In June we are traveling to France. From Paris I hope to spend two days near the invasion beaches of Normandy and then travel to near Avignon where we have rented a cottage for two weeks. My travel options are still up in the air:
What do you think?
Thanks!
The TGV train goes about 175 to 200 mph on much of the Paris to Avignon leg. A little faster than your rental car. Then you can pick up your rental car at the TGV Avignon station.
You probably want to avoid driving your car into the centers of Avignon, Nimes, and Arles (traffic and parking challenges). Those cities are more easily reached by train, leave your car at the train station for the day, and explore those 3 cities on foot.
Or, if you want to make a driving trip out of it, go to www.viamichelin.com and research whether you really want to do that long of a drive. It could be an interesting road trip if you stop in places like Lyon.
It can be nice to have a car around both Normandy and Provence, so if you time to enjoy the drive with stops en-route, then I'd keep the same car for both areas. Longer rentals usually get you a better daily average rate and there's normally no fee to drop the rental car at a different city in France. Viamichelin.com will also help to estimate gas and highway tolls, if you want to count that part of the equation.
