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Report 611: Three days in Normandy

By Happy in Paris from Paris, Spring 2005

Trip Description: Fom Paris, to St. Andelys, Pont Audemer and Honfleur in Normandy, on the last three days of March, 2005. Dining and lodgings in Honfleur. Farm and cheese factory visits in the countryside.

Destinations: Countries - France; Regions/Cities - Normandy

Categories: Hotels/B&Bs; Foodie Trip; Sightseeing; Independent Travel; 2 People

Page 1 of 6: Driving From Paris

We traveled by car from Paris to St. Andelys, Pont-Audemer and Honfleur, departing the last day of the Easter holiday weekend. The forsythia, magnolia and cherry trees were in bloom and the fields were green, with cattle grazing on the hillsides and sheep out with their new little lambs, altogether a lovely drive in off-and-on light rain. We dined for three days in Honfleur restaurants on a scouting, sightseeing and "home improvement" trip. En route and in the countryside south of Honfleur we stopped at an antique shop, on-the-farm vendors of cider, Calvados and beef, and toured a cheese factory.

Here are some impressions, starting with the road:

The most time consuming part of a drive to Normandy is departing Paris -- as much as an hour, for example, from the Gare de Lyon, one major car-rental point -- depending on traffic on the expressway, or périphérique, that circles the capital. Rush hour is to be avoided, and so is all of Friday afternoon and evening. We left around 1 p.m. on the Monday Easter-time holiday and reached the A13 expressway that goes toward Rouen in 25 minutes, very good time. Driving time from that point to Honfleur, without stops, is two hours.

We left the A13 expressway twice, once to visit Les Andelys and a second time to see Pont-Audemer. The A13 is a toll road, with periodic stops to pay. Total tolls were about 10 euros, and would be somewhat more if the whole trip were made on the expressway. The final approach to Honfleur was on departmental road 312, which is lovely for sightseeing (see below).

As an example of differences in driving conditions depending on trip timing, on the last leg of the expressway driving, trafic was moderate and fluid heading toward Honfleur in the late afternoon of the final day of a long holiday weekend. But in the opposite lanes, headed toward Paris, there was heavy traffic -- at one point crawling, with a backup of at least one kilometer. This could also be the case, in the summertime, during any Paris-to-Honfleur drive on a Friday afternoon or evening, or Honfleur-to-Paris drive on a Sunday afternoon or evening.

Trip Report Pages

Driving From Paris

Les Andelys

Pont Audemer

The Charm of Honfleur

Lodging and Dining

Farm and Cheese Factory Visits

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Report 611: Three days in Normandy

Page 1 of 6: Driving From Paris

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