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Paris, Avignon and Normandy

Posted by on

Four of us will be arriving in Paris from NY on September 17th at 6:45 am. Our plan is to book the 9:58 train from CDG to Avignon; there is an earlier train I believe at 8:40 would that be cutting it too close or do you think we should book the 9:58?

Upon arriving in Avignon we would rent a car and stay in that area for 3 days. We have not booked a place to stay in that area but would love to stay at a quaint B&B not too far away from town so we an enjoy going out at night, having dinner drinking wine.

I would like to know if it is better to return the car in Avignon and take a train to Caen or should we drive. Our plan is to stay in the Normandy area for 3 days, take a tour of Normandy and then two days exploring the surrounding areas then take a train to Paris and stay in Paris for three days before departing back to NY.

My question is since we all love quaint villages, great food and delicous wines will we be able get that experience from the itinerary I have planned. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by
16895 posts

Yes, the 8:40 train from CDG would be cutting it too close. Remember that most TGV tickets are not usable or refundable if you miss the train, unless you paid full fare, which has slightly fewer restrictions.

Especially with four people to fill it up, my first choice would be to drive to Caen and keep the car for use around Normandy. Most trains on this route go back via Paris and, even if they say only "one connection" that connection is not in the same station in Paris, so you must cross town by taxi or metro. One afternoon train departure does avoid the Paris cross-town issue, similar to this:

Avignon TGV Mo, 21.09.15 dep 16:16 TGV 5376
Mantes La Jolie TGV Mo, 21.09.15 arr 20:30

walk 5 min.

Mantes La Jolie Mo, 21.09.15 dep 20:38 IC 3355
Caen Mo, 21.09.15 arr 22:16

Posted by
4684 posts

Yes, if you already have a car and there are four of you it will probably be more convenient to drive from Avignon to Normandy. It will be a long drive, though, as you're going practically the whole length of France. Michelin says nine hours if you go all the way on autoroutes, which won't be the most scenic.

Posted by
5697 posts

And don't forget that if you have wine with dinner and then drive home, someone should be the designated driver -- you don't want a DUI stop. One reason to have dinner within walking distance of your hotel.

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