opus2002

Next summer, wife, kids and I (4 of us) will be going to London, then Northern France (Normandy, Paris, Loire Valley). Ideally, I would like to include the Normandy and Loire Valley area. In London, we will be staying close (about 10 via Taxi) to the St Pancras area. I much prefer not to drive into Paris. Which two itinerary makes for a better trip:

Trip A)
Day 1 - Take Eurostar to Paris
Days 2 to 6: Paris area including Versailles
Day 7 to 9: Take train to Amboise, Loire Valley. Drive to St. Michel, Bayeux.
Day 10: Drop car off in Caen, Normandy, then train to Paris
Day 11: Fly back to US.

Trip B
Day 1 - As of now, it looks like Ryanair flies out of STN to TUF (Tours, France).
Days 2 to 5: Tour Amboise, drive to Mont St Michel, Bayeux (Normandy)
Day 6: Drop off car in Caen, then train to Paris
Days 7 to 10: Tour Paris
Day 11: Fly back to US

Trip A, it is easy to get to Paris. But then, I have to go to Paris twice. Trip B is harder to get to STN and it is flying Ryanair. But, I go to Paris only once. Any suggestion?

pascalgr

I would suggest : Trip A with following change : you rent the car in Paris at the end of your stay and drive to Amboise , Mont St michel and bring back the car in Paris . It will avoid you theOne way fee car rental, but mainly to visit the Loire Castle you need a car for most of them except if you want only to visit Amboise but there are many others within less than 1 hour drive from Amboise.

kerouac2

Once you have been driving around France, driving in Paris is a snap, even more so now that the speed limit has been reduced to 30 km/h on most streets.

Driving in the provincial cities can be scarier, beause the locals don't always seem to have leared about things like turning signals or staying in the proper lane.

thibderoc

Because, in Paris, you think drivers know how to do that??

mlin32

Typical parisien attitude

Hornetcoach

I agree with that except I would rent the car from and return to CDG. Also reverse the direction. Drive to Normandy first, then MSM, then the Loire Valley. Stop at Chartres Cathedral on the way back to Paris. Hotel at CDG for the last night. Make sure you allow enough time for the Loire Valley, see several of the chateaux.

kerouac2

Renting and returning to CDG is the worst idea ever if you are staying in Paris. The airport roads are a nightmare, and then there is the addtional cost and bother of getting from the airport into Paris. Have fun with your luggage if you prefer to carry it around to your accommodations rather than taking your stuff there with your car.

However, it should be noted that most rental companies do not charge extra for getting a car from CDG and leaving it in Paris or vice versa.

opus2002

I noticed that most tour books seem to go the Normandy first, then Loire Valley. Car rental prices seem to reflect that. Cheaper to start in Loire Valley then return in Normandy. Starting out at CDG appears to be most expensive (at least on the combinations I looked at). Curious on why you and other tour guide books suggest starting in Normandy. Thank you.

Hornetcoach

It’s not a big deal if you go clockwise or anticlockwise. In my case I wanted to do the more difficult driving later in the trip. Versailles to CDG is a more difficult drive than CDG to Honfleur. I am not suggesting taking a rental car into Paris, get the visit to Paris out of the way first via train. Also there may well be cheaper cities for car rental. If it is cheaper to go by train to say Caen, then rent a car there and drop off there, do that. In my case I chose CDG and I was happy with my choice.