Subject: Re: First Trip to Europe Planning |
Hello Jennie
you plan is ambitious indeed! Just a few points as last summer I did a similar itinerary in France. Loire Valley - We stayed at M.me Binet's B& B http://perso.wanadoo.fr/lapaqueraie/ukindex.htm A very nice cottage and gourmet dining with English speaking hosts. I don't think you'll be able to see more than 2 chateaux in one day, because of limited opening times, distance and the time needed for the visit, so unless you change your plans I'd suggest to see Chenonceau and Azay le Rideau or the gardens of Vilandry. Chambord is less interesting IMHO. >From the Loire to Mont StMichel it's a long ride, about 3 hours. A visit to Mont StMichel will take most of the morning, unless you want to see it just from the outside, but the visit of the abbey is very interesting and the scenery from the top calls for a lot of picture shooting. Two more hours to the D-Day beach area and your day is gone! >From Honfleur to Giverny you need two hours by car, but I guess the accomodation in the area is limited. Visiting Giverny and Chantilly on the same day is impossible, again because of distance, traffic and opening hours. Giverny is only a village and Chantilly is just a bit larger, therefore I doubt car rentals can be found at either locations. I guess you can drop it in Rouen or at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, which is not very far from Chantilly and has a train connection to downtown. Last, Eurodisney; I'm a big expert after my fourth trip there. The train from Paris takes about one hour, while all the road access are well marked and easy to drive, being outside the more clogged beltway. Hope this helps Paolo Trieste, Italy |