Paris to Normandy trip advice needed

chaika,
To reply to some of your ideas, I will mention them as I note them:
Driving from Paris area to Giverny and on to Rouen to spend the night is very doable. We did the same, had an enjoyable morning at Monet's house and gardens, ate lunch at the cafe there, and drove on to Rouen. We took the D roads from Giverny, much more pleasant and peaceful than the A road, which we took TO Giverny to save time. You should get to Rouen in time to admire the cathedral and walk around the beautiful medieval old quarter and have a nice dinner there.
The next day, I, personally, would skip Caen and go straight to Bayeux. Caen is a larger, more modern city, and from what I have read here on the forum, the museum can use up the whole day. I would get to Bayeux earlier, leaving time to visit the cathedral, tapestry, museum there, and charming old town. Or you could use the afternoon to see the beaches and cemetery depending on arrival time. (Just fyi, you can witness the flag lowering ceremony at the American Cemetery, very moving.) You could then use the next day to see the tapestry, etc. This, of course, all depends on skipping Caen. There are numerous museums other than the one in Caen that cover DDay.
Your next day sounds problematic. Visiting the Normandy beach(es) and American Cemetery could easily take up most of your day, giving you a late start for your return to CDG. Of course, you are the best judge of what you can do after a day in the car. Last time we returned a car at CDG we did so on arrival at CDG, freeing us up on the morning of departure. You can't predict how quickly the dropoff may go.
As for where to pick up your car near Paris, I can't answer that, as we stayed with family outside of Paris, but you could get your car at Orly airport perhaps, and avoid driving in Paris (NOT my favorite thing! And I drive all over southern California freeways!) Orly is more convenient, I believe for the road to Giverny. And it is not as intimidating as CDG.
It is a bit sad that you will only have two full days in Paris. Do you have a particular reason for going to St. Germain-en-Laye?
You sound well organized. I hope my ideas are of some use to you. Have a wonderful trip!
p.s. The website viamichelin is a big help for route planning, but does underestimate time by a bit (gas and bathroom stops e.g.)
Bonne chance!

Thank you, Judy! I didn't expect such a prompt reply!
We will have about 2 and a half days in Paris itself. Perhaps it's a bit short, but I've been there two times just last year (March and December), so feel like it's time to see the rest of France. No particular reason for going to St. Germain-en-Laye, just want a slow day in a small community. Maybe I should spend a day in the Luxembourg gardens instead? :)
Thank you for the reassurance of making it possible to combine Giverny and Rouen in one day! And for the advice to skip Caen. We might do that, especially considering how much I have planned for the last two days. That should free up some time and make it possible to return to Paris.

KD, thank you to your insight!
There is no universe where I would be driving in Paris LOL (coming to America as an adult and learning to drive as an adult made me way too cautious for such an undertaking). My husband will be driving and he seems to be OK with that.
Taking trains does look like an additional step, but it could be an unwarranted worry on my part. There are a few Europcar pick up locations (20-30 minutes away from our hotel), which are close to the Périphérique. Then it should be an easy way out of the city. Just going by the maps here, no real life experience, that's why I am seeking an advice.
I should correct myself. I am not indecisive, just undecided about the place to rent a car, that's it.
Once again, thank you for your help! We will try to make some changes to the last two days of travel.

Chaika I strongly urge your husband to not drive in Paris. I lived in Manhattan and drove a lot and also drove in almost.all.the big cities here and in Europe and the worse mistake I made.not once but twice was to drive in Paris. Every tour book I had read.said don't drive in Paris.and I thought what do.they know!!! The streets change names every few blocks and the peripheque (sp.?) was a nightmare. I drove.around the Arch three.times trying to.cut into.traffic. Just my two.cents worth!

Gail, thank you! Your post gave me a pause, to say the least, more like a scare :) I will definitely talk to my husband.
Looking at my itinerary, where would you recommend to rent a car? Also, is returning at CDG a bad idea also?

I did a very similar day 6 in 2022. I rented from Hertz near Porte Maillot (27 Rue St Ferdinand - Porte Maillot HLE). It is easy to get to by bus from the city center, but is close to the periphery road so you are out of the city in no time. I drove to La Roche-Guyon and then Giverny, and finally put up for the night in Rouen before driving on to the Battle of Normandy areas further West (including a stop at Abbaye de Jumièges, highly recommended). Nice easy day and drive and some wonderful sights en route to and from Rouen.

Thank you, PharmerPhil! That's the best news I've heard in the last two days :))) This word of encouragement is what I was looking for! The location we plan to rent from is Europcar on Av Foch 8 in Paris, which is 0.5 miles away from the Hertz one you used. Yes, it's close to the Arc de Triomphe, but we will be driving AWAY from it and it's less than a mile to the periphery road.
There are other locations we have considered, but they are harder to get to from our hotel.

chaika,
I add to pharmaphil that the Abbaye des Jumieges is a wonderful pause on the way to Bayeux. It is on the Route des Abbayes. It isn't mentioned in the Rick Steves books, but Arthur Frommer has a nice piece on this route. A beautiful drive!

Excuse me, Pharmerphil, for the misspelling of your handle!

Thank you, Judy! I will add that to my list.

Jjrbrid:

I was reading your post regarding Normandy and saw that you had some advice regarding MSM. I am hoping that you will be able to share some of your wisdom. My husband and I are traveling to Paris/Normandy in late June. Our itinerary has changed a few times, but as of now, we are flying to Paris, getting on a train, and heading to Bayeux. We are spending 3 nights in Bayeux. We had originally planned to spend 2 nights in Bayeux, and one night in MSM, arriving at about the time you did. I have heard that MSM is not enjoyable as a day tripper.

However, I could not figure out how to get to MSM, so I canceled that part of the trip. Even renting a car was not working out because one of our days is Sunday, and car rental places are not open. I worked on this forever and finally abandoned the mission. So we will head back to Paris after our 3-night stay in Bayeux.

I noticed that you advised someone to take the shuttle to MSM, yet you did not get there until 5:30. The shuttles from Bayeux leave early in the day. So how did you pull this off logistically? You also said that you went back to Paris from MSM. What train station? I am open to changing our itinerary again if we can figure something out. Any/all advice is appreciated! Thank you!

The location we plan to rent from is Europcar on Av Foch 8 in Paris

The parking lot has two exits. One drops you straight at the Arc de Triomphe, so DO NOT TAKE IT. Ask for directions at the rental car office.

Thank you, balso! That is an invaluable piece of information! Will have to note that for sure.

we have driven many tmes in Paris and found it no different than any other big city -- obviously you figure out where you ae going first. I wouldn't worry about that.

St. Germain en Laye? We have been to many small towns near Paris -- Senlis, Crecy la Chapel, Moret sur Loing, Auvers sur Oise for a few and found them all more interesting than St. Germain en Laye. Just very meh IMHO. YMMV

One more encouraging reply! Thank you, janettravels44! Really appreciate it! I plan to map (and print) very detailed instructions and help my husband to navigate. He has plenty of driving experience, unlike me :).

Now, as for St. Germain en Laye, I don't even remember how I stumbled on that place. I think it was on this forum (?). Maybe something about Debussy? We are classical music lovers. That aside, if you can recommend one place to go on a day excursion, which one would it be? I am willing to change my itinerary, especially that this is the second post questioning my choice :). I'd prefer a small town around an hour (+/-) of easy travel from Paris.
Anyone else's suggestions would be welcomed as well.

Excuse me, Pharmerphil, for the misspelling of your handle!

Ha! "PharmaPhil" would be a whole different occupation or personality.