Normandy Itinerary

Definitely visit Giverny (Monet's home & gardens), it's lovely. Especially the water garden. Consider spending one night in Rouen and/or Honfleur. I think staying two or three nights near Arromanches works nicely. Arromanches is the location of Winston Harbor. You can also visit many (maybe all) of the landing beaches from this base, as well as the American Cemetary, Caen War Memorial, Bayeux. We stayed at the lovely "Les Mas Normand" B&B, which is in Rick Steves guidebook. It's only a short distance to Arromanches. I would spend one night on Mont St. Michel. Wake up early and see the sunrise and walk around without any crowds. That's what I did, and I actually had the place to myself for about an hour! You could also walk around at night after all the day trippers leave, but bring a flashlight. I almost tripped and fell when I ventured out in the dark. I absolutely loved Normandy. Be prepared to be enchanted by this beautiful area!

Five days is awesome! We spent 3 and felt shortchanged. From metropolitan Paris the obvious first step is a train to Bayeux. Rent a car there the next day. However, if you've just arrived in town after a long train ride, you might not want to do that. Where are you coming from? When do you arrive? Another possible start is to rent a car in Paris and head for Giverny, with an overnight (perhaps) in Rouen. Whatever your itinerary, if Mt St Michel is a priority you should plan to spend the night there. It's one of those great places choked with crowds during the day. To defeat that, your prime time is from late afternoon to mid-morning, though you might arrive earlier to get settled and take the tour.

Thanks so much for the thoughtful relys--very helpful!

We came in from Belgium and rented a car in Lille. We then spent one night in Honfleur, 3 nights in Bayeux, and one night on Mont St. Michel. While in Bayeux, we did a couple of tours of the Normandy beaches. Spending the night on the Mont was absolutely magical! We walked the ramparts before and after dark, ate dinner at a window table and watched the tide come in, walked out the causeway and took pictures of the abbey lit up at night...all with no crowds. In the morning, we got up and toured the abbey before it got crowded. We then drove to Paris, dropped the car at Orly and took the RER into Paris. In your case, you could substitute Giverny for Honfleur. For me, spending the night on Mont St. Michel was a "bucket list" item - and it did not disappoint! It was the highlight of our trip.

I agree with previos posters. Experiencing Mont St. Michel in the evening is magical. Because you have a car you have options visiting the Normandy beaches. To see as much as possible you should consider a tour. If you drive yourself you can spend as much time as you want at a particular stop but then you are unlikely to see as many places as you would on a tour. It depends on your priorities.

Thanks all your suggestions have helped. Best wishes, Bill

Just returned from that area. Since Mont Saint Michel is the primary site in that area, the restaurants in the area seemed below average. However, we realized too late that we should have dined ON the Mont in the evening because the choices are better AND you get to experience the Mont when lit in the evening.

If you have any interest in WWII history, I strongly suggest a tour with Battlebus Tours. They operate out of Bayeux and nothing but great reviews with them. I did Band Of Brothers and American Highlight tour and both were worth every euro. Make reservations asap if interest in their tour as they stay busy and they have several tours you can choose from.

if you do rent a car, here is a good link:
http://www.normandie-chambres.co.uk/beaches.html it gives you all gps locations of the sites, because some of them is hard to find or easily missed when driving. PEOPLE, STOP RECOMMENDING BATTLEBUS, They are not in business anymore! Don't get to Mont st. Michel till after 7pm. Spend the night there then leave before 10:30am. We left Paris around 8am, got to Rouen around 9am, rented a car at Rouen. Walked around Rouen till 1pm, got to Bayeux around 4pm. Spend a couple days at the Churchill hotel and drove around to all the sites using that link I sent you earlier and my Garmin Nuvi. Got to Mt. St. Michel around 7pm, parked our car, checked into Le Mouton Blanc, left the next day around 10am. With your time line you can totally drive to Giverny, tour Rouen, then drive to Bayeux.