Thoughts/tips on tentative itinerary for June travel in France; Paris, Normandy, Dordogne & Lyon

We did a 4 week trip in 2021, renting two cars for different legs, visiting some of the places you mention. Our trip report might have helpful info. During your drive to Dordogne you might consider a stop in the memorial village of Oradour-sur-Glane
Trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-france-28-days-aug-sep-loire-dordogne-languedoc-roussillon-lyon-burgundy-honfleur

The Olympics is coming in July so you might want to keep checking something like parisjetaime.com about closures for when you are thinking of visiting so you are aware.

We were just there and it is exciting but a tremendous amount of work is going on and I expect that will get more intense as the games get close. Currently Place de la Concorde is the only closure. You will be gone before it starts but to appreciate the work setting things up it is good to know that by a week or so before the Olympics start there will be more roads closed and various areas along the Seine will be closing in preparation to create a security zone for opening ceremonies along the Seine. Right now venues like the Eiffel Tower area are getting filled with huge steel structures of viewing seats being put up. You can google for updates.

I have been to much of where you plan to go. You might want to consider public transportation to somewhere near Normandy and then rent a car to maybe Lyon and take a high speed train back to Paris.

Just some thoughts

You could probably do it, but I'd recommend more time in the Lot/Dordogne area, depending on your goals. We returned a month ago from a 14-night trip of: 4 nights Paris-5 nights Dordogne-2 nights Lot-2 nights Lyon. Overall, I think you will miss a lot in the Dordogne/Lot area with only 4 nights, but it depends on what you want to do and how much time you want to spend on each activity. We had 2 nights in Lyon, and would have liked a third night, but we did get a good taste of the city. In 2010 we visited Giverny (1 night) and Normandy (5 nights) and were happy with those amounts of time, but we were very thorough on the WWII sites and also visited Mont-St-Michel and Bayeux.

My trip report at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-paris-lyon-dordogne-lot-toulouse might be helpful, and Geoff B's was helpful to me.

prontomess,
Your plan sounds doable, and I am glad to see you have allowed for the long drive from Normandy to the Dordogne region. However, you mention a 14 day trip and you account for 14 nights, so are you leaving on the 15th day? Just curious about your timing and your arrival and departure days. Are they part of the 14 days?
Perhaps, when you leave Paris (on day 5?) and stop at Giverny, you might consider going on to Rouen for night 5. You would arrive about mid-afternoon, stay there overnight and head to Bayeux the next day, spending 3 nights in Normandy. Rouen is well worth a stop. You would get to Honfleur for the afternoon, and (for me) I would continue to Bayeux to spend night 6. Then 2 days for tapestry, DDay sights, etc. (nights 7 and 8). Leave for Dordogne, stopping at Oradour-sur-Glane if you have time. Where are you staying in the Dordogne region? It could add an hour or more to travel time, depending on that. In my opinion, you could spend lots more time there, but 4 nights is better than no nights. So nights 9, 10, 11 and 12 there (3 days). In three days, with a car, you could visit a couple of caves, the museum at Les Eyzies, Beynac and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, a market, and take a kayak trip. That only covers the western part, but overall, distances aren't great, the roads between places are lovely, and you will do as much as you can and want.
Now, going to Lyon on day 13, I am not sure how long the drive is, but you will have only one full day there (spending nights 13 and14).
If your flight home is on day 15, you would have to get to Paris pretty sharply. Personally, I would skip Lyon this time, head to Bordeaux from the Dordogne (3-3 1/2 hrs) drive), spend the night there and return the car and take a TGV to Paris to spend the last night before my flight home (nights 13 and 14).
Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have a wonderful time, but you may want to cut back a little on your plans to have time to stop and smell the roses (and drink some wine...or cider in Normandy). Amusez-vous bien et bonne chance!

If you mean this coming June, be aware that 2024 is the 80th anniversary of D-day and the battle for Normandy. The areas of Normandy related to this will be packed, and are already booked (and have been for well over a year). If you mean other areas of Normandy or you mean 2025, I wouldn't worry. But any year around June 6th is much busier than usual, and busier that the area can really accommodate.

It's doable but I'd save Lyon for another trip when you can spend more time there, and allocate those two days (one driving, one sightseeing) to either Normandy or the Dordogne (or Paris if you prefer). Lyon has a lot to see, and is more easily combined with Burgundy and/or Provence and/or the Alps.

I assume you're skipping the Loire Valley because you've been there before or it doesn't interest you. Like Lyon, it deserves more time than you could give it on this trip with everything else.

80th Anniversary of D-Day is significant. You will be somewhat later but it still may be a problem.
Book hotels now!

GeoffB,
Thank you so much for sharing the link to your great trip! I've taken notes and may bother you again for VRBO info, once the detail planning gets underway.
Thanks again,
Heidi

Judy (long beach),
Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and recommendations!
You counted correctly and we added another day :)
Thinking about Rouen..
And now we are stopping at Orador sur Glane :)

Thank you, Barbara!

Judy (Spokane),
Thank you for those tips, much appreciated.

Pharmer Phil and Suki,
Thank you. This year but not until later in June. We got hotel reservations in Normandy with no problem, but I really appreciate the heads up!

Dick,
We'd like to spend more time in Lyon, as you suggest, but alas, we cannot this our first visit. We plan, if we enjoy our quick taste of Lyon to return. We had added the French Apls originally, but it's just too much we are learning, and your points reaffirm that. So we will add that to our next trip w spending more time in Lyon. Our flight is now booked out of Lyon. And yes, driving through sand past Lion deliberately. There is just too much to see!
Thank you so much for your suggestions and perspectives!
Heidi

We just took the train out of Paris (3 nights, we'be been before) to pick up a rental car in Rennes. Then on to Mt St Michel for the day, Bayeux, Honfluer for the day/lunch, Rouen...5 nights total staying in Bayeux and Rouen. (we didn't do the rest of your itinerary, so I can't speak for that.) We drove 3 hours and dropped our car in Lille then took the train to Belgium. What I do want to say is how easy the roads were to navigate. The toll roads are tap in/out with a credit card, and it's all very pretty countryside.