone. After MSM go to Dinan, a lovely medieval town. Between Giverny (which will take 2-3 hours and not a full day) and the coast, Rouen is also has a worthwhile medieval center. Jumieges is also right on the way from Giverny to Honfluer, peaceful evocative ruins of old monastery. A stop there will take an hour. Not too far from Giverny is Auvers sur Oise (near Pontoise) where Vincent Van Gogh lived the last few months of his life. You can visit the hotel he died in and all around the town there are posters of his paintings next to the views he painted. And his grave. Interesting for admirers of his. You would be surprised at how much you can see and do in 1 day especially if you are there in May/June when the days are very long.. Have a great trip.

If you take the train to Caen but drive back to the airport, you could stop at Giverny, Honfleur, and Etretat on the way. If you drive to Normandy and Mt. Saint Michel is your last stop, it's closer to drop the car in Rennes and take the TGV back to Paris.

An alternative to renting a car in Vernon would be to take a cab from there to Monet's garden. It's about 15 minutes away. Be sure to get to the garden early, preferably at 9:00am when it opens and will be magically peaceful. Much later and it will be very crowded. Get your tickets in advance and book at tour with Ariane Cordelier, à charming multi-lingual local guide, for an unforgettable experience.

This is how we explored Normandy... We took the train into Caen and walked across the street and picked up our car. We drove to Bayeux and checked into our hotel and explored the city. We drove to Mont St. Michel that night. The next day visited DDay beaches and drove to Honfleur. The final day we drove to Etretat and onto Giverny and then to the airport where we dropped the car off and spent a night at a hotel and flew out the next morning. It worked out perfectly for us.

Hi etm
You don't mention how many nights total in France you plan for this trip ?

Thanks all for so many excellent suggestions and tips. We are planing probably 10 days all together, David, and it looks like we won't have a problem filling all the days with great travels!

10 nights I hope. Your initial post gave me the impression of a lot longer.

Day
1. Arrive Paris. Train to Rouen (2)
2. Train to Vernon for Giverny
3. Pick up car. Drive to Honfleur, then on to Bayeux (2)
4. D Day Beaches
5. Drive to Mont St Michel (1)
6. Return car in Rennes. Train to Paris (5)
7-10. Paris
11. Depart Paris