Since you mentioned wine tasting in the Loire, I thought you’d enjoy this recent blog post from Kermit Lynch’s blog. Lynch is the Berkeley wine importer and merchant who is a major champion of Loire Valley wines in this country, especially Chinon and the ever-elusive Saviennieres.
I highly, highly recommend his book Adventures on the Wine Route to get you in the mood for tasting Loire Valley wines. It is a little out of date but the producers he talks about have been there for generations and are still there. Really great book with wonderful stories.
I visited Giverny with a girlfriend a year ago. We’d both made multiple trips to Paris and France, she’d even studied in worked in Paris for several years, but somehow neither of us had ever made it out there. We were quite looking forward to it - and stunned that we found the experience underwhelming. I can’t explain why - there were flowers, pleasant day, early AM so not too crowded, nothing definable as disappointing, just not the experience we expected.
Anyway, forgive my travel review - you will have no trouble deciding what interests you and your companions the most!
My H and I visited Giverny in this past October and loved it. My H is an avid photographer and we went on a cool day (it had rained on our bus ride there) so the crowds were light. The fall colors were brilliant and H took many pictures of the places we had seen in Monet’s work. Just another opinion.
H and I love to go to classical music concerts in historic settings. For example last November we attended a baroque opera at Versailles, a Vivaldi concert at the Louvre and a choir and organ concert at Chartres.(I know that the Musee D’Orsay has concerts all this month). All were after the venues closed to the general public. It’s wonderful to hear acoustic music in these gorgeous settings and tickets are relatively easy to get.Check the different museum websites for the dates that you will be in town.
Oh yes…and I forgot to add. My D singing a French Art Song concert at a Belle Epoque palace in the First. :">
Aside from the apartment in Amsterdam I have not made any reservations. It is totally not like me but I’m just not moving forward on getting this trip planned.
NJSue- thanks for the recommendation. I also have a B&b from another CC member. I really need to get on this.
I really enjoyed Giverny, and was there in the spring. The town has a few other galleries that were of interest. The year I went, D and I met friends and stayed in a town nearby, in a VRBO. It was Easter, and felt magical in that rural area.
Regarding Paris, I rather appreciate staying near Gare du Norde for first or last night. Away from the train station there are more average restaurants that don’t cost a fortune, but offer lovely food regardless. I buy my ticket for the RER the night prior to departure, and then shlep to the station early AM for the ride direct to CDG.
We were in Normandy and Brittany last summer, splendid place to visit! If I was doing your trip I would save the Loire for another trip; there is a lot to explore in the Loire area and you are only spending 2 nites there. Instead spend 7 nites in Normandy. Sights include Honfleur, Etretat, Rouen, MSM, Caen, Bayeux, the Normandy countryside with castles and beautiful towns, and more! Good guidebooks include the Rough Guide and the Rick Steves France book.
I would try to pick fewer towns as bases and use them to explore; moving every 1st or 2nd nite gets tiring. Except for Mont St-Michel, one nite there is enough. We arrived in late afternoon and stayed in one of the hotels just across the bridge. That gives time to see MSM after the crowds have thinned, a nite visit, and again the next morning before the crowds arrive. Be seated for dinner by 7pm if you stay in this area; they close early. Normally restaurants in scenic areas get by on captive crowds, but one of the best meals we had in France was at the restaurant associated with Hotel Le Relais du Roy.
One other idea if you can extend your trip or are willing to shrink the Paris part is to stop in Brussels for 2 nites on the way from Amsterdam. One day to explore Brussels, the 2nd for a day trip to Bruges via train.
Mikemac- your post is exactly why I haven’t committed to much beyond Amsterdam. Both of your ideas have been bounced around in my mind. The original trip was planned with a stop in Belgium and without the Loire valley. H and I spent several days in Bruges when we were young college students. We have fond memories of that trip and seriously considered going back this time. We have traveled a lot but rarely to Europe and I want to see areas where I haven’t been. I don’t see ourselves back in France again anywhere in the near future.