AL == Miracles of miracles. I was able to delete one of your posts. Please don't ask me how. I know the message board takes too long to load. Please EVERYONE have patience. That includes me.

Al, our last trip to England, we had the pleasure of driving up on the side of the road. flattening out a lot of weeds, to allow a huge lorry pass us on one of the BXXXX roads north of Hastings. I never realized how big lug nuts look as they pass your window only a foot away, even if the lorry is going a few miles an hour. Good thing there wasn't a ditch along the road, or we would have had to back up a ways.

Sorry for the duplication but even though my message was sent and appeared on top, I came back to send another message without realizing that the sent message was still there. Don't be mad at me Karen ;-)

This remineded me some years ago in Florence (before the system was invented) a friend of mine had a rented car and got to a turn where the roadway narrowed and he was STUCK. I heard that the car had to be hoisted up to eventually retrieve it. The is the type of problem that could happen under the system.

Agree or not agree, it ain't as easy as it seems considering things that the system has created. A couple of years ago there was a write up about the consequences of the system being introduced in England. Unlike the USof A the road systems in Europe are not as well defined on maps as to the condition and capacity and AGE of roads. Large lorries were directed to roads they never should have gone on causing aside from massive traffic tie-ups damage that was lasting and creating havoc in quite country villages. In non urban areas even ordinary cars were led to roads not meant for them.

Joe: I agree. As does AutoEurope.

http://www.autoeurope.com/showspecial.cfm?specid=732&aff=bonjourparis

I have seen so many parts of France (and other parts of the EU) that I would happily have skipped. Called going round and round! (:

My wife recently said that all our future cars, including rentals, will have NAV systems. Especially in Europe, where an unfolded map on the lap of the passenger never has enough detail. Plus, there is always missing that critical sign on the signpost or wall that has a critical direction. I can't tell you how many times I have heard in many different languages, "not far, down the road a piece, or you can't miss the turn". This is coming from my directionally-challenged wife. One of the more interesting challenges is driving in the flatter parts of Normandy or Brittany, or even the back roads in England, when you have one of those grey, overcast days, and you get lost. I remember getting lost in Normandy, and asking directions from a farmer on a tractor. After about 5-6 right/lefts and a few roundabouts from the farmer's directions, I knew i was in deep do-do. After a few wrong exits at a roundabout, we did finally make it to Fougeres. The other trick is finding on-ramps to the Autoroute or Peage.....

Joe - there are days when all of France appears to be on the road. I remember one August when my son and I were going to Tours. It took us more than two hours to get to the autoroute. I suggested we return to Paris and venture out the following day. That trip took approximately two hours. And I wasn't screaming at the top of my lungs.

The last time I was there, picked up my car at Porte Maillot. The agent showed me a slick way go go through Defense area to an easy entrance for the Peage that goes out towards Rouen. Next time I get a rental, I will start again at Porte Maillot, as it is so easy to leave the city. Now, getting back is the problem. I sure wish the NAV systems had the tie-in to XMRadio like my car has. My car has the traffic speeds overlain on the map like you see on TV, with the red, yellow, green on all the major highways. On that same trip, I was coming back on the autoroute from Le Mans, and about 20 miles from Paris, it was slow, slow, slow. On the radio, it sounded like all of France was stopped on every autoroute.

Al is 100% correct. Personally, I prefer to make my base Roeun since it's more of a real town with interesting things to see and do before or after picking up the rental car which we hope you'll rent via our affiliate:

http://www.autoeurope.com/showspecial.cfm?specid=732&aff=bonjourparis

If you find a less expensive rental ANYWHERE on the Internet (remember - you must be comparing apples to apples and automatic shifting cars), AutoEurope guarantees to match that price.

As for first class train travel versus second class, for short trips it's more than fine ....unless it's during school vacations. Then you might feel cramped and suffer from noise overload.

Al,

Thanks so much for your input. I will pass along your recommendations
to my friends.

Me again.... I would not waste money on a short trip like this for first class. If it is a matter of time I would say that the museum at Arromanche (where the British landed) will give you much much more info about the Normandy landings than the big museum at Caen.

RON.....I would not like to get out of Paris by car and what is worse is getting back in on return. Better to pick up a car in Normandy. I still suggest Bayeux as the hub for the nights of your stay and one could visit from Arromanches to Utah Beach with no problems.

I have friends planning a trip this month to Normandy (3-4 days), then returning
to Paris for several nights. Would it be better for them to take a train from
Paris to Normandy (Rouen, etc.), rent a car, then take the train back to Paris or
rent a car in Paris and drive to Normandy? Also, I understand they should request
a rental car with automatic transmission as most of the rentals are standard shift.
Regarding the trains, is a first-class ticket worth the extra expense over coach?
I've always taken coach and have been perfectly happy. Any other advice regarding
their Normandy adventure would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ron

Being out of the league of "money is no object", I might suggest that Bayeux, as Al suggests, is one spoke for the Cotentin. If they have kids, the chateau in Caen is good for letting them loose and burning off steam running around. According to my friend, the new museum of Liberation in Caen is well worth going to, but more of an adult thing. I would tend to avoid staying in Caen because of the traffic, even with the new beltway. Liseux is another hub if you want to explore the Calvados area. Down towards Mont St Michel, I have recently found that Fougeres is not a bad hub, which also gives the option of nearby St Malo, Dinan, and Rennes.

Now, where to stay. I tend to prefer the Gites, but if money is no option, how about the more opulent ones situated in old chateaux or manoirs ? I forget the name of the grouping, but they are very classy B&Bs, and if its the right place, provides opportunity to interact with some very interesting people. Having dinners at those places is also an option.

I would further suggest that they get a NAV system in the rental car, especially if the hotel is out in the country. Also, many of the old cities are a maze of one-way streets, and the signing for route directions in cities is many times confusing because they assume that you already know the area. Make sure the NAV has the option for English if has audio capability.

Joe

Ah, but one should not do Normandie by car going from place to place.. I did Normandie using Bayeux as the spoke of the wheel staying there every night. Most day trips were less than an hour. I would only do it by car. At the worst one could pick two spots to stay over.

Friends asked me to plan a money is no object trip throughout Normandy.

They want to see the sites and stay in beautiful hotels and eat in GREAT restos:

They're picking up a car in Rouen and leaving it at CDG!

Sites to see: Honfleur, Bayeux, The Normany beaches and graveyards and Mt.St. Michel.

They don't mind driving but (personally) I hate the idea of changing hotels EVERY night.

If you could plan a dream trip --- this is your chance! And you be doing me a favor and spending someone else's money!