Trip to France: Paris to Normandy passing by the Loire Valley, Chartres, Mont Saint-Michel, Versailles and Reims
France
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Jan 12 - Jan 22, 2026
I cannot say enough good about my experience planning and executing a once in a lifetime trip to Paris and neighboring locations with Kimkim (France Local) and our local specialist, Sebastian. Sebastian helped us plan a very workable itinerary that covered all the important locals in Paris, Chartres, Bayeux, Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy (Point du Hoc and Omaha Beach, Rheims, and Versailles - in a week and a half. He prepared a wonderful guided trip in a cute little car through Paris, and, our guide was VERY informative. We picked up a wonderful car in Amboise, and could drive ourselves through the French country side. We had lovely tours of the Chateaux de Chambord and Chenonceau. We drove to Chartres for a view of town and Cathedral. We then moved to Mont Saint Michel, where Sebastian arranged for us to stay in the wonderful L'Auberge de la Mere Poulard. We were SO happy, because friends had told us not to miss eating at their restaurant. I have had a lifelong wish to visit the Abbey, so, it was an amazing treat to climb all the way up there! Sebastian provided us with a wonderful guide for Point du Hoc and Omaha Beach. That guide timed our tour so that we could see the lowering of the U.S. flag on Omaha Beach. Very moving. Back in Paris, we visited Versailles, then set off to see the Reims Cathedral, and, of course, to sample Champagne.
All of our tickets were available, easy to organize, easy to print, and easy to use at the cite. Given the complexity of our arrangements, we lost no time, trying to make arrangements, or walking across town to pick up tickets or loosing time "fixing" arrangements during our trip.
However, the absolute most extraordinary thing about Sebastian's service, was that he was available to us during the trip. We had a couple instances where we misunderstood directions and couldn't find our guide. Especially, when we tried to meet our guide for the Normandy beach trip, we found ourselves waiting at the meeting point, with no guide. We notified Sebastian and he was at his desk, and, within a minute, he was in touch with our guide, who was waiting for us around the corner. If Sebastian had not been available and responsive at that very minute, we would have totally missed a very important part of our trip.
So, in sum, visiting Paris and environs has been a long-time wish of mine, and Sebastian made a busy and complicated schedule easy, doable, enjoyable, worry free - and wondrous. For that, I will be eternally grateful!
Hotel Reviews
I have to give a big shout out to this hotel for making a difficult time in Paris absolutely perfect. I initially stayed in a lovely room with a friend of mine for a couple nights. Then, I moved to a single room after she went back home for a few more days. Then, my flight back home was delayed, the hotel let me stay in the same room for an additional three days at a very reasonable price. I am grateful to this hotel for their wonderful service, the wonderful breakfasts, and, for their hospitality in extending my visit beyond what I had intended. They truly made my visit memorable and comfortable!
The L'Auberge de la Mère Poulard in Mont Saint-Michel was quite prestigious with a fabulous restaurant. Our room was spectacular and had no issues. However, getting to our room required going through a second building, and on the staircases there, I noticed a strong odor of cat pee. While this was a bit off-putting, as a cat owner, I can somewhat understand and overlook it. The odor was not actually present in our room, though. Overall, the location was convenient, and the hotel was otherwise perfect.
