We have 3 nights and 4 full days after we leave Bruge, before we check into our apartment in Paris. My husband is interested in D-Day (Normandy area) and I am interested in some of the castles in the Loire Valley area. I cannot figure out how to logically travel to these 2 regions in the most efficient way. Should I only focus on Normandy and do a day trip to Loire while we are in Paris? Any suggestions? Help!
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Well, I would skip the Loirebut I am not you! And you can certainly visit both, especially of the only thing you wan to see in Normandy are the D-Day beaches. Trains will get to to Lille (France) in about an hour and a half. You will need a car; rent in Lille to avoid stiff -off penalties between two countries. Drive to Bayeux and settle in. I can't advise you about the best way to see the beaches. There are some excellent tours, and you can drive yourself. In either case, in this minimalist, D-day-only view of Normandy, spend two nights in Bayeux, rounding out your visit with the museum, the cathedral, and the tapestry. Shift to the Loire the next day. Amboise makes a pleasant base. Leave Bayeux early enough, and you can squeeze in a chateau enroute. Quickest way to Paris from there is to return the car at the TGV station in Amboise and take the train in, but you could visit Chartres by car and take the train from there. It's a lot of driving but it does touch all the bases.
Posted by
Costa Mesa
37 posts
Well, here's my two cents for what it's worth. We did the d day beaches in Normandy (based in Bayeux) and we did the Loire Valley. If I had to choose, I'd choose doing Normandy. The chateau's are beautiful, but they really aren't furnished and so while beautiful to look at, I didn't feel that they were a "must see". We did the Battlebus tour of Normandy and HIGHLY recommend it. It really was the highlight of our trip since you get far more of the background of the d -day operation with a tour. The Battlebus tours are small (about 8 people) and you see quite a bit. I believe they have one and two day tours so you could do the one day tour and then spend 1 day in Bayeux and then do Amboise - which I would highly recommend as well!!
Posted by
Arvada, Colorado
76 posts
I agree that driving is preferred to see these two areas in the shortest period of time. It's possible to see maybe 3 Loire Valley chateaux in a day, spend the night, drive to Normandy and spend a couple days there. Or vice-versa, depending on your preference. Also note that there are lesser chateaux scattered throughout Normandy that may - or may not - satisfy you. Have you tried the Michelin on-line routing software to help plan a route and look at alternatives?