Best Travel Plans for 15 days

Marilee, it would help if you could provide a bit of further information on your interests and what you're hoping to see? Also, have either of you been to other countries on the continent besides France?

I suggest that you spend the 10 days staying in London, visiting the sites there and daytripping to the surrounding area. I used the London-Plus rail pass a couple of years in a row for daytrips outside London. With the pass you also get a ticket for a Heathrow Express ride from London to Heathrow. Check out the passes on this website. All the way to the end of the Britain pass section in "Railpasses."

Marilee: Your post was a little ambiguous about the timing...is it 10 days total or 15? I'll assume its 10 days AFTER Paris, leaving for the US from Heathrow on Day 15 of the trip. So that would leave the following Day 1-5 Paris Days 6-14 Open Day 15 Fly Heathrow to USA So the question is what to do with those open days in the middle. First of all, I would add days at the end to London, something like days 12 (arrive London), days 12-14 London. That leaves only days 6-11 free. There are plenty of places in France that could easily fit into this 6 day period, but since you say you have been to France several times you don't want to go somewhere you have already been, so it's hard to advise you. Keep in mind that Easyjet flies cheap routes back to London from distant French cities like Toulouse and Nice, so the region you pick doesn't have to be close to the Channel. I would do one of these: TGV to Avignon, rent a car, do Provence and return to Paris from Avignon TGV; TGV to Tours/St Pierre des Corps, rent a car, do the Loire and Normandy, returning the car in Caen and training to Paris; TGV to Lyons, renting a car and driving through Burgundy & Verdun/Reims on the way back toward Paris, dropping the car in Reims; TGV to Nice, spend the time on the Riviera, then Easyjet back to London. With more detailed information about your plans other posters can give you more detailed advice. Have a great trip!

If you're looking for someone to develop an entire 15 day trip for you, or give you suggestions to choose from, the link you want is this one : http://www.ricksteves.com/about/consulting.htm

Marilee, (1) when is this trip, (2) where have you been, and loved, in France already, (3) what did you like best about it and (4) which is more appealing sight unseen, time in London versus exploring a "new" part of France?

Thank you so much for all the recent replys to my recent post. I can be a bit more specific. We will be in Paris for the first 5 days of our trip. We then want to head to the Normandy region on 10-5 and hopefully rent a car to check out some of the lovely coastal villages and D-Day beaches. We would then "train it" back to Paris on 10-7 and take the train into London, arriving in London same day (on October 7th). We plan London and London area from the 7th thru 13th and fly out (Heathrow) on 10-14. We'd like to take day trips by train out of London Any suggestions for Normandy route and London area day trips?

Five days in Normandy in October sounds marvelous. I do not think you will have any difficulty putting together an itinerary with a guidebook and a map. I'll just mention a few things. ¶ Though not coastal, Rouen is worth a morning or afternoon if you are in that part of Normandy. I have nothing to say about Mont St. Michel because you do not seem interested (which is perfectly reasonable). You might want to look at catching the Eurostar in Lille or Calais rather than schlepping back to Paris.

From your most recent post, it appears that you have only October 5th and 6th to spend in Normandy. If so, I would suggest taking the train from Paris to Rouen on the 5th, seeing Rouen and renting a car, going to Honfleur and then spending the night in Bayeux. On the 6th, tour the D Day beaches and then return the car at Caen, taking the train to paris and spending the night in Paris before taking the Eurostar to London the next day. As far as day trips from London, there are many, although some (like Bath) could easily be overnight trips as well. Canterbury, Brighton, Cambridge, Coventry Cathedral, as well as the close-in spots such as Windsor, make excellent day trips. You could do Stratford upon avon as a day trip, but I would spend the night and try to see a play. Have a wonderful time!

Well.....think we have it pretty well planned Finally! Paris for 6 days, train to either Rouen or Caen and rent car, travel to Bayeux, staying at The Hotel D'Argouges for 3 nights and seeing all surrounding area, back to Paris and train to London (same day). Staying in the Kensington area of London (6 nights) with day trips outside of London included. Thank you, all of you, for some great ideas.