We will be touring one month in Europe. The first two weeks, we will go around England. The next week or so, we will go around France. The last couple of days we will visit a relative in Amsterdam and fly out of Amsterdam. Question: Do we travel from London to Paris, tour the city, then Normandy and Loire, then travel from Loire to Amsterdam? Or is it convenient to travel from London to Loire, work our way north to Paris, then travel from Paris to Amsterdam? Basically, we don't know what is the best way to get from England to France then France to Amsterdam. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Posted by
Paris
10193 posts
Annie because of the way France is centralized, including the transportation system, there isn't really an easy way to go from London directly to the Loire Valley. You will need to go to Paris first and then go to the Loire from there (which involves a change of train stations). Same for the return to head on to Amsterdam. Whether you stop and"do" Paris on the way in or the way out is according to your mood and preference.
Posted by
OP
Somewhere in California
107 posts
Thank you for the suggestions. They're helpful. Okay, bingo! Our frequent flyer miles would give us a free flight from London to Toulouse on the day we want. However, that free flight arrives 11:25 p.m. in Toulouse, which means we will have to stay overnight in Toulouse before heading to Dordogne in the morning. And arriving at midnight in a strange place and transporting ourselves to a hotel to check in at an unholy hour seems a little bit unsafe to us. Would like to check if we can get free frequent flyer flights (with better times) into the Loire Valley or the Normandy area from London. Question: What are the names of the airports in the Loire Valley and in the Normandy/Mont St. Michel area? Thank you!
Posted by
Kansas
1175 posts
Another option is taking the ferry from Portsmouth to Quistreham (the port) and fetching your reserved car right across the street from the Caen railroad station, where the bus from the port takes you, about 10 miles. Having a car to tour Normandy and on to the Loire Valley might be a great option. We returned our car back to Caen and took the train into Paris. Paris to Amsterdam is another easy train ride. Check out seat61.com for data on ferries and trains in Europe. Send me a PM and I can help you with Portsmouth and getting there from London.
Posted by
OP
Somewhere in California
107 posts
How long is the ferry trip? I was afraid we'd have to go through Paris for everything instead of going direct. New additional info: we may want to go to the Dordogne area after Loire (or before Loire depending on the direction we're taking). So I don't know if that will give us more transportation options as far as something direct to Amsterdam from Dordogne or something direct from London.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
The good news about the Paris-centric nature of the French rail system is that the trains to the Loire, or from the Loire to Amsterdam via Paris, are really quick. If you are serious about the Dordogne (a great place), you might look at flights from London to Toulouse or Bordeaux. It's about 3 hours from those airports to the Dordogne valley, and would save you looping back. Or similarly look at flights from either to Amsterdam and go London > Paris > Loire > Dordogne > A'dam