Paris/Normandy trip-- which one first?

I think it could depend in part on where you are coming from. I live in a relatively not-major city, so I look forward to getting to Paris just to be immersed in a city, and a spectacular one. If I were coming from NYC, I might want a few days slower pace before diving in to the city.
I would say do Paris first. There's just such a thrill of being there when you arrive that you want to run out and start seeing everything. Then after a few days of exhausting yourselves there, Normandy is a nice breather...

We are coming from Pittsburgh, PA, the suburbs, so yeah... not so major city-ish ;)

always start with the distant spot and finish where your flight home is. Otherwise you end up wasting your second to last day getting back to Paris (in this case). Jet lag day is kind of a loss anyway, so use it to get to Normandy (in your case). I'd train to Bayeux and probably book a d day tour the next day and then a van trip to MSM the next with so few days and thus not need a car. The Churchill does a van trip to MSM; you don't have to stay at their hotel but it does book up so reserve as soon as you know. Overlord's all day D day tours are excellent.

Whereas I did Paris first and then Normandy, and arrived back in Paris the night before departure and I liked it that way. You return to Paris as a vet of the city and feel differently there. Shrug.
I trained to Caen, rented a car, stayed outside Bayeux for 3 nights (2 in a chateau, one in a B&B in Bayeux), visited the tapestry, MSM, D-Day beaches, Cemetery... No guide[s]. It was wonderful.

I would give a full day for Rouen. We did when we went from Paris to Normandy and enjoyed it very much.

We have done the Paris and Normandy trip twice...once starting in Normandy (driving to Bayeau) upon arrival and once going into Paris first and then after a week taking the train to Caen and renting a car. I would say if we were to do it again we would go directly into Paris first then take the train to Bayeau where you could either rent a car or not. We had a wonderful guide picking us up in Bayeaux and the two days with him were amazing however the second trip we were able to drive to Honfleur and Deauville which are both lovely. We also visited a military cemetery in Tourgeville which is the town where my dad's family came from. You could pick up a car in Bayeaux (get a tour or not) and then explore the area on your own for a half day or so. I did the driving and did not find it stressful or difficult. Once you return the car take the train back to Paris and then to the airport where you could spend the night before flying home.

If we were to end our trip with Normandy, would you say it's possible to go directly from Normandy back through Paris to CDG? The flight doesn't leave until 3:10 and if we were to leave Normandy first thing in the AM, it shouldn't take more than 3 hours?

Normally, I'd say do your Paris thing and then head for Normandy the last part of the trip. But Bastille Day (called Le Quatorze in French) will impact your trip. Trains will be packed on Friday leaving Paris, while Sunday and possibly Monday will be packed back to Paris. Therefore, you should head straight for Normandy on Tuesday but back to Paris either Thursday evening on a train or Friday morning. For such a short time, I wouldn't bother with a car, but, as someone suggested, go straight to Bayeux, do the D-Day and the Mont Saint Michel with the Churchill Hotel, see the Tapestry, relax and call it a day. Back in Paris, there will be plenty to do, even on Bastille Day.

As for the 3:10 flight--that means 12:10 check in, which means leaving Normandy around 6 or 7 am to be sure you make it with out traffic jams, etc if you drive directly Bayeux to CDG. By train, count three hours for the train and another hour out to CDG, so the latest would be an 8 am train. Worst case scenario, what would happen if you couldn't make the flight; trains do break down every day. So, it's better to go to Normandy first and be closer to the airport the day of the flight.

It is too risky to be that far from the airport the day of a flight. I have been on a Thalys that normally takes 3.5 hours to reach Paris that arrived 5 hours late causing many people to miss fights they thought they could easily make. Never assume there will be no catastrophic traffic jam, or the car won't break down, or the train won't be delayed etc etc When a flight is high stakes and walk up tickets cost thousands, you need to be there the night before.

I would train to Caen or Bayeux or Rouen and spend the night and pick up the car there so you are not driving after a long flight.

I highly, highly recommend that you see the D-Day sites by taking one of the one-day van tours rather than trying to drive yourself around (getting lost, not knowing what you're seeing, etc.). Ideally, that means spending the night before the tour in Bayeux. Two companies often mentioned positively on this forum are Overlord Tours and Dale Booth. Overlorad was about 100 euros per person last year, and I thought it was well worth it.

As already noted, you can get a Mont-St-Michel tour (or at least transportation) through the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux. Alternatively, you could rent a car and drive yourself. There is a car-rental operation in Bayeux, but there are more options in the nearby and much larger city of Caen.

Because of the Bastille Day weekend, it sounds as if you may be a bit constrained in the timing of your trip back to Paris, so you need to figure out whether you'll have enough time to really make use of a rental car in Normandy. There are lots of interesting places to see (including Rouen, Honfleur, Cabourg, Deauville, St.-Malo, Dinan, Dinard, Rennes, etc.), but only so many hours in a day.

We are doing something similar next month. We have two more nights than you though. We are staying the first three nights in Paris, then two nights in Normandy (Bayeux), then two nights in the Loire Valley (Amboise), then back to Paris the last few nights. We scheduled it this way so that we could enjoy two different arrondissements in Paris and still be within close range of CDG.

I echo Janet's concerns. I was in a train crash while traveling on the TGV from Paris to Nice. Guy decided it was a good day to die and jumped in front of the train. We were delayed over 6 hours. They gave us a box lunch and a chance to apply for a partial/full refund. Delays happen.

This is why I love this forum. All of your real-life experiences help us first-timers to certain locales! So, if indeed we decide to do Normandy, it looks like it should be first. My neighbor is a travel agent and she recommended that too, but I like to be ornery and ask lots of questions to make sure I am making the best decision!

I think you're making the right decision, and I agree with Janet and others about the risks of traveling from afar on your flight day. You really want to spend that final night in Paris, an easy RER or taxi or Le Bus Direct from CDG. (No need to sleep at the airport with a mid-afternoon flight.)

I think if SNCF knew how many people on this forum want to go straight to Normandy after landing at CDG they'd lay on a direct train service. ;-) Until they figure this out, you'll have to go into the city and then to St-Lazare for your train to Normandy.

Normandy is great, but with only a week are you sure you don't want to spend the whole time in Paris? Plenty to see and do there.

There are frequent trains to Rouen, by that meaning 1 or 2 per hour most of the day. And they aren't that expensive. So I agree with the advice to push on to Rouen the day of arrival. Your flight might be delayed, but that won't matter, there will be a train soon enough from Paris to there. Don't buy your train ticket in advance, that locks you in to a particular train and you don't know which one you'll take.

As for how to do this, I say take a taxi to the train station from CDG. It is a flat rate (55E I think) so think of that as a 30E price to simplify things instead of having to figure out to work the RER as a first-time visitor to France. I also agree with others that the tours are much better than driving to the D-Day beaches on your own. We took the Overlord tour and thought it was very informative. Their guides know just about anything there is to know about the events.

I'll agree with others to start with Normandy. Your first day is apt to be groggy anyway, so just using it to a destination is good. You may even catch a nap on the train (just make sure you wake up before your stop). Secondly, as Janet points out, it is risky to be that far from the airport and hope everything comes into line, and you don't get delayed. FWIW, I've done this same trip six times so far (straight to Normandy then Paris at the end).

For those of you who have traveled to Normandy, do you have any recommendations on tours for our second full day? (Looks like we'll be doing the full day Overlord tour of the Dday beaches our first full day.) I've seen this itinerary on Normandy Sightseeing Tours, which appeals to us:

Deauville
Trouville
Honfleur
Cider / Cheese Tasting
Beuvron-en-Auge

Has anyone had any experience with this company or another to recommend for this type of tour?

Also, we could do MSM instead... but the shuttle from Churchill in Bayeux arrives at 10 am, and I'm not sure if we want to deal with the hordes at the time of day?

(I know Rick recommends going either first thing when it opens, or, preferably, late in the day and staying overnight, but I like to minimize moving hotels and think it would be simplest for us to stay all three nights in Bayeux for our Normandy portion of the trip and then our last five nights in Paris.)

I generally consider two parts of my itinerary fixed. The day I arrive and the day I depart. When I arrive I'm jet lagged so I find a place to stay at least a night or two before I head off elsewhere. It's similar prior to departing. I want to spend at least the last night close to my airport to preclude any transportation emergencies (strike, traffic, etc.) from making me miss my flight. If it's not a choice to spend some days in Paris at the start and again at the end, I think it's probably the better option to take a train to Normandy right away but get a good night's sleep before renting a car and driving around.

I am not familiar with that company (I've taken very, very few bus tours of that type), but I enjoyed both Honfleur and Deauville, spending hours walking around each of them. Didn't have time to venture to Trouville, which is right beside Deauville (you'll have no wasted transportation time). I've Googled pictures of Beuvron en Auge, and it looks lovely. So, flying blind I'd say that tour seems like a reasonable way to see several places in Normandy in a single day. You wouldn't be able to cover that much ground via public transportation, though I think Honfleur + Deauville/Trouville would be possible.

Personally, I think your decision about Mont-Saint-Michel makes sense: Save it for when your schedule permits you to see it at its best.

I visited several of those towns on a 10-day trip in Normandy. The advantage of a tour is they take you around, worry about parking the van, etc. The downside is that your time at each place is going to be limited. So the tradeoff is up to you. I had a car and liked the ability to spend as much time as I wanted lingering. The Honfleur harbor and town are wonderful, at least if it isn't raining.

If you have the fortitude to proceed straight to Normandy, it will pay dividends later.

But should you go to Rouen? Yes, if you want to spend the next day visiting Honfleur and Deuville, and the day after that the D-Day sights. But no if you'd prefer to tour D-Day sights and Mont St. Michel.

For that you should go to Bayeux--farther, but not much--and spend your last night at MSM. The drop your car in Rennes in the morning and hop the TGV to Paris.

Which is better is entirely up to you.

If you want to reverse things and end in Rouen, I think you can put Normandy at the end of your trip. It is not too far to drive to deGaulle by noon from Rouen. I would not say the same for Bayeux.

I echo others about Normandy before Paris, for all the really good reasons they've already laid out. I'll also add that this way you can be in Paris on Bastille Day. The day before, get prepared with all the supplies you'll need for a picnic and on the 14th head to the Champs de Mars for the biggest group picnic you'll ever attend :) then wait for nightfall and experience the spectacular firework show. You'll want to head relatively early for a spot, but be prepared that the fireworks won't start until quite late (since nightfall is so late in the summer). I'm sure you can easily find more advice and specifics about it online, but if you're lucky enough to be there, it's definitely a don't miss experience!! Oh, and if you like parties, look up the firemans balls--held on the 13th and 14th. Free parties for the public at various fire stations. They're an absolute blast!!

We started with Normandy, and then went to Paris. Unfortunately, I liked Bayeux and Normandy so much better than Paris that I wish we had started with Paris. By comparison, Paris was a bit of a letdown. The reasons why are unique to my personal tastes; so this may not be your experience.

One more thing......we stayed at an Ibis at the airport the night before our flight home. It was nothing fancy but clean and food options were available. Also, the next morning we walked (inside) to the airport! I like to take all variables out of being at the airport on time! I like to control what I can because often "stuff happens" that is out of your control....traffic, accidents, breakdowns etc.

We started with Normandy, and then went to Paris. Unfortunately, I liked Bayeux and Normandy so much better than Paris that I wish we had started with Paris

I could almost see that happening to us as I love the countryside, and we just booked our first three nights in France in what looks to be a magical and highly rated B&B in Bayeux.

However, keeping your experience in mind, we will prepare ourselves for a different pace in Paris, smaller rooms, more crowds, etc. I think it will be fun to be there on Bastille day and especially appreciate momo516's suggestions of what to do/where to go that day.

Basically, if I understand correctly, you have 7 full days and have never been to France. In the middle of this you have Bastille Day. Bastille Day in Paris has always sounded extremely fun (source: my daughter lived there/through it several times so not a scientific study). I don't know how well traveled you are or if this is an unusual trip for you. I, also, don't know if Normandy is your most important destination or if Paris is. I'd pick the Normandy area or Paris. (Well, I'd pick Paris hands down.) So with 7 full days only, I'd pick one or the other. I've been to Paris at least 4 times and still soak up new experiences. It's such a wonderful city.

PS. That being said, and to address your question correctly, I would pick Paris first, time to savor and gather myself. I would lean toward taking the 2 day tour per one of the above posts and getting back to Paris for the last night and a last dinner and stroll.