Has anyone been to Normandy or Brussels

We are going to Paris in June. We want to see as much as possible on our trip and wanted some advice on rail passes, visiting Normandy and brussels and if anyone knows the distance between areas.

We would like to see:

Normandy

City of Paris (museums, historical places)

Aix-En-Provence

Marseille

Brussels

Loire Valley

if time permits (Switzerland, and Italy)

Any advice is appreciated. Also, has anyone been to Monte Saint Michel

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We arranged a D-DAY tour from Bayeux (easy train trip from Paris) before leaving for Europe. We used a company called BATTLEBUS - they picked us up across from our hotel (Churchill - very nice hotel) and spent over nine hours with us. It was outstanding!!! Our guide%26#39;s name was Stuart, whom I highly recommend. There were seven in our group, so we had a private tour.

We went to Mont St Michel from Bayeux (There%26#39;s a morning train from Bayeux, with a bus connection to the mont). We stayed overnight on the mont.

If you have time, I highly recommend Bruges, Belgium.

It is a medieval gem. You really feel like you are in old world Europe!!! Take the canal ride.

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I would swap Brussels for Bruges which, as stated before, is truly a gem. Brussels didn%26#39;t impress me that much

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Thank you both so much for your response. This is truly helpful.

Question: Did the tour guide arrange the hotel for you in St. Michel or did you make these arrangements yourself?

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I think you mean the hotel in Bayeux.

I made the arrangements myself.

We also stayed one night in Mont St Michel (La Mere Poulard - it%26#39;s just inside the gate) - I made the reservation there, as well. Same for the train.

They all have websites.

I don%26#39;t know when you are going, but remeber that next week will be the 65th anniversary of the landings.

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We will be there in mid-June 20th -27th. I would like to stay one night however I read somewhere else that the hotel Poulard was a tourist trap. Is that true? Did you enjoy your stay?

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Don%26#39;t get a rail pass. You do much better to buy point-to-point tickets direct from the French rail operator, SNCF. Prices are cheaper if you book early.

You can get train times and costs, and make bookings, at www.tgv-europe.com/en but say you are from Great Britain. If you say you are from USA, you get another site that has much higher prices.

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Wow, thank you so much for the advice.

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As I recall, there is more than one hotel with Poulard in the name. We did not find the hotel a trap at all. The room price was fair, and the rooms were very nice. The bar and restaurant are expensive.

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One word of caution - if you have to pick up your tickets at an automated machine in France, your US credit card may not work. Be sure to verify that your card will work. Your best bet may be to print your ticket at home, if that is still an option (It was two years ago, and that was what I did.)

Sometimes raileurope.com is just as cheap,and they mail the ticket to you.

If you are over 60, you can get a senior discount from both.

Shop around if you can.

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How much time will you have? That%26#39;s a long list of places that are far apart; have a look at a map of France to see the distances involved, and then choose the areas you want to see most. I%26#39;d suggest that you get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to France to get an idea of how much there is to see and the time involved. You really would need at least a month to cover everything you have listed, and even then you would have to hurry--not the best way to travel.