France trip in late Sept... planning tips?

[Tim Hancock]

Never been to Europe... Considering about a 10 day trip in late Sept with 2.5 days spent in Ernee France to see the 2020 MXoN (Motocross des nations). Would be 4 of us traveling (wife and I plus a friend and his wife). Looks like flights are about $1200 ea out of Detroit to Paris. Thinking of renting car big enough for 4 plus 4 suitcases.

-Arrive on Sat morning, get AirBnb for 3 days in Paris
-Drive northwest to D-day beaches for 1-2 days (stay in cheapish hotels).
-Drive west to Mt St Michel. (stay overnight there or close by)
-Friday, drive south to Ernee for MXoN (Friday PM, Sat & Sunday. (stay in hotel or AirBnb
type place).
-Drive Back to Paris for late afternoon flight home on Monday.

*Or drive to Loire Valley for Monday/Tues then to Paris to fly home Weds afternoon.

Thinking car rental makes most sense... Hoping to keep costs reasonable.... Will want to see standard tourist stuff in Paris then D-day stuff and hopefully a castle or two.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated as this will be a first and likely last trip to France for us.

[oldE]

Sounds like a good plan. Don't be surprised if your rental is a 5 or 6 speed diesel.
There are speed cameras . Lots of them. They will cut you a 5 km/hr slack. They will send the ticket to your home. Ask me how I know.

Good highway system. I bought the Michelin atlas of France before we went, as I am an analogue kind of guy. Hit the farmers Markets in the small towns. Great food and service. We avoided cities and loved it and the people.

Best
Les

[RWebb]

Loire Valley is the heart of France

Normandy has a good memory and treats Americans well - have some calvados

for wine: Burgundy - Loire is good too; see if you can find some really old chenin blanc to sample

Paris is fine except for two things: tourists & Parisians

[Deschodt]

+1 on the car (once you leave Paris, NOT in Paris, Metro all the way)
+1000 on radar cameras, stick to the limits
I'd only spend one night in normandy... Brittany is prettier...
No idea what your last day means (ernee) but I'd do the Loire valley. You can choose medieval castle or later ones (I prefer medieval). There's one that has people in there re-enacting all the jobs "live", serving you medieval foods (duck paté in fresh bread, yumm), working catapults, it was a hit w/ the kids... I'll see if I can find the name but google should help.

If offered by the rental company get the "telepeage" which is a fast pass for toll booths. Save time, panic, and spare change...
PS: Sixt has cool cars, same price (audi A5, Mercs, etc)

[LWJ]

First. Read "Europe Through the Backdoor" by Rick Steves. He changed my life. Really.

His travel perspective is simple but a little revolutionary. Try to think / act / consume like a local. It is cheaper, easier, and fun. Pack light. Wash laundry enroute if needed. Stay in local hotels / bed and breakfasts or similar.

Sixt is a great rental company. Others are fine as well. Budget in some "exploring" time. You should randomly stumble on cool finds and discoveries. Plan to get lost. Plan to make errors. Have fun bungling the language (they are French, after all!). It will be a comedy of errors at times but roll with it.

My hand / sign / facial communication is world class. I only speak English. Pretty damn funny at times.

Don't over think this.

Check out some cheaper flights. I have never paid anywhere near $1200 to fly transcontinental. Ryan Air (or another, also super cheap) can fly you around Europe for less than a train. Might be worth it.

Enjoy this. The food is AMAZING. Don't eat tourist crap. Eat where locals eat. Drink local wine.

We have only had wonderful interactions with the French. Attempt to speak their language for at least a "hello." They appreciate it. They all speak English. They will be more pleasant if you attempt to bend to their culture.

Have fun! Post some pics on return.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

+1 on the car (once you leave Paris, NOT in Paris, Metro all the way)
+1000 on radar cameras, stick to the limits
I'd only spend one night in normandy... Brittany is prettier...
No idea what your last day means (ernee) but I'd do the Loire valley. You can choose medieval castle or later ones (I prefer medieval). There's one that has people in there re-enacting all the jobs "live", serving you medieval foods (duck paté in fresh bread, yumm), working catapults, it was a hit w/ the kids... I'll see if I can find the name but google should help.

If offered by the rental company get the "telepeage" which is a fast pass for toll booths. Save time, panic, and spare change...
PS: Sixt has cool cars, same price (audi A5, Mercs, etc)

Ernee is the small town where the Motocross of Nations is taking place Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. After is when we either fly home or go to the Loire Valley for a couple days.... Basically we are making a CCW loop starting in Paris and ending at the Paris airport.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by oldE

Sounds like a good plan. Don't be surprised if your rental is a 5 or 6 speed diesel.
There are speed cameras . Lots of them. They will cut you a 5 km/hr slack. They will send the ticket to your home. Ask me how I know.

Beat me to it. If you rent a car and drive like you're in America, you will get a bunch of expensive tickets in the mail after you get home. It would actually make sense to invest in a screwdriver and remove the plates from your rental until you return it...there is virtually no actual human LE presence on the highway like we have here, it's all camera surveillance.

Oh yeah, get rental insurance through AAA before you leave and make sure that it covers France. When you rent a car there, the actual rental rate is reasonable but the mandatory insurance is outrageously expensive.

[Deschodt]

Digressing but... about driving in France :
Use lane discipline. Right lane unless passing. Not middle lane either unless passing someone in the right lane. Always move back right. Always. And no passing by the right ever. Or you will get honked at, murdered or ticketed :-)

[petrolhead611]

The toll highways in France time you between pay booths, so they know how fast you have averaged. Parking in Paris is a nightmare, far better to use the excellent public transport.Roundabouts often have Serez a droit signage( give way to the right) . No turning right at red lights, anywhere.

[RWebb]

I wonder if there is a place where you can rent an old Citroen DS...

[LWJ]

Check you credit card for car rental insurance. I was hit in Slovenia by a Swiss motorcycle club (really!). Sixt and visa were amazing. I did check before I booked it if my visa would cover this. It did.

[MBAtarga]

International Drivers' License being planned?

[rcooled]

Look into AutoEurope for good rates on both cars and insurance. It can all be set up over here before you leave. Make sure you plan for a fill-up before returning the car. They charge a lot for fuel if you just let them do it, and it can be tricky finding a convenient station as you near the rental return point.
https://www.autoeurope.com/car-rental/

If you plan on using your credit cards in France, make sure they all have a PIN. Buy some € here to get you started so you're not having to search for a currency exchange as soon as you arrive. Airport exchanges have the worst rates too.

The town of Bayeux is a good home base for exploring the D-Day beaches.

Rick Steves' "Best of France" guide book will be more focused on where you'll be instead of the broader "Europe Thru the Back Door". Bone up on how to interpret French road markings and signs. You won't need a GPS...your phone will work fine for maps and driving directions.

There's more good info about visiting France on Rick Steves' website: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/first-time-france-trip

[MFAFF]

If you intended spending some days in Paris before leaving consider getting the car only when you start your road trip.

There is no need for a car in Paris, even with 4 adults, and parking will be expensive. There are car rental places town, and you can drop off there and take the train etc to the airport.

You may also find the rates are better 'off airport'.
Sort your insurance out before you pick the car up. Over here we can buy a yearly 'rental-car insurance' policy for very little (c.£50) that covers Zipcar and big name rental cars when on holiday. Much better value.

When driving make sure you have ID and driving license handy as well as Insurance docs. The various Police services do expect you to have these ready.


In terms of a car, a largish French one (the DS range for example) should the trick... driving a rented Audi/ Merc/ BMW paints a target on your back for a fine.

I'd suggest getting Waze on your phone as a very good app for navigation. Live traffic feedback is very useful and having reminders of the ever changing speed limits will save your wallet. Did 4000kms in the 911 with my teenage son and managed stay 'legal'...
We used a paper map to plan our routes, marking places to see/ visit and then plugged those into Waze to have a live nav function on my phone. Plugged into the car it worked a treat.

Also its seems as if your main aim into see France so staying off the autoroutes might be worth while. Longer journey times certainly, but more to see and experience.

It might be worth planning out in more detail what you want to see in Normandy, there is so much in terms of large and small museums, walking the beaches and headlands etc. Easy to under estimate and feel you have missed out.

If you can visit the Loire Valley it is amazing. The Chateaux are fantastic and represent a unique historical record... getting your head around how these people lived and how life was in that era is a challenge, one that is worth it.

And adopt the local approach to life..

[petrolhead611]

Forgot to mention above, do not undertake. It is viewed as a serious offence in Europe, and if seen by police, it will ruin your day. Drivers here are not prepared for such self-entitled driving,
so it can easily lead to an accident.

[petrolhead611]

The earlier suggestion to unscrew car number plates is very old fashioned and frankly ridiculous; they anyway are stuck onto the car in Europe.

[LWJ]

Understand about the France specific book. I recommend "Europe through the backdoor" for the travel philosophy. Specific location data can be acquired all over.

[abisel]

When you are in Normandy, plan on 3 days, maybe 4 days. Been there and done that back in '07.

Stay at the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux but be sure to plan ahead and get reservations. They fill up quick in late July, early August.

Take your GPS with you and get/load the Europe/France maps so you can mark your places/sights.

Look into setting-up a guided, 2-day, D-Day tour of Normandy with Overlord Tours. Look into tour 7, the Bradly tour. Mark everything with your GPS. Then after the tour, you can drive around on your own using the GPS.

While in Bayeux be sure to visit the Tapestry museum. They have the tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings Norman conquest of England in 1066. Also is the Notre Dame cathedral consecrated in 1077. Good food in Bayeux and the people speak English.

And most of all, visit the American Cemetery of Colleville.

some links:
https://www.bayeux.fr/en
Le Churchill Hotel Bayeux | Hotel Bayeux 3 stars France
https://www.overlordtour.com/

[berettafan]

Enjoy your trip. We took our first trip to Europe this past July and my wife and I both wondered why we waited so long. Can't speak to France but here are a couple items we learned and will apply the next time:

-High speed trains are awesome
-Eat away from the major tourist spots and don't agonize over online reviews.
-Manual transmission diesels are a blast to drive
-Seek out open air markets, grocery stores, etc. where locals shop to get a truer feel of the area.
-x2 on drinking local stuff.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by abisel

When you are in Normandy, plan on 3 days, maybe 4 days. Been there and done that back in '07.

Stay at the Churchill Hotel in Bayeux but be sure to plan ahead and get reservations. They fill up quick in late July, early August.

Take your GPS with you and get/load the Europe/France maps so you can mark your places/sights.

Look into setting-up a guided, 2-day, D-Day tour of Normandy with Overlord Tours. Look into tour 7, the Bradly tour. Mark everything with your GPS. Then after the tour, you can drive around on your own using the GPS.

While in Bayeux be sure to visit the Tapestry museum. They have the tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings Norman conquest of England in 1066. Also is the Notre Dame cathedral consecrated in 1077. Good food in Bayeux and the people speak English.

And most of all, visit the American Cemetery of Colleville.

some links:
https://www.bayeux.fr/en
Le Churchill Hotel Bayeux | Hotel Bayeux 3 stars France
https://www.overlordtour.com/

We are probably going to have about 2 days for exploring the D-day stuff. Wives will not be too interested, although my wife has a relative that died there during WW2. We will try to find out where he is buried there which will at least be of some interest to my wife.

Any suggestions for castles on the way from Paris to the Normandy beach area? Both wives want to visit some and we may not have time on our return to Paris airport after the races. (may not be able to convince the rest of group to take enough time from work to extend our trip for a couple days in the Loire Valley)

While we are planning a day at Mont St Michel after the Normandy D-day stuff, we are also considering spending the night there. Is it worth it?