We’re in Normandy now. Probably one of the best vacations I’ve ever had. I think you can go into just about any restaurant in France and get an excellent meal. And the cost isn’t bad since taxes and tip are included in the menu prices.
For anyone going to this region, besides WWII sites, I recommend Etretat and Mont St. Michel. “Wow” does not begin to do these places justice.
Great, have fun!
Etretat and Mont St. Michel were amazing. For those who are going: bring sturdy walking shoes. For Mont St. Michel, definitely get tickets to tour the abbey. I recommend going on the later end, because the crowds will start to filter out – but do leave enough time to get to the abbey (all the way at the top!) and take your time moving through it. They are very serious about the closing time for the abbey, but you can still explore the island after it closes.
Other spots in the region: Rouen, Honfleur (not far from Etretat), and Bayeux (right in the middle of the WWII sites). The cathedral at Bayeux is spectacular, and a great example of different eras of architecture combined in one building.
And you’re right - it’s hard to get a bad meal in France!
We did a great trip to Normandy a number of years ago planned with great input from CC posters. We loved our tour of the DDay beaches and felt a guided tour was worth the expense. We stayed in Bayeux and I highly recommend the tapestries. We also loved Honfleur. The peace museum in Caen was also a worthwhile stop. We didn’t make it as far west as Mt St Michel.
We’re driving to Monet’s house and garden now. Then on to Paris for three nights. The sun is out now but I think it’s going to rain the next three days. Glad we’ve got ponchos.
We did an Honfleur-based Normandy trip as part of our Paris trip. Entretat was amazing. Loved Monet’s gardens! Mostly beyond that drove around the coast and cideries, didn’t get to some of the must-sees but got a taste of the area in general. And ate well!
Also enjoyed Giverny, Rouen. Hope you have a wonderful time and hope the rain isn’t too bad!
We did similar. Drove to Giverny from Honfleur, visited the gardens for the day and drove to an airport hotel for a night before our flight home. We had visited Paris before we did the road portion of our trip.
It sounds like you are having a great holiday. Glad it finally happened.
Thanks! We loved Monet’s gardens. We just dropped off the car (whew, that’s a relief) and are in a taxi to our Airbnb.
Getting to the car return spot really did feel like a video game!
I recall having to drive around several times to find where to return the car at the airport.
We returned our car at the Eurostar Station at Lille (after an adventurous getting lost in the farmlands between Honfleur and there), and it was the most confused we’ve ever been, trying to find out where to leave the car.
Thirding that rec.
We leave next month. 5 nights Paris, 5 nights Nice. Any recommendations for restaurants in Nice?
We had a great trip to Normandy last fall, stayed in Bayeux and toured the magnificent Mt St Michel then stayed in St. Malo. Even though it was late October, we lucked into warm, beautiful weather for enjoying the beach even though the forecast was for rain. The Bayeux tapestry and the cathedral there were great.
We dropped our rental car off at the train station in Paris. Was definitely a challenge figuring out how to get to the dropoff spot. We circled the garage a couple of times!
Enjoy your Paris days. Hoping the rain stays away.
I have learned so much from this post! My husband and I are going to Paris for 6 nights at Labor Day. We have been so have already seen Versailles. The current plan is to revisit all of the museums now that we don’t have kids with us! And I have reserved tickets for Giverny. I think we will need another day trip. Options include: We could include Rouen on the same day as Giverny, we could visit Rouen on the following day, we could choose another city. We have never been to Fountainblue or Chantilly. Do you guys have any recommendations? We will use the train for transportation unless we choose a private day tour. Reims? Amiens? Other? I think that Normandy is just too far for a day trip. But I am open to your thoughts. Thanks!
Chartres? Great cathedral and easy by train.
Or take a trip to the Loire Valley to see some châteaux, though a private tour may be better for that (you could get the TGV to Tours and travel around from there).
Great idea. I have actually been to Chartres and would recommend to anyone. I will look into Loire Valley. Do you think that is “better” than some of the other towns I mentioned? I have never visited some cheaeaux so it is appealing.
We ate at La Rotonde at the Hotel Negresco in June. It was amazing, both food and atmosphere. The hotel is stunning.
I think touring some of the châteaux is great, maybe combine with a wine tasting. Chenonceau is amazing (that’s the one in the middle of the river), we also liked Villandry, Chambord and Azay le Rideau (though it’s years since we went). More than one (or at most two) per day might be a bit much though.
You could do two in a day (at most) if you choose them well. We saw Chambord and Chenonceau in one day this summer, and it was manageable. Both were beautiful and fascinating. I would also recommend, if you’re doing more than a day trip, to check out which chateaux put on son et lumière (sound and light) shows at night. These are really great shows that tell the story of the family who lived in the chateau using narration on the loud speaker (you can get headphones for translation) and an accompanying light show projected on the chateau walls. We saw one this summer at Chateau Royale de Blois, which was spectacular (and way more high-tech than the one I saw while visiting France as a teenager). But we were there just before most of the summer season shows started – it was the only option, and it happened to work out really well. Most of the shows go from July-October, so you should have more choices.