If you had 14 days to travel in France and wanted to dedicate 3-4 days to Normandy (is that enough to get in the Beaches, D-Day museums & Mont St. Michel?) and 5 days to Paris - where else would you add to round out your trip? (We've been to French Riviera, Provence and Dordogne before and would like to experience something new.) I like the idea of Alsace and my husband likes Chamonix but both of those would require a lot of driving... We'll have 2 kids with us (ages 10 & 11), both good travelers.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6792 posts
The Loire Valley.
Easy and fun for all ages, exploring the magnificent Chateaux.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6486 posts
It depends on when you are going. I really like Brittany and I think it would be great with kids. You have the coast, quaint small towns and lots of open area. But if you are going after September, I think it would be too chilly. I think your 4 days in Normandy is good, especially if you are going to MSM. You might want to go to Honfluer, they have a lovely harbor, and Etretat is breathtaking and has some remnants of WWII bunkers. Normandy has lots to do and appreciate besides the WWII sights (which are interesting and impactful, don't get me wrong). Are you going to Rouen and Giverny? I think kids would like both. Kids seem drawn to Monet and there are several books about Monet geared toward children. I love Loire but wonder about how much kids would enjoy it.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
I had a little more time so did a loop around Normandy, Brittany and Loire before going back to Paris. I'd suggest picking either Brittany or Loire depending on your likes.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12314 posts
Burgundy and Alsace are the opposite direction from Normandy. I dont like to spend my valuable vacation time backtracking.
Posted by
OP
Pacific NW
203 posts
Jules - You've voiced what I've been wondering. Loire Valley would make a lot of sense for this itinerary - it would be a good spot to help with jet lag (as a 1st stop) and drive times are reasonable. But, I'm concerned the kids wouldn't be that interested in the chateaux...
I'll have to look into Brittany more, that might be a good option.
Brad - I also hate backtracking while on vacation. That's what's led to my quandary - there are a couple of regions I really want to see but logistically they don't make sense together. So, I'm trying to let go of those options and see what else might be high up there for us. This is why we skipped Normandy the last time we were in France - being so far north, travel times are far from most everywhere...
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6486 posts
I have four kids and they were quite good travelers and we have enjoyed museums and history, etc., but kids do have their limits, and I never wanted to get to the point where a trip no longer felt like an adventure. Longer car rides can be tedious even for adults, and the cars in Europe tend to be smaller. I think its a good idea to look at Brittany. One town you might look at is Dinard. It is a beach/resort town with sort of a retro 50s, feel to it. It is across the water from Saint-Malo which is very interesting and the fortifications are fun for kids. It can be busy in Saint-Malo, however, so we liked being in Dinard and did a 1/2 day trip to Saint-Malo. Dinard is fairly close to MSM.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1864 posts
We did this Loire-Brittany-Normandy loop a few years ago. It worked well for us. You might want to check it out using Google maps. You can easily skip sections. (Overnight stops are indicated by a number after them.)
Picked up car at Orly. Chartres, Chenonceu 1, Clos de Luce and Chenonceux Chateau,
Carnac 2, Alignments the main reason we went to Brittany
Quimper en route to Ti a Lannec Hotel 2 lovely place to kick back
Dinan 3 , St. Malo, Mont St. Michel, Bayeux tapestry, . Omaha Beach, American Cemetery,
Les Andelys 2, Giverny, Honfleur, Rouen, King Richard's Castle Gaillard, We continued on to Calais where we returned the car and took the ferry, but it would have been just as easy to have returned the car to CDG.
I wish we would have stayed in lively St. Malo instead of Dinan. Otherwise, things worked out well.
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
Hi,
I would do 3-4 days in Normandy and 5 in Paris too. After that I would choose Alsace or northern France, ie north of the Somme River between Amiens and Arras. From Paris to Arras is a bit over two hours by car. Northern France is completely off the American tourist radar as regards to the cities and the small towns/villages.
Posted by
12 posts
We just did 3 days in Normandy, 5 in Paris, and then 6 in Switzerland, mainly in Mürren. Took a high speed train from Paris to Basel then trains and cable cars to Mürren. Switzerland was my favorite part of the trip. Flew back out of Zürich.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6486 posts
Love Andrew's ideas, Brittany is wonderful and less traveled than other areas of France. Shhhh!! I would warn against thoughts of driving across France to Alsace (tho I LOVE Alsace) or to southern France. The highways we were on just weren't that exciting and got tedious. (and my husband and I are adults not 10 and 11) There is plenty to see in Brittany and Normandy.