Normandy routes for 3 days. Normandy and Brittany - independent travel

This allowed us to increase the number of days in Brittany and reduce gas costs, compared to the original plan to also start from Paris. Moreover, the difference in ticket price was insignificant.

We were very scared that the transfer time at CDG (Charles de Gaulle) airport was only an hour and twenty. It was comforting that the airline itself considered this transit time sufficient, otherwise it would have given us a later flight to Rennes. The worries were in vain. On the plane, the flight attendant herself came up to us and explained how best to change the terminal. At the airport everything is organized in the following order. First, security control at the exit from the arrival terminal, which takes 30-40 minutes along with exiting the plane. Then - a quick march, not very far, to the shuttle stop. And after the move, at the entrance to the departure terminal, passport control. In our case, the latter took no more than 5 minutes, because... The terminal for local flights is small. In short, we were convinced that if the plane was not late, there was plenty of time for the transfer.

Finally, after all the excitement, we are on a tiny plane to Rennes. Cookies, drinks and wine were a pleasant surprise, although the flight was short. Unloading suitcases and retrieving luggage took no more than 10 minutes, since most passengers are flying light. There are no more checks; you can quickly pick up your rental car and go to the hotel.

Lyrical digression. Eating while traveling for us is not only a process of filling the stomach, but also a matter of pleasure. That's why he always gets a lot of attention. On the one hand, it should be tasty and with local flavor, on the other hand, it should not go beyond the travel budget. Therefore, if possible, we booked rooms equipped with a kitchen. There are many hotels with similar rooms in France, they are popular for family vacation, and the prices are reasonable. In this case, you can have breakfast and dinner in your room, food is stored in the refrigerator, there is a stove, a microwave, and even sometimes Dishwasher. At the entrances and exits of all cities there are large supermarkets where we buy cheeses, pates, seafood and everything else your heart desires. In addition, our favorite chanterelle mushrooms are sold everywhere here - it’s very tasty and quick to fry them in sour cream. Eating very tasty in this way 2 times a day, which we advise you to do, we only go out to the restaurant once - for lunch or dinner, depending on how the day turns out. By the way, the province is not Paris - lunch in restaurants is from 12 to 14 noon, dinner is also by the hour, from 19. And you have to take this schedule into account if you don’t want to eat dry food.

In Brittany and Normandy, Calvados and pommeau - apple drinks - are very popular, because... grapes don't grow there. Pommo is a mixture of Calvados and apple juice, 17 percent aperitif. For those who rule, there is also cider - 3-5%. The prices are affordable - pommeau - 10 euros per bottle, cider - 3-4, calvados - depending on the brand and aging, but also not so scary.

When ordering hotels online, pay attention to the note about the city tax - 1-2 euros per person per day, collected directly at the hotel.

Rennes is a pretty city, there are beautiful buildings in a pompous spirit, and then we first saw half-timbered houses, which then accompanied us all the way. There is a university in the city, and the center is full of young people. Rennes is famous for its Saturday morning market, and we just arrived on Friday and decided to visit this local miracle. We had a lot of fun. A lot of seafood, an amazing abundance of cheeses, as well as berries and mushrooms are an incredible attraction for us. In addition, of course, vegetables and fruits, meat and sausages, there are also unexpected goods - homemade jams, for example. The season for tasting oysters immediately began - they opened them for us right there on the spot and we feasted on them. After walking around the market, we headed to Dinan - our main base in Brittany. On the way we visited the towns of Fougères and Cobourg. We highly recommend Fougere, there is a beautiful castle there. The distances are short, so you can choose the routes to your liking - there are many small cute towns along the way.

Dinan is a city of the 16th-17th centuries, perfectly preserved. There we stayed for 3 nights at the Résidence hôtelière Club MMV. The room was a picturesque attic with a kitchen in a historical building (see lyrical digression). To the center - 3 minutes by car. Every day we did radial routes around Brittany, and in the evening we walked around Dinan. In addition, this hotel has a small indoor pool– it’s very pleasant to swim after a busy tourist day.

The journey along the route San Malo - Cancale - Dinard took the whole day, although the distances are not great. When planning your route, we strongly advise you to study the tide schedule on the website and, if possible, choose your travel dates accordingly, otherwise you may not see this famous phenomenon. We left for San Malo early in the morning; the tide was almost at its maximum. We looked at the flooded shore, walked around the city and headed to Cancale. Cancale has a wonderful walking route with views that goes along the coast and down to the port. If you park your car near the tourist office, you need to go around the cathedral and turn left - there will be signs for this route. The highlight of Cancale is the oyster market at the port. For a more than reasonable price, you can buy oysters and eat them immediately, throwing the shells at your feet, like thousands of tourists. We recommend bringing lemon and booze with disposable cups. True, if you forgot, it’s also not a disaster. In any case, they will sell you lemon on the spot. Bon appetit! In the few hours we spent in Cancale, the sea went away. We returned to San Malo to the same place to look at the low tide. Absolutely amazing experience!

Finally, after enjoying the low tide, you can drive up to Dinard - a very nice party town with a casino. Film festivals are held there and in the very center near the beach there is a monument to Hitchcock. Days in Brittany are long and it really gets warm in the afternoon. We even regretted that we did not take swimming gear - it became surprisingly warm and sunny, and we could immediately swim under Hitchcock.

The trip to Saint-Brieuc - Coast of Pink Granite is also a full day trip. Saint-Brieuc was not particularly impressive, you can skip it. The coast of Pink Granite is very nice, it has amazing views, interesting nature - all the plants seem to have been beaten by the wind. In coastal towns, life proceeds leisurely in a resort style. And although the restaurants here do not close after 14.00, you must allow at least two hours for lunch - the service is very slow. We spent the evening, as usual, in Dinan - we went down to the marina.

Mont Saint Michel, moving to Normandy. In the morning we left for Normandy. It was sunny and warm again, which is rare for this region in September. You should try to arrive early in Mont Saint-Michel, before there are crowds of tourists and you can walk without being jostled. There is a free shuttle from the parking lot, but you can also walk - about 40 minutes. At the entrance, we recommend buying a guidebook in Russian - the price is 6.5 euros. It contains a card, which is still needed, but costs 3.5 euros separately. You don’t need much time to visit - just walk along the streets and visit the abbey. Also, if you get there on a good day, it’s interesting to watch the sea. There was a slight tide, and the fortress was initially surrounded by water, which gradually began to recede. It was decided to have lunch with the remaining food - we still had cheese, shrimp, and jamon after Dinan. On the way out of Saint Michel, we stopped at a nearby farm, bought a bottle of cider and immediately had lunch on a bench with it - just wonderful!

Upon arrival in Bayeaux, we immediately went to the Tapestry Museum - a must see! The tapestry is already a thousand years old, it was created in the 1070s. and tells of the Norman conquest of England. There is a wonderful audio guide in Russian. The town itself is tiny, in the center there is a very beautiful cathedral, a couple of interesting streets. It doesn't take much time to inspect. Then we went to Omaha Beach, the site of the American landing in July 1944. You will laugh for a long time, but they are loved and respected here! You can feel the approach of the 70th anniversary in everything, the flags of the participating countries are everywhere. Along the coast there are monuments, museums, memorial signs, literally in every place where something happened. It was already evening, but it was warm. Therefore, after changing clothes in the car, we swam in the English Channel, which aroused the unhealthy interest of tourists on the shore.

Bayeux was the first city liberated as a result of the Battle of Normandy. In the morning we visited the thematic museum (Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie) and the English Memorial Cemetery. There are simply no words for how they take care of cemeteries here. Almost all graves have names; sometimes there are wreaths and notes from relatives. But to everyone unknown soldier a separate grave and its own individual monument were laid... Again, not for the first time in France, I felt ashamed of our former homeland. Then, through the landing beaches of the Allies (British, French, Poles, Canadians) and small pretty towns, they moved along the sea to Trouville. Deauville and Trouville are the elite resorts of Normandy. Deauville is more party-oriented, Trouville less so. We rented a lower studio apartment with a kitchen in a villa in Trouville, a short walk from the city center, casino, restaurants and fish market. We used the latter circumstance for our own selfish purposes - the continuation of breakfast in the form of fresh oysters every day took place there.

Bridge Normandy - Honfleur - Etretat. In the morning we went to Honfleur, and then, across the famous Normandy Bridge, to Etretat. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Fécamp, it was already a little late, and we were going to devote the evening to Deauville. Honfleur is a very nice old town, in an hour we made a circle around the center and continued on our way. Claude Monet painted in Etretat; copies of paintings with the famous holey rocks are exhibited right there on the beach, where you can see these very rocks in their natural form. Those who are healthy enough can climb the rocks, from where a wonderful view of the bay and the city opens. There are ladders laid there. If you want to photograph the Normandy Bridge, then on the Le Havre side in front of the bridge there is a seating area with observation deck. We spent the evening in Deauville. Apparently, its role in France is akin to Jurmala in the Soviet Union - a northern resort, not hot, but with a lot of show-offs. A tiny, polished film festival town, just like a picture. On the beach there are famous cabins with the names of movie stars

Road of cheeses and Calvados: Livaro - Lisieux - Pont-l'Eveque. In Pont-l'Eveque at the northern entrance there is a Calvados factory called Pierre Magloire. A tour with tasting costs only 3.3 euros. Everything is, of course, in French. But you can ask for a booklet in Russian. In addition, the film, which is shown at the beginning, is also accompanied by Russian subtitles at the request of the public. At the end of the excursion, as usual, they pour you whatever you ask for. Don't be shy. There is a cheese factory in Livaro. The entrance is free. Through the windows there is a view directly onto the manufacturing process. At the end of the inspection, you can visit the store, try all the cheeses and buy what you like. For example, we really liked Neufchatel cheese...The opening of the trip was the Basilica in Lisieux - a place of pilgrimage to St. Therese. We belong to a different faith, so we were only impressed by the scale of the building and the number of pilgrims from different countries peace. I had to get acquainted with the story of Saint Teresa on the Internet upon returning home.

The evening was dedicated to the Trouville casino. The bets are low: Blackjack – 5 euros, roulette – half a euro. There were very few people - it was not the season. Dress code is loose.

Rouen. This is just a super city, the pearl of Normandy. Just walk and enjoy life. Additionally, two recommendations. Restaurant Corona, founded in 1385. It is located opposite the Cathedral of Joan of Arc. The walls are covered with photographs of celebrities who have been here. These are, for example, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Serge Ginzburg, Salvador Dali, Jean Paul Sartre - and this is only a small part of whom they were able to identify offhand. from the photo. But it’s not just about the show off. The prices are really not cheap. But for a special occasion, and we had one, it’s not that bad. And the pleasure is great, gentlemen. Crown give lessons good manners. When a man comes with a lady, the menu is handed to both of them. But, please note, the women's version is without prices!!! A lady should not be distracted by such nonsense as price, she simply chooses what she likes! Second. In the evening, when it gets dark, a light show is held on the façade of Rouen Cathedral. We knew nothing about him and saw him by chance on the way from the restaurant to the hotel. We advise you to find out about the times and days at the tourist office. Very beautiful and unusual!

On the road from Rouen to Paris, take a detour to Giverny – Claude Monet’s house-museum with a garden. The garden amazes with its riot of colors; there are also ponds with water lilies and water lilies immortalized by the artist. Only on the bridge, instead, there are crowds of tourists with cameras. On a good day you can take a long walk and enjoy it.

Finally, Paris is the final destination of our trip. This is not our first time here. We left the hotel in the morning and returned at night, having walked 18 kilometers in a day to our favorite places. With stops, of course. Volumes have been written about this city. The advice only applies to overnight stays. It was very convenient that the Ibis hotel, our lifesaver for many years, was located next to the Eiffel Tower on the Boulevard de Grenelle. If you can order in advance, we highly recommend it; the price is inexpensive for such a place - 79 euros, and parking cost us another 19 euros per day. If anyone is interested, the entrance to the metro station is literally opposite. We went out in search of breakfast, explored the surrounding establishments and returned to the hotel for breakfast. For 9.5 euros, Ibis serves a fairly varied and tasty buffet.

Know-how! We had a plane in the morning. Therefore, we decided to spend the night in Orly in a budget hotel "Premier Class", there are many different ones in one place. This approach has fully justified itself. Calmly, late in the evening, without traffic jams and hassle, we moved from the center to Orly. Parking here is free, the airport is 5 minutes away, no need to get up 5 hours before departure. And you can also eat in one of the two Ibises, they are nearby and for the same price they sell breakfast for everyone, not only for their guests.

By the way, in Bayo we also lived in a hotel of the Premier Class chain. It’s simple, but cheap, always with parking, and there’s usually the Campagnile Hotel nearby, where you can have breakfast. If you only need to spend the night, this is a good solution.

Gasoline cost around 1.5 euros per liter.

We wish everyone a pleasant holiday!

The scene is early May 2017, we are in Paris and we have a week. The northern regions of France have long been attractive, and therefore it was decided to spend this week just there.

Our route looked like this (map):

Day 1: Giverny - Rouen

Jumping into a rented car, we leave the unloved Paris.

On the way to the city of Rouen - the gateway to Normandy, there is at least one place worth visiting - the house-museum of Claude Monet. If you want to see with your own eyes the water lilies that inspired the master’s numerous paintings and made him famous, be sure to stop by Giverny (about 80 km from Paris).

The city of Rouen is notorious for the fact that it was here that poor Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. If we abstract from this sad event, the city is very beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

Hotel: I can recommend the Mercure Rouen Center Cathedrale (it couldn’t be more central, there is underground parking, everything is new).

Food: Don't miss the market on the main square, and especially the fish shop, where the freshest seafood is prepared right in front of you.

Day 2: Etretat - Fecamp

100 km from Rouen is the town of Etretat - a place of attraction for all tourists in Normandy.

It is in this place, on both sides of the town, that there are limestone cliffs that Monet loved to paint! The view from the rocks is truly mesmerizing. The climb up the mountain is quite difficult, but older people and small children can also climb it.

If you are lucky enough to find a decent hotel in Etretat, then you can spend the night right there to admire the white cliffs in the evening illumination. For my dates, there were no rooms in local hotels, so we “had to” spend the night in the town of Fecamp, which is 20 km from Etretat.

Fecamp is a small port town, famous for, that it was here that the Benedictine monks came up with the famous Benedictine tincture. They say that the recipe was lost, but in the last century some enterprising person “found” it and made a huge fortune from the production of the drink. Benedictine on ice is wonderful! The town has an entire palace-museum dedicated to this liqueur.

Note: The Normandy coast is notorious for the fighting that took place here during the Second World War. On the way there are many memorial plaques, fortifications, and forts. There is also a huge cemetery and memorial. Everyone decides for themselves whether to visit places of military glory during a trip to Normandy or whether to limit themselves only to historical and natural cities and attractions.

Rennes is a fairly large city that didn’t particularly impress me. A good stop-over for an overnight stay, nothing more.

Day 7: Tours - Vouvray - Amboise

When planning a route through Normandy and Brittany, I had a couple of “extra” days left, which I decided to spend on the Loire Valley!

The Loire Valley is a famous wine-growing region that stretches almost from the ocean to the middle of France. The vineyards are located on both sides of the river (the river itself, by the way, is not at all expressive or attractive).

Whistling 250 km from Rennes, we made a short stop and stretched our legs in Tours, and from Tours we drove along the Loire River towards the wineries.

I can recommend (1) a tour and tasting at the Marc Bredif winery in the Vouvray region - the guide speaks good English, the tasting is not expensive, as is the wine itself (there is even sparkling wine), (2) the biodynamic winery Domain Vigneau-Chevreau (no excursions, tasting and sales only), as well as (3) the family winery Caves du Pere Auguste - headed by the grandson of the founder, almost only family members work there!

Hotel: In the Loire Valley, I really wanted to stay in an old chateau, preferably with a good restaurant. After a long search, the choice fell on Chateau de Pray, founded in 1244! Very beautiful interiors, small but well-groomed area.

Food: The chateau has a restaurant of the same name with one Michelin star; reservations are required. In short, the food is delicious, but the service is just terribly slow and long! Our two courses took 3.5 hours!! It is unacceptable, in my opinion, to torture guests like that!

Day 8: Chenonceau - Sancerre

The Loire Valley is famous not only for its wines, but also for its castles, of which there are several dozen. One of the most famous is the Chenonceau castle, built in the 16th century and owned by different years Catherine de Medici, wives and mistresses of kings, etc. The castle is very well preserved interior interiors, including furniture, carpets, fireplaces, etc. A notable feature of the castle is the gallery bridge built across the Cher River! During the Second World War, the opposite bank was occupied by the Nazis, and they say that almost all the time guns were aimed at the castle, ready to destroy it at any moment, but by some lucky chance this did not happen, and the castle has survived to this day in its original condition sight!

The Sancerre appellation is a very famous wine region in France and the most interchangeable representative of the wines of the Loire Valley region (along with Pouilly-Fumé). The main grape variety here is Sauvignon Blanc.
Map

The town of Sancerre itself is located on a hill, and there are vineyards around - the view is stunning! After buying wine and cheese, we had a picnic right on the fortress wall =)

We didn't have time to book a tour of the winery, so we just went for a tasting at almost the first one we came across - Eric Louis.

After admiring Sancerre and crying over the ridiculous prices of local wines, we loaded back into the car and after some 210 km we were already in Paris.

Beach holidays in France are usually primarily associated with the south and the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the French, who know their country well, prefer the beaches of Normandy. You just need to choose correct time and place.

Deauville – rich mansions, gorgeous beaches, clear ocean...

The northwestern regions of the Fifth Republic, Normandy and Brittany, which, due to their location, are difficult for Russian people to relate to beach holiday- firstly, the “north”, and secondly, not formally the open sea or ocean, but the shores of the harsh English Channel, attract mainly excursionists on short organized trips from Paris. However, a trip to Normandy - a picturesque green region with a rich cultural and historical heritage, fantastic landscapes and no less glorious gastronomic specialties - is more interesting than the Mediterranean resorts. It is best to go here at the peak of summer, in July-August, when it is hot almost everywhere in France, and even the water in the English Channel warms up to an acceptable temperature for swimming. The beginning of September is also a good time: it’s still quite warm, and Deauville also hosts the famous film festival of American cinema, which, in terms of the scale and level of visiting stars, can be called, if not a “younger brother,” then certainly a “cousin” of the famous Cannes.

In general, traveling through the cities of Normandy can be called a real pleasure for a film buff: a huge number of cult French films were filmed here, and top actors such as Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Louis de Funes, Anouk Aimé, Robert Hossein, Michel Morgan , and dozens of others often came here to relax and gain inspiration.

The most famous historical resorts of Normandy - Deauville-sur-Mer and Trouville-sur-Mer, the so-called “Parisian Riviera”, or even the “XXI arrondissement of Paris” - are connected to the capital by highway.

It is also easy to get here comfortably from Paris by direct train in just two hours. And for traveling around Normandy, it is best to rent a car to see natural attractions far from large cities and better experience the incredible rural beauty of Normandy.

Trouville and Deauville, which appeared on the map of routes for the aristocracy a little later, at the beginning of the 19th century, were, like most of the now famous French resorts, small fishing villages, notable only for their picturesqueness. With the advent of fashion for sea bathing and sunbathing Wealthy vacationers increasingly began to come here, attracted by the wide beautiful beaches, and it was not long before the appearance of infrastructure for the rich and famous. The years 1840–1860 saw the rapid construction of luxury hotels, private villas, entertainment venues and promenades in Trouville. And by 1870, this resort flourished and became popular among representatives of the highest circles of the European aristocracy.

Deauville-sur-Mer, Trouville's twin brother, is separated from it only by the bed of the Tuk River. “If you go to the right, you will end up in Trouville, if you go to the left, you will end up in Deauville” - a landmark if you are facing the ocean in the port area. The territory of the resorts is quite compact, and while relaxing in one of them, it is not difficult to move to the neighboring one.

In the 1860s, when Trouville had nowhere to expand, a project for the Deauville resort appeared, the authors of which were Dr. Oliffe, step-brother Emperor Napoleon III Duke of Morny and banker Armand Donon. The emphasis was placed on the prestige of the new holiday destination. On the former swampy area, a town surprisingly quickly grew up with huge hotels, a casino, a hippodrome and a wood-paved promenade with carved bathing cabins, which to this day remain one of the recognizable symbols of Deauville. The “golden age” of resorts occurred at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when the lush imperial style of architecture was complemented by luxurious buildings in the Belle Epoque style. Despite the fact that many unique villas from the architectural ensemble of Deauville and Trouville were destroyed (after the Second World War or through the efforts of some zealous mayors of the towns), today you can still stay in most of the old historical hotels built at the turn of the last century. The famous five-star Hotel Normandy, which has often become the setting for films such as “Baron de L'Ecluse” with Jean Gabin, is still impeccable. The Royal Hotel in Deauville is still luxurious, the Grand Casino in Trouville still opens its doors to players...

Walking along the historic boardwalk along the ocean in Deauville is reminiscent of one of the most romantic paintings of our time - “A Man and a Woman” by Claude Lelouch. If you want to drink a cup of coffee or have lunch overlooking the ocean, you should choose Bar du Soleil, Bar de la mer or Le Ciro`s restaurant - these are establishments that date back to the beginning of the 20th century and have seen many famous guests. The resorts traditionally demand a casino, a hippodrome, and horseback riding along the shore. In the immediate vicinity of Deauville and Trouville you can find the impeccable golf courses for which Normandy is famous. Thalasso therapy center and many spas, heated swimming pools sea ​​water, yacht club, tennis courts, shopping centers are located in the area between the hotels and the boardwalk.

Quai Honfleur

Visit the picturesque town of Honfleur, as if straight out of an impressionist painting, 15 km from Trouville. The heart of Honfleur and the main point of attraction for tourists is its harbor, framed by charming old mansions in the Norman style.

Follow the 40km Cider Route, which starts approximately 20km east of Caen and passes through authentic small farm villages. One of the main specialties of Normandy is produced here - apple cider and its stronger derivative - Calvados brandy, you can taste and buy all of this. In addition, the region is the birthplace of the world-famous Camembert cheese, and nowhere else except Normandy will you find such a selection of varieties and tastes of this cheese.

Walk along the edge of the almost vertical rock cliffs around the village of Etretat (20 km southeast of Fécamp) and see the powerful cliff-arches that have become one of the most recognizable symbols of Normandy in the world. Admire the deserted beaches at the foot of the cliffs - wild and amazing with the power of the waves.

Visit one of the wonders of France - the island of Mont Saint-Michel with the abbey located on it, and in fact - a perfectly preserved medieval city, the first mention of which dates back to 709. Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most popular attractions in the country and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, so it would be at least a shame not to see it while in Normandy.

See memorial sites of the Second World War. The northern coast of the region at the end of the Second World War became the place where, on June 6, 1944, the landing operation of the Allied landing forces began under code name"Overlord". The beaches of Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juneau and Gold became the sites of the bloodiest battles between the British and American airborne divisions and Nazi troops. One of the most emotionally powerful sights of these places is the American military cemetery with its seemingly endless rows of modest white crosses.

Read about the most interesting exhibitions, concerts, auctions and other significant events from the world of art.

Text: Elena Kurylenko

Good afternoon

My husband and I are going to France in June, we have already bought air tickets (St. Petersburg-Paris-St. Petersburg), but the route is not working out yet... There are too many things I want to see :-)) As it turned out, most of the places that we had planned for ourselves were are in Normandy. In this regard, the question arose:
Please tell me, is it possible to see Giverny, Rouen, Etretat, Honfleur, Mont Saint Michel while traveling by public transport? How many days should you plan for these places? And where is the best place to book a hotel to easily get to all cities?

Last year I went to Rouen by train from Paris - I left at around 9 am and returned around 8 pm. I was very impressed, charming city, amazing main cathedral and exceptional churches and smaller cathedrals. But one day was enough for me to explore the old part of the city and even stop by the local museum of forged goods.
I was passing through Giverny in the summer, but by car - according to my impression - getting there by public transport (train + bus) is obviously possible, but difficult, mostly people came there by tourist buses and cars.
I haven’t been to other places, so I can’t recommend it.

Galinka2009, thank you!

It’s not difficult to get to Giverny, I found out. The question is: should we return back to Paris that day or go to Rouen? Then where should we put our things while we walk around Giverny?
And if you live in Rouen, is it really possible to get to the attractions that I listed in the first message on your own? Maybe some of them can be combined into one day?

How many days do you have for the trip in general? How much time do you want to spend in Paris? With all my love for provincial France, you first need to understand how much you need for Paris, and then you can try to squeeze everything else into the rest of the time...

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Absolutely real - a couple of years ago I did this route personally.
We took hotels in Rouen (3n), MSM (2n) and San Malo (our journey continued further). During the trip, I regretted that I didn’t take it to Etretat for a day - I only had to lick my lips during the day.

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Nothing like this!

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Then I immediately went to Rouen - watched and all that, and from there I went to Giverny for a full day, and Etretat in the second - both were very convenient. That's why I took 3n in Rouen. And you shouldn’t regret that you are passing Giverny from Paris to Rouen - but you will get your things in a straight line without any hassles, and returning to Giverny from Rouen is very convenient.

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And under no circumstances should you squeeze anything in! - you'll just ruin the whole impression. You need to travel around the province fully and slowly, and if you haven’t seen Paris yet, you need to explore Paris first, or another time. I don’t recommend mixing everything into one bottle.

Hm....
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I really like her, but I'm impatient and more than a day in one city (that is, sometimes a day and a night in a hotel) - having made a couple of circles around all the sights in three or four hours, I usually figure out what nearby town I could rush to for impressions :).... and when after that I can will return to Paris.

Galinka2009,
we will have 10 days, although the 10th can’t be counted (we are leaving early), but the 1st is almost full - we arrive at 10 am.
By the way, I’m also impatient :-)) I always want to embrace the immensity - it’s unknown whether I’ll return to this country again... I’ve never seen so much...

Probably, lovers of Paris will not understand me, but I plan to spend 3 days in this city, no more. For some reason, it doesn’t attract me at all (maybe I’ll change my mind later :-)), because of this, I never considered France at all as a travel destination. Until I came across several reports on the provinces and photographs of Mont Saint Michel on the Vinsky forum. Well, I didn’t dare to visit France and not see Paris - I didn’t dare to do that :-)) But still, it’s not a priority...

Mademoiselleka,
How did you get from Rouen to Etretat and Honfleur? How long does it take (I looked on the map - it seems close...) And how much time do you need to spend exploring these towns?

9 days is great! Of course, it would be logical for you to loop the route, but here a little difficulty arises. As I understand it, you usually get to Mont Saint-Michel through Rennes, Pontorson and Caen. But if you try to make the transfer from Rennes to Rouen or vice versa, the railway website voyages-sncf.com does not provide a direct connection between them - everything turns out through Paris...
Inspired by the task, I thought of the following as one of the options:

Paris - Mont Saint Michel - Paris - Rouen - Paris
It turns out that from Rouen you can visit Giverny, Etretat and Honfleur, that is, it’s worth spending three nights there...
But with Mont Saint Michel, look at the reviews, there are options both to turn around in one day and to spend one night in Rennes. In principle, if Paris is not a priority, there is just a chance to get a little impressions from Ren as well :))) Or, as an option, you can look by dates and buy a one-day organized excursion from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel....

Then (if you stay overnight in Rennes) the following may happen - although there are a lot of options:
1 day - Paris
Day 2 - transfer to Rennes + Mont Saint-Michel, overnight in Rennes
Day 3 - return to Paris and probably, as an option, straight away to Rouen
(you just have to move between stations)
There, depending on your desire, you can spend 3 days with trips around Normandy, and then return to Paris (let’s say on day 6)
If Paris is not a priority, you can even look at another city, for example Reims.

The only thing is that there is a lot of moving around with things, it’s tiring!

Galinka2009, thank you very much for your responsiveness!

Now I’m all in thought - my husband really wants to add Alsace, at least 2 days (to Strasbourg and Colmar), how to squeeze them in??? I'll have to give up something...

By the way, I just discovered that on March 1st, the Infrance forum posted a plan for Alliance Voyage excursions for the whole year. And it turns out that on our penultimate day (the day before our flight home) they have a full-day excursion to Mont Saint Michel for 57 euros per person. So, we'll probably turn to them...

Then maybe this route:
Day 1 - arrival, walk around Paris
Day 2 - Paris
Day 3 - Paris
Day 4 - transfer to Strasbourg, overnight at a hotel in Strasbourg
Day 5 - Colmar, return to Strasbourg,
Day 6 - transfer to Paris, walk around Paris (or go to Giverny)
Day 7 - one of the Loire castles
Day 8 - Giverny (if you didn’t go on day 6) or something else
Day 9 - MSM
Day 10 - flight home.

Somehow I don’t really like it yet :-(((

Yes, I also found a schedule there, but during my trip they obviously also decided to take a vacation :)) 57 euros per person is just a super price, take it! I figured that for May 6-7, if I suddenly decide to reserve tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, it will be about 80-90 euros, and since I usually buy a ticket the day before, it will be very more expensive.... Again, it’s easier by bus .
About Alsace - listen to your husband :)) Strasbourg is a fairy tale, with a slight touch of Germany, it is very worth a visit, about 3.5 - 4 hours from Paris by expressway. Colmar is nice, but the old part, where “little Venice” is, is very small.
Why throw away Rouen? It is close to Paris, an hour and a half by train. Maybe on day 5 you will return to Paris late in the evening, and on day 6 you will go to Rouen and/or Giverny?

It’s a pity that Alliance doesn’t have anything for your dates... And look at this company - http://www.francetourisme.fr/uk/mont-sa … rsion.html They are, however, more expensive, but have more options excursions and it is possible to book in advance. I found information about them on some forum, the reviews were also good.

I also really want to go to Alsace, to Colmar even more than to Strasbourg, the photo reminded me of Rothenburg in Bavaria, where we really liked it...

Probably then we’ll go to Giverny either on the 3rd or 6th day, and on the 8th day to Rouen. What do you think?

Oh, thanks for the link!!!
As for Giverny, I still can’t say how to get there by public transport. Sncf, if you ask for Paris-Giverny, gives the Vernon station, which means you need to take a bus from there. That is, in terms of time it will also take almost the whole day. The main thing is that the weather is good and everything blooms!

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"Khobotov, don't be fussy!" :)))
There is no need for such throwing around - best time spend time on the train and you will really regret it! :)
So let's go point by point...

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A reasonable program, but Ruan crashes out completely. + All the time you wander through Paris, of course all the roads go through it, but this way you get a tour of “all the stations of Paris” :) and not a trip.
What are you flying with? Take AirFrance, the price is often the same as Aeroflot, but you can quite well end up at the right point for the same money.

Try this day by day:
...

(sorry, the message was lost)
Try this day by day:
1) Flight Moscow-Paris-Strasbourg (or transfer to Strasbourg directly from SDG - 2.5-3 hours 60-90s, if air tickets are already on hand).
2) Colmar (30min 11th)
3) Here the question is - where did the Loire come from in your plan? ;) Have you decided to compress ALL of France into 10 days? - I really don’t recommend it! From Strasbourg you can successfully cross to the Loire, but it takes a long time (more than 3 hours by train) and it is very difficult to get out to the north. So here’s some advice: It’s optimal for you to travel from east to west through Paris. Leave the Loire alone for your next visit, you and the MSM have enough castles for now - don’t try to pull yourself apart in three different sides from Paris.
Then day 3: Strasbourg-Paris.
4) Paris
5) Paris-Rouen (10-21st 1-1.5 hours)
6) Etretat
7) Giverny
8) Rouen - MSM (transfer via Caen 40-50e 4h)
9) MSM-Paris (55-75e 3-4h)
10) Departure

It is possible (perhaps even more optimal) to twist this entire program exactly in the other direction with the same order. Then you need to go to MSM from SDG directly through Ren and Pontorson.
I’ll write separately about Etretat and Giverny now. :)

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Take a ride for a day - it’s not worth it: it’s a long drive, with transfers. It's worth an overnight trip, especially with teenage children: this is a corsair fort! ;)

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Thank you very much, but I’m not ready for full-fledged ones due to unspeakable laziness. :-P I’m spreading all my thoughts here on the forum. :)

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