Road Trip in Normandy/Loire Valley Region from Paris?

On point 2), cut out the Loire. That's not a comparative judgement, it's a response to "MSM is non-negotiable." You could also consider cutting Giverney because it's relatively easy by train from Paris on another visit. You have a lot of Search Box (top center of page - previous forum posts) study to do on how long you will want to spend at the D-Day beaches, and how to plan for sightseeing or tourguide purchase, as you prefer. Do you have "Rick Steves France?"

You didn't give a month of the year. We love gardens, and there are plenty in Normandy and Brittany. We also did those provinces with a car, but it's never a pleasure to drive in a medieval city street plan, let alone the car return in Paris.

Thanks Tim. We'll be in France in mid April. I do have the Rick Steve's France guide!

Hi,

Perhaps it would be easier for you to pick up a rental car at CDG which is what we did. I'm not sure you will have time to do all that you plan. I would suggest Giverny, MSM, Bayeux and the DDay beaches and skip the Loire Valley, Rouen and Honfleur.

Mary

would you do Bayeaux or Caen?

I haven't been to Caen. Bayeux is beautiful with a pedestrianized center. We enjoyed seeing the Bayeux Tapestry after having been to the site of the Battle of Hastings in England. It brought things full circle for us.

Take the train from Paris (St-Lazare) to Rouen and get the car there. Spend your time in Normandy and MSM, return the car to Rouen (or maybe Chartres if you want to see that great cathedral) and train back to Paris. I agree with Tim, four days isn't enough for Normandy, MSM, and the Loire even with the flexibility the car gives you. Giverny could be an alternative to Rouen for car pickup and/or dropoff, or a separate day trip from Paris by train.

Assume you will return....

Drive with a stop in Honfleur to MSM first. Spend one night there, enjoy it in the early morning with lesser crowds. And see how to spend the rest of the days around Bayeux and DDay beaches at a more relaxed pace before going back to Paris.

Thank you for these great ideas on how to do our trip! I'm thinking of either renting a car from CDG upon landing and driving straight to Giverney or catching a train to Giverney and then renting a car. Not sure of the logistics on getting a train from CDG to Giverney yet. I'm wondering, since we are going to Honfleur, DDay beaches, and MSM, is it really out of the way to drive through the Loire Valley on the way back to Paris?

There are no car rental agencies in Vernon, which is the train station for Giverny, so your easiest choice would be to rent one at CDG. Please remember that you will be tired and jet-lagged when you arrive at CDG, so driving in Paris traffic will be a challenge. You might want to consider taking the train to Rouen, relaxing there for the day, and renting a car the next morning for a drive back to Giverny before heading to Normandy. Frankly, you are trying to pack a lot into four days. I've been to all of these places, and personally I would skip Giverny and Rouen, and go directly to Honfleur the first night, then Bayeux for the next two nights, and the last one on Mont St. Michel.

I have hardly researched things thoroughly, but I have begun looking at car rental in Vernon, France. Autoeurope appears to offer cars in Vernon, specifically Hertz. I haven't called to speak with Autoeurope, but just getting some pricing ideas online. We have been pleased with Autoeurope in the past.

My husband and I drove from Brussels down to the Normandy beach area last summer with no problems at all. Using the GPS on our phones helped us feel secure about road changes, exits, and things like that.
Hubby had booked 2 days of touring the beaches with Dale Booth as our private guide. I didn't think it would be the highlight of my trip since I'm not a war buff but Dale was amazing. He took us to places that group tours would never go, had incredible visual aids, and was equipped with a full "arsenal" of personal stories of those involved in the battles. He has co-authored a book and interviewed many vets as well as doing thorough research. I was totally fascinated the entire two days. We enjoyed the area so much that we're planning to go again and see the places we didn't get to this time.