Musing about France exploring...

It will likely be quite expensive to pick up a rental car in France and drop it off in Portugal. You may want to do some dummy bookings and compare the price of renting one car for the whole trip, versus renting cars on a nation-specific basis and then linking the rentals together via train or plane. The relative costs may influence your overall big-picture planning.

Ditto the above point on the rental car fees...folks are often shocked to discover how expensive it is to rent in one country and drop the car in another. It's not always prohibitively expensive, but it is often enough that you must investigate before your plans start to firm up.

Is this your first trip to Europe? Just going to France alone, 8 days is a pretty short trip. How many days can you manage for the trip?

Can you confirm if you are talking 8 days in Europe totally? And can you indicate if you have been before?

8 days is barely enough to do Paris. Driving to Spain and Portugal would probably take 1-2 days and it would be driving, and probably several tickets (I always get 1-2 speeding tickets).

Have you looked at Google Maps for some ideas of distances.?

I second the caution about cramming three countries--especially driving the whole way?--into an eight-day itinerary. That's way too much time traveling, not enough time enjoying. Eight days would make a good Paris-Normandy combo, maybe with Brittany or the Loire added on if you really wanted to expand.

I'm a pretty inexperienced Europe traveler, myself. But, we spent a week in Paris last year and it wasn't enough time to do the city justice. So, we're headed back next week.

Agree your schedule sounds VERY tight to get that all in. The Paris - D-Day Beaches plan suggested above seems much more reasonable. Plus, however you would pick up a car (not experienced here personally) I do know you DO NOT want to drive in Paris itself !

You want to observe D-Day in Paris? Or will you be going to Normandy? If the latter, it will be crowded and you should probably make your reservations now if you mean to be there over D-Day.

But if that is the idea, then I think Paris plus Normandy would fill up your time. A car could be handy, and/or you might consider a van tour of the beaches.

Otherwise, after Paris (which could be your whole week), I think you have time for one destination or a short road trip, if you do not linger in Paris. Beside Normandy, popular destinations are Burgundy, Alsace, and the Loire.

You can extend your reach if you take the train to your destination and rent a car there. The trains are way faster than driving.

I would get a few guidebooks and see what calls to you and yours.

What you sketched out sounds like a couple of months to me. One way to get a handle on travel Times by car is to go to viamichelin.com, always keepig in mind that their figures are minimums, with no rest stops. Add 25% to get real. It always surprises neophytes to discover how long it takes to get around Europe.

I posted the query hoping that eventually someone might reply. Very appreciative that several have replied post haste. The location recommendations especially in northern France... spot on. I am keeping notes as ideas present.

The car idea... yes, I knew it might cause heartburn. Figured I would just post the idea to see if auto rentals in Europe might be easier than I thought. Which goes to... have I been to Europe before? No. Unless England, Wales, Ireland count. Have driven all over the UK and manage quite well. I did mention I am wired for driving.

Having said that, will post a follow up message that drills down into more about what this trip is about.
I very much appreciate all of the replies. Very quickly, the theme is clear. Less is more. Part of the toss against the wall is... my wife may be part of a memorial for D-Day in 2020, but, she is of Spanish/Portuguese descent. Hence the large thinking. Have received what I'd hoped for. A reality check.

Here is a little more backstory. My wife sings with the Colorado Springs (CO) Chorale. Following has meaning.. she is a liver transplant recipient, coming up on 27 years out. Remarkable. Unfortunately, early meds from the xplant tore apart her joints. She has incurred 6 total joint replacements, and two ankle fusions. Why matter? She has had to take a couple years off from the Chorale to deal with high pain and surgeries. She is crawling her way back to be able to just sing.

We just learned the Chorale has been invited as the only choral group from the US to participate in the 2020 memorial for D-Day. She is working to re-audition for the Chorale so she can participate. Even if that doesn’t work out, we are looking to attend regardless because the Chorale group has meant everything to her for 2 decades. Ok, now having laid out a little backstory…

… we travel well together. Ultra planning has usually overcome what might be huge challenges. She can walk short distances, but we do deal with chronic pain. So sojourns are me usually pushing a wheelchair. Some times long distances. She has seen a great deal due to my motor, aka legs.

The idea of this trip is an aspiration. It will be in a manner a 27 year journey. The travails she has faced would take a few volumes. Ongoing. So I felt we could extend out beyond the memorial days. Lodging is a factor. As I piece together ideas, navigating both travel and venues has some bearing but we’ve always been able to manage. Pursuit of food experience is always a premium. Budget of course.

Anyway… way more info than really necessary. But was compelled to amplify on the underpinnings of this potential trip. I will take the ideas for locations and research. Amazed, and grateful, at how quickly folks dialed in.

Why not since I overloaded some backstory. Here is a tiny web site I put together for her 25th xplant anniversary, fwiw: www.francisca.org

Oh, David, thank you for sharing the background story! I wish you two the most wonderful trip together with your wife able to sing with the chorale group! Finally, your honeymoon trip! : )

Ah, thank you for that response. I wrote that Wedding Vows Backwards story years ago and added to it a couple years ago during her 25th transplant anniversary. Had not thought of going to Europe as a honeymoon but ya know… that gives me a theme to think about. To aspire towards. You may have given some of the best ideas on how to approach this potential trip.. above and beyond the X’s and O’s. Well done Jean.

Having said that.. pluuuze do keep the X’s and O’s coming in too!

And, may as well add to Jean’s response. When my sweetie was in liver failure, in and out of comas, received last rites twice… her family, Spanish Catholic, told me they would make a promise to make a pilgrimmage to el Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico. I had NO idea what they were talking about. Me not Spanish… of Welsh/English/Scottish/with a touch of Georgia hillbilly (this latter said with gentle affection). She survived.. and a year later I took her to the Santuario. Oh, OH, I started to ‘get it’. El Santuario de Chimayo is know as the Lourdes of North America. We have gone almost every year since. We just returned two weeks ago. A tremendously important place for people of faith.

Our travel to the Santuario is a main reason why I eyed the idea of traveling to Lourdes. Because of my sweetie’s deep connection, faith. I could wax on about the Santuario and it’s deep meaning to many people (which I have done too much of here, and need to get back to the theme of travel, else I may get admonished for off topic stuff).

So have to say Jean, you have sparked an idea about how this potential travel to France could have a leaning.

And administrators of this travel site… I promise to get back onto travel theme.

David, a car could work just fine (assuming you study road signs and rules of the road in advance) if you plan a trip suitable to driving--not covering huge territory--and focusing mainly on smallish places, rather than laying out a trip suitable for planes and super-fast trains and then substituting a rental car. Just in Normandy and Brittany alone, there are many lovely places to visit, though you would have to pay particular attention to terrain, look for lodgings with elevators, etc.

You are going to spend 8 days driving with little time for sight seeing. Don't do it. Stay in France. With 8 days, head east to Rhiems, Route de Vin Alsace, Strasbourg, & Colmar (at least 3-4 days). Then S to Provence via Annecy or W to Loire Valley.

If that looks like too much walking, do the Route de Vin Alsace, Annecy, and the the French Alps. Lots of great mtn scenery, little walking.

Absolutely essential: regional Michelin Green Guides.

The 75th anniversary of D-Day will be marked in early June of this year. I wonder what if anything will go on for the 76th. Sadly, but inevitably, there are fewer veterans every year. The French style is to over-organize these landmarks, with lots of politicians speechifying about the obvious. It would be easier and probably more rewarding to go at another time of year and take a full-day organized tour with a guide who can fill in the context and explain what you are seeing.
Normandy is not on international air routes although Caen has a small airport. Train from Paris is the usual approach. I'd stay in Caen where there is more choice of accommodations etc. than in Bayeux, which is easily accessible by train or taxi. The "peace" museum on the outskirts of Caen gets good reviews and organizes tours of the beaches. Also spare an hour for William the Conquerer's fortress castle in the middle of Caen.

We stayed at Caen and went to the WWII museum that Southam mentioned. It is excellent, and I do remember that it would be very wheelchair friendly - wide open spaces, a spiral ramp to the next level, etc.

A beautiful park in Paris that I think is very romantic and “Parisian” is the Luxembourg Garden. An evening cruise on the Seine is also lovely with the buildings lit so beautifully.

I wonder if anyone could recommend a special B&B with a room on the ground floor in one of the smaller towns? B&B’s usually provide that wonderfully relaxing, yet knowledgeable atmosphere. Letting them know this is a significant trip for you ahead of time, they could advise specifically what to see in their town with your walking criteria.