Husband and I are taking our 22m old to Paris and northern France from Nov 29 and leave Dec 8, so we have 9 full days including the arrival day early morning. I have been to Paris many times, but never been with a baby and husband has never been to France. We will have a travel stroller (which may or may not be useful, I know...) and 2 checked bags. We are into medieval cities, art, architecture, shop lined cobble stone streets and restaurants. We are not looking to hustle, but also not totally laidback, either. I am an art historian by trade but an indecisive one when it comes to narrowing down what to see.
Here is the itinerary and a few questions at the end of the itinerary that I appreciate your feedbacks.
Fri, Nov 29 Arrive in the morning, explore Paris, Arc de triomphe
Sat, Nov 30, Paris - Montmatre + shopping
Sun, Dec 1, Paris - Louvre + another museusm
Mon, Dec 2, Paris, Notre Dame, St. Germain des pres, Eiffel Tower
Tue, Dec 3, Versailles (day trip? or rent a car in Paris and start the rest of the tour without returning to Paris). Is 4 hours there enough before baby starts screaming? Stay in Versailles or Paris (if a day trip)
Wed, Dec 4, Drive to Chartres 1 hr, stay in Chartres.
Thur, Dec 5, Explore to Chartres. Drive to Mont Saint Michel 3 hr, stay in Mont Saint Michel
Fri, Dec 6, Explore Mont Saint Michel, drive to Rouen 1.5 hr (OR Bayeux)
Sat, Dec 7, Explore Rouen (Or Bayeux), drive to airport 2:30hr, stay at an airport hotel
Sun, Dec 8 - Return car and return flight at 3pm.
My questions
1. Is this too ambitious with a toddler? Should we bring our own car seat rather than using the car rental company's? Should we do all of these on public transport instead? How about Mont Saint-Michel, is it doable without a car?
Should Rouen and Chartres and Versailles all be day trips from Paris on train? I am a bit worried about the transport time back and forth especially with a baby, losing a lot of transportation time early morning and returning late and tired.
Instead of day trips to Chartres and Versailles, would it be easier to rent a car in Paris and drive to Versailles and start the rest of the tour from there?
Between Rouen and Chartres and Bayeux, which 2 would you pick? Is Bayeux worth visiting other than the tapestry? I like the Medieval photos I see on google, but perhaps I can get that already in Rouen, Chartres or Mont Saint-Michel? Is Mont Saint-Michel really that magic that worth driving all the way out, especially in winter?
Should we cut one day in Paris out so we can cover all four: Chartres, St-Michel, Bayeux and Rouen? I am inclined not to, but would love to hear your suggestions.
Is winter driving a problem in early December? We are from Boston, so not a stranger to cold or snow, provided that the tires are winter tires.
Thanks for reading the long post!