Road trip in France...major mistakes ?

I think it looks good as far as pacing, rental car when it’s more practical and a variety of regions but all connected in a loop. Double check driving times with ViaMichelin. It will also give you approximate gasoline and toll charges. Even with the more realistic driving times for ViaMichelin, add a bit more…. At that time of year I’d also be looking for some lodging with a pool or near a swimmable pond/river when you get to the Sarlat part of your trip. Check to make sure your Airbnbs have a clothes washer at regular intervals. French washing machines tend to be small, half the size you might be used to. There are not often dryers, just efficient clothes racks, but don’t count on doing all of your laundry the night before you drive off to your new destination the next day. Have fun!

EDIT> if you are flying in to Paris and out of Lyon this works fine.

You might be interested in Family Campgrounds with cabins or something similar. They usually have a laundromat, a grocery, a swimming or boating venue. These are quite popular; you may need sleeping bags, but maybe sheets can be provided. These are popular throughout Europe and can be like nice Resorts.

Be aware, the Tour de France rolls through France during the first three weeks of July.

You'll want to monitor the route when it's release to see where it goes and when. And if you want to be travelling or staying in that area where it is contested.

https://www.letour.fr/en/

I too think it looks good but fair warning, you are going to have to get up very early in the morning to avoid daytrippers at MSM. My son was much younger than your children and my daughter was the age of your older one when we first went to Etretat and they loved it. We let our children be involved in trip planning and he picked Etretat as the place he wanted to see after he randomly came across pictures of it and he still says that they are the best cliffs in the world (10 years later).

The Tour de France tip is a good one. I've occasionally run into major lodging issues when I hit a one- or two-day event like that along the way.

I have only been to some of your planned destinations, but I like the structure of this itinerary. I believe you're going to get really good use out of the car.

Mona; thanks for the answer. It will be our fifth trip in Europe with the kids so we are used to washing machine size ! We always rent and airbnb with one. And the Airbnb we made a reservation in Sarlat does have a pool, It doesnt have AC, maybe I will miss it, but we will see ! And yes we are flying in Paris and flying out from Lyon.

Kathleen: we dont have think about Campground, but to be honnest it's not something we enjoy a lot here so I guess we wont enjoy it more in France !

Ribaholic: We already check about the Tour de France and we wont be in the same places at the same time. I dont know if it`s a good or a bad thing !

JHK: we will see, for us Mont Saint-Michel looks more enjoyable seen from a distance so idf there's too much people we just wont go in !

ACraven: I know it seems to be a lot of driving, but we are used to do it. It will be something like 4000 km in 38 days...we have done much more in less time than that ! I just want to be sure to get an automatic, I can drive manual, but i'm not very good at it and it tends to get stressful in some situations (red light on an inclined path !)

Regarding Mont St. Michel, I have been twice. The first time was in early July and our air bnb host suggested we visit at night. It was magical. There were singers and demonstrations and the l
Soft mist gave it quite a mysterious atmosphere. I returned 5 years later, during the day while on a tour The crowds and heat were manageable, but it wasn't the same as our first visit. My husband and I found a quiet restaurant while the crowds wandered by. If you have the choice to visit at night I recommend it!

Make sure you don't schedule any driving for the 8th and 9th of July. You could find yourself in a traffic jam that is literally 100s of kilometres long. The same applies for the end of July/ start of August crossover.

If you do have to drive on 8/9 July it will be less fraught travelling towards (rather than away from) Paris, but you will still need to double (at least) travelling times. On the July /August crossover weekend all main and secondary roads will be very busy.

I'm going to be driving on the 10th, and am not looking forwards to it.

@nsbtraveler: It wont be feasible to be there at night, but we take a good note about it. If things change we will think about it.

@simon: Thanks for the advice. We will be in Paris july 8 and 9. We are leaving Paris on july 11, we hope it will be ok !

I'll add to the chorus to avoid the crowds at MSM. It is still wonderful with the crowds, but a completely different experience. IDK where you are staying, but it better be very close and you better get up at an un-Godly early hour to "avoid daytrippers." I stayed over one night and it was pouring rain the next morning. But still, on my way out (after enjoying peace and quiet in the earlier morning), there were hoards of tourists delivered by bus making their way up stream on the main drag with their umbrellas that I had to make my way through on my way out.

Mont St-Michel is just a « seen it » on our list. So if too crowdy we will just take a picture from a distance (which is the way we always see it on pictures) and continue our journey.