Normandy and the Loire Valley in 5 days

We’ve visited the Loire and the Normandy beaches on separate trips, but in each case left Paris by train and rented cars after getting to those destinations.

Our home base in Loire was Amboise, and for Normandy it was Bayeux.

Is one person going to be doing all the driving, or will you pay to have an additional driver(s) to split up the driving duties?

We spent four nights in Bayeux to see WWII beaches- American, British and Canadian. Spent a day at Mont St- Michel too. So probably 3 N Normandy, 2N Loire?

Taking the train from London to Caen will require a transfer in Paris between train stations. Consider taking the Eurostar to Lille instead and renting a car there, or fly from London to Caen--there's a direct flight on Flybe from Southend. Also, Nov. 11th is a holiday in France, so if you're driving from the Loire Valley to CDG, there may be holiday traffic.

Five days is a very short time to see both of these regions -- I know because I've done it. Personally I'd spend just 1-2 nights in Normandy and the remainder in the Loire. Having a car will help you save time. The rest stop at Alencon is a good place to use the restrooms, buy gas, and get a snack.

Don't get confused driving through LeMans. For a couple of miles two Autoroutes (A28 and A11, I believe) merge and it's easy to think you've gotten on going the wrong way. Heading south from Normandy to the Loire, you'll briefly be headed east toward Paris, then follow the signs for (I think) Bordeaux. If it says Rouen, you've likely gotten yourself turned around and headed north.

Also, when you approach the city of Tours there's a marked exit for Azay-le-Rideau, but don't take it unless you want to spend 45 minutes crawling along a not-the-least-bit-scenic local city street. Stay on the Autoroute, merge onto the A10 southbound (toward Bordeaux) and take the A85 west; then you'll come to the local exit you want for Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon.

In Normandy I can recommend the Hotel Logis du Casino in Vierville-sur-Mer. It is right by the beach with a huge picture window in the breakfast room giving a view of the beach and D-Day relics. It is about a 15-20 minute drive to the American Cemetery (unless you get caught in traffic). Watch out for the parking lots along the beach: you want to park in a cars-only lot, marked by a horizontal bar that prevents buses from entering. The bus drivers resent cars taking up a space in the bus parking lot and they may block you in and refuse to move to let you out. (This happened to us.)

The Loire Valley region is very spread out, so you will see only part of it in 2-3 days. Two chateaux per day is the reasonable limit, and that's if you choose chateaux that are fairly near each other. We stayed in Azay-le-Rideau because we wanted to be out of range from Paris daytrippers and within range of, for example, Chinon and Villandry. The Hotel Biencourt in Azay is wonderful, and very easy walking distance to the chateau. The village is small but it has several excellent high-end restaurants as well as more casual places to eat.

Being November, check the opening times for the chateaux as they may be shorter than in the high season. Also, of course, be aware that it gets dark very early.

If I take the flight to Caen as suggested, I'll have an extra day because I'd have to fly on Nov 4 (no flight on Nov 5). And if I have an extra day, do you think I could fit Saint-Malo into the itinerary?

Everyone has a different idea of how much time to spend on dday beaches. I took a 1/2 day Overlord tour (I never take tours) and it was just perfect for me. It was surprisingly emotional and I'm so glad I did it, but that 1/2 day was enough. You should gage it by your own interest. I would spend the rest of your time in the Loire. I think adding St Malo is too much. It's a nice town, but not worth the time to drive there on such a short trip. Enjoy it all Sue

We took a two-day tour of the American beaches, saw the Tapestry and explored Bayeux on our third day. When I'm trying to figure out how much time to spend where I read the descriptions in several guidebooks or websites and compare to my interests. You'll always wish you had more time, but I think that's why Rick says to keep in mind that you will be back.

London is poorly connected to Normandy. So add up all the times, and perhaps a taxi in Paris for your luggage (Metro stairs can be tedious.) What time is the flight on the 11th? You may need to drive to a Paris or Airport hotel on the 10th, so maybe that's not a full day. You have to check in 3 hours before departure.

You didn't mention Mont St. Michel, but you did mention St. Malo. Is that because of the recent novel? Or is there another reason? Are you interested in MSM? St. Malo is a big, busy town, but I should note that the next nearest town, Dinard, was a little sleepy, with some restaurant and shop closures off-season. The big marina outside the St. Malo walls may be quiet in November, but it's not the main attraction.

You may be underestimating the drive from, say, St. Malo to the Loire. Would you return the car in St. Pierre des Corps and TGV to the airport (or Paris?) You have to decide on the Loire west /or/ east of Tours. The best known chateaux (except Villandry) tend to be the east, which is even more driving. The Loire is not at its best in November (and the sun sets earlier), but it's the month of your trip. And maybe the crowds will be small. Check a few Chateaux hours to make sure they're long enough.

French roads are fine, but many people have trouble using Amerikanski credit cards in toll barriers. You need to understand that "everything you want to see" is 20 minutes each way after you get off the highway. You need a realistic plan for each driving day. Google Maps is imprecise on time, but it is a helpful planning tool.

Edit: We did this clockwise, Paris-Chinon-Dinard-Bayeux-Paris. But we stayed three nights each place. Started with TGV to St. P des Corps.