Hi everyone,
I%26#39;m planning a trip to France and England, and have set aside several days to see the usual sites in Normandy by car, tentatively the very end of August, 2006. I know that much of France is on holiday in August, and have read that it%26#39;s brutal to try to travel by car during this time, but I%26#39;m wondering if anyone can offer any personal experiences with regard to Normandy at that time of year, i.e. is the traffic really terrible, insane prices, etc..
I could shift my dates and end up in Normandy in early September, but am not sure that would make any difference.
All thoughts and advice are appreciated!
Ron
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Early September could make a big difference, as by many of the French holiday-makers will have to be home so the kids can start school. I think there%26#39;s a site that gives the vacation dates in various parts of France but can%26#39;t find it offhand.
I remember vividly trying to drive from the Ardèche gorge over to the autoroute on August 31st one year. We sat in traffic for 2 hours behind all the cars pulling little trailers, cars piled with luggage and people, cars and more cars. Everyone who came down to the south of France for their holidays were heading back home, and it was a real mess.
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The site Underhill may be thinking of is this one:
http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/
It not only gives the dates of the French school vacations, this year from July 4 through September 3, but also a forecast of the dates when traffic conditions are likely to be worse than normal. The site is entirely in French, but basically all weekends in August and to a lesser extent the first weekend in September are times when driving could be affected by congestion.
If you can postpone your trip until September it would probably make your visit pleasanter and the places you want to visit less crowded.
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It depends upon where you want to go. I didn%26#39;t have any problem getting into Giverny. (I went early) Traffic was backed up getting into the Amreican Cemetary as the parking lot was full, but it kept moving. Once inside, there was no crowding. The line to Mont St Michel was the worst. Go early if you go there. Parking in Bayeux was non-existant. I had to wait for someone to leave a parking space. Getting into the tapestry was no problem but you may want to skip the big reproduction tapestry at the entrance and go straight to the real thing and use the head phones for the explanation of it.
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If you decide to go outside the peak season, it%26#39;s worth double checking opening times of any places you particularly want to visit - because there are fewer visitors, some attractions reduce their hours by closing over lunch time and/or closing earlier in the evenings.
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Have read these postings with interest as we are planning to visit Normandy and Brittany from 9 to 16 July 2007. Tried looking at Bison-Fute but was not too succesfull!! Do the Franch schools have holidays over that period? If they do, will things be very busy? Many thanks for any assistance.
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Hi Uvongo,
We%26#39;ve been in Normandy and Picardy the first two weeks in July, for the last two years. We think it is the IDEAL time to visit.
The French usually take their holidays in the month of August and the British children aren%26#39;t on holidays until the 3rd week in July so it is not too busy.
The only issue is Bastille Day - July 14th, which falls on a Saturday in 2007. This is a busy, busy weekend - The French go on holiday for the weekend, there are lots of fireworks, many places are shut. But it is an experience.
On the Sunday, there are always big traffic jams heading towards Paris. I don%26#39;t know if the Monday will be a holiday or not next year.
We will be heading over that direction at about that time in 2007 as well, all going well.
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Thank you so much for replying. You have set my mind at rest and we have decided to go ahead with our plans. We will probably bump into each other without knowing it!!! Hope you enjoy yourselves as much as we plan to.
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Beanalainn is right, the first two weeks of July in my opinion (being a B%26amp;B owner in Normandy) are the perfect time to visit. It%26#39;s not too busy but it%26#39;s the right time to get good weather. July and August tend to be the period that the French regard as the %26quot;summer season%26quot; so most places will be open all day (museums not closing for their usual 2 hours) but it will be before the UK schools have broken up, which also makes a huge difference to the amount of people/traffic in the area, and although French kids will be on holiday from school, the main exodus from the big cities doesn%26#39;t occur until August. As for July 14th, yes it%26#39;s great for firework displays etc. but Monday the 16th won%26#39;t be a holiday. The French get their holidays on the actual day that it is supposed to be, ie if the 14th falls on a Saturday or Sunday they just lose out on a day off work, unlike us Brits who gt days in lieu for everything!
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I think you should forget August. If you need to work around a school schedule, go in June. I just got back and there were no lines or traffic to speak of, anwhere.
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Uvongohome - Have a wonderful, wonderful trip. Normandy is beautiful. If I meet any South Africans from Durban while there, I%26#39;ll just drop your name into the conversation and see if they respond :o)). Meanwhile if you see an Irish Family with 3 kids, run ;O))
Thiaumerie - What a pity for French people about their bank holidays!!. But thank you for clarifying things for me. We are going to arrange next year%26#39;s trip so that we will stay put for that weekend instead of moving location.
The kids (and ourselves) really enjoyed seeing the Tour de France in Normandy last year so we are waiting for the details to be released before starting to make arrangements. Have you any further details about the dredging that is going on at Mont St. Michel? I read somewhere that they are starting to dredge the channel and there may be disruptions for some time.
Thanks.
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