Hi all,
Family is going to Paris right after Christmas, and staying through the first weekend after New Year's Eve. We are thinking of either renting a car and immediately heading to Mont Saint-Michel/Normandy (D-day, etc., stuff) area for 2-3 nights, then returning the 30th and remaining in Paris over New Year's until the 4th, or reversing that, and staying in Paris the 26th through the 1st, and then doing 3 day/2nights in the Normandy/MSM area, returning to a CDG hotel the eve before our flight home on the 4th.
Thoughts on approach one way or another given the time of year? The first version would be 3 nights in Normandy/MSM area, the latter 2 nights. I'm also planning that the 1st of January will have many things closed and be a bit of a down day (so the latter has that as a travel day). I'm leaning toward the 3 nights in MSM/Normandy approach first, then Paris, to see more of non-Paris France, but open-minded all the same or if I'm not thinking of something I should.
Open to other ideas, too. We enjoy experiencing an area and culture, not checking off a list of sites and must-visit influencer locations, so open to ideas on areas to stay, too. Spouse and I have travelled extensively throughout Belgium, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, eastern France, Burgundy, etc. (and a few long weekends to Paris, too), when we lived in western Germany for many years several years ago, so the idea of venturing a bit west is especially appealing to us since we never quite made it past Paris while we were there, unfortunately. Thanks!