Staying in Rouen:

I am thinking of traveling to France in July with my Husband and taking my 13 year old niece for her first visit. We would be staying about 2 weeks. The opportunity has come up for us to possibly stay in a home in Rouen. I would like my niece to experience France and spend some time in Paris (she wants to see the Mona Lisa), etc.. We probably would not have the time to stay in Paris (taking care of animals) but travel back and forth a 3 or 4 times. Is this a good idea or will it take to long to get around?

Thanks

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The best way to Paris from Rouen would be to take the train. You can%26#39;t do much in Paris with a car except sit in jams and look for parking places. Some people commute that far every day.

Around Rouen you can visit chateau Gaillard, Giverny, Jumieges, Honfleur, Etretat, Fecamp, Lisieux.

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Rouen is a long day trip from Paris -- it would be a shame to not at least spend a week of the time actually in Paris -- if you are tied to someone%26#39;s cat and dog in exchange for housing then I would suggest that one of you take the niece to Paris for at least 3 nights -- commuting makes no sense

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It%26#39;s about a 75 minute trip from Rouen to Paris and the oine way frae is about €21. You can get advance purchase PEMs fares for €10 but those would perhaps not work for you as they would lock you in to travelling on a particular train on a particular day and would have to be purchased some weeks if not months ahead.

It%26#39;s perfectly possible to make several day trips as you suggest. As a previous poster pointed out some people actually commute from Rouen. My niece lives in Rouen and often takes the train to Paris for the day.

I agree however that, if you can manage it, it would be preferable to spend at least a few days in Paris. When you consider how much it would cost for the train tickets for the three of you it might almost make sense financially too.