France Trip Help

Are you up for driving? I wouldn’t leave France.

Take the train out of Paris, say to Dijon, then rent a car and go for a good drive. Pick a destination, Avignon maybe, then just connect the dots with cities you want to explore. I’d skip the bigger ones...roll through Lyon and stop in Vienne for example.

Just some thoughts.

We were in France in late September 2018. Did one day at the Ryder Cup. While in Paris, simply use the metro - clean, reliable, and easy. For anything outside of Paris consider a train to a large city then a car rental.

We spent 5 nights in Paris, then rented a van for 4 of us and drove to Normandy. Stayed in Bayeux (AirBNB) and drove to beaches, Mount St. Michel, and small towns in Normandy & Brittany.

If you can't find a decent rental in one of the train destinations, consider pickup and return at the airport. Driving in Paris sucks.

There is so much to see and do in Normandy that you won't get bored. Also, consider a trip to the Loire Valley if you are into castles and wine. Maybe two hours south of Paris - good day trip or stay in one of the towns like Blois or Amboise. Very laid back area - great food & wine.

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if you consider the Monmartre area.

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This was our favorite neighborhood in Paris.

OP, we did an 8 day trip split between Amsterdam and Paris and it felt a bit rushed. We didn't leave the two cities outside of the train ride between the two, which I kinda regret now. Wish we would've just done either/or and explored the countryside of either France or The Netherlands. The train ride between the two was easy though.

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Have you been to Paris previously? On an 8-10 day trip, I personally would want to split the time between the city and smaller towns, and I would not go all the way to Switzerland when France offers so much to see and do within a couple hours of Paris.

And don’t fly to London if you really want to go to Paris and explore France. London and environs are stuffed full of things to do and see.....just plan a separate trip for that. Don’t try to shoehorn everything into one rush-rush sightseeing tour.

I’d fly to Paris, picking a flight with an early arrival, and pick up a car at the airport if you’re a seasoned traveler with some language skills. Hit the road and drive to Etretat, or Honfleur, or head for Giverny and Monet’s gardens. Spend the next few days exploring Normandy, then return the rental and take the train back to Paris for the remaining 4 days.

Or, if you’re not as keen on driving and haven’t been to Paris previously, start there. Stay 3-4 days in the city, then take the train to Rouen. Visit Rouen, rent a car, and go to Honfleur, Etretat, and head toward Bayeux if you’re interested in WWII history. Plenty to see and lots of delicious food full of cream, butter, and apples. Return the car in Rouen, take train back to Paris for a final couple of nights.

Finally, if renting a car is a total dealbreaker, you can pack in a whole bunch of nice day trips or 1-2 overnights via train from Paris....like Reims and Chartres.

When trip planning, I find it helpful to pick a theme, or set a few modest goals: identify a couple of “must dos”, then build your itinerary around those. Figure out what you most enjoy.....food, scenery, sightseeing, hanging out with locals, shopping, history, architecture, art, local specialty foods, wine, etc. You can narrow things down a bit if you have priorities.

"Plenty to see and lots of delicious food full of cream, butter, and apples."

And don't leave Normandy without trying the cheese, like livarot and camembert, and some calvados.

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This was our favorite neighborhood in Paris.

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Monmarte is easily my least favorite

Different strokes I guess.

I would spend at least 4 nights in Paris, personally. Paris is too lovely and has too much going on. That is, of course, if you have never been before.

Do NOT skip Normandy D-day beaches. You can take a train from Paris. Schedule with a good Tour company. Find one that will pick you up at the train station. If your hotel is near the train station, it makes it easy.

Can;t say because of the pandemic, but typically you can fly cheap, or take a train to from London. After reading others post about London, skipped London on last trip. Trains are pretty good in Europe. The best part of last trip was scenic train from south Switzerland to a boat across Lake Lucerne (boat ride was awesome), but that may be further than you want to go. On that trip, flew into Paris, flight to Rome, train to Venice, train to Milan, train and boat to Lucerne, train back to Paris. Train trip to D day beaches... in 10 days, so it can be done.

Rome was a cesspool ... other the The Vatican. The Colosseum was good, but pick pockets and scams abound.

Better info on scenic train / boat ride ...
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... the nice Marriott and Hilton hotels in Europe did not blow me away. My favorite was the Hilton in Venice, despite not being the best location. BUT, I think this was before the Marriot - Starwood merger.

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I am not a history or museum nut (the wife is), so would want those two in moderation.

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Paris plus Normandy would make both of you happy. The coastal scenery of Normandy is charming; google pictures of Etretat and Honfleur to see some examples. The village of Lyons-Le-Foret, near Rouen, makes the lists of most charming villages in France. You could focus on Rouen/Honfleur/Etretat, or you could focus westward from Bayeux to Cancale/Mont St Michel. Cancale has oysters galore, if that’s your jam.

Bayeux is a large town, not really a city. Easy to find hotels or apartment lodgings there, and easy to navigate the region by car if you’ve got decent GPS. Cathedral is interesting, and of course there’s the famous tapestry, in its own museum. Lots of restaurants at every price range, and a charming Saturday market too right in the middle of town.

The DDay landing beaches are fascinating, and even for someone who doesn’t like museums. They’re outside, open air, with many adjacent museums you can visit (or not). So you can stand atop the cliffs at Point du Hoc and think about the rangers scaling the cliffs with the tide at their backs even if you never set foot inside a museum.

If I were you I’d do Paris > Beaune/Burgundy > Lucerne or Paris > Strasbourg/Colmar/Route des Vins d’Alsace > Lucerne