Hi!
We are a family traveling to Normandy from Paris next summer. Our Paris hotel is booked and it’s during the Olympics so very difficult to change dates. I didn’t realize most rental car locations would be closed on Sunday so I’m looking for a plan. We will stay 4 nights in Normandy. Would taking the train to Mont Saint Michel that Sunday and staying overnight there be feasible in order to pick up a rental the next day? Is there a better place to stay overnight Sunday to make good use of our time? We would ideally like to visit Rouen, Honfleur, Bayeux, Giverny but in no particular order. Where would it be best to pick up a car? We typically use public transportation but everything I am reading says we will appreciate having our own wheels when it comes to that area. Thoughts? Thank you!
Posted by
la la land...
1005 posts
It is fairly easy to take the train from Paris to Caen and rent a car there on Sunday, or certainly Monday morning, but you need to check if Sunday rentals are possible there.
I have done car rentals for Normandy 2 ways: once I rented the vehicle in Paris at Montparnasse train station on Sunday, and I returned the vehicle at CDG for our trip home. On another Normandy trip, I took the train from Paris and rented a car in Caen, don't remember if it was on a Sunday or another day of the week, based the trip out of Arromanches for visiting the area, and returned the car to Caen to catch the train back to Paris and then went onto CDG via taxi to catch our afternoon flight home.
I don't think taking the train to MSM is very easy or even possible, and also don't exactly know where you would be able to rent a vehicle there, either.
Where are you going after 4 days in Normandy? Are you going to base out of one location, or do you plan to spend your nights in multiple locations? Where you are going after Normandy will influence your decision on a rental. Caen makes the most sense for most Normandy visits.
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
Several car rental offices (including Sixt) are open all day on Sunday at Rennes station, which is the best location to pick up a car for Mont Saint Michel.
Caen is more challenging, I just checked a few and they are indeed closed on Sunday.
Posted by
OP
52 posts
Sorry! I meant that rental car agencies are closed on Sunday except those in Paris. We are looking to rent a car just for the Normandy area. After reading other posts, I suppose we could just go right to Bayeux or Rouen on Sunday and then pick up a car on Monday. I was thinking we would base in Bayeux but stay overnight at MSM one night so that would make for one less move if we stayed at MSM on the front end. 🤔 There does seem to be a decent route direct from Paris when I googled. Thank you, JoJo Rabbit! :)
Posted by
OP
52 posts
Thank you, balso! I think this might work! Any chance you know how busy or difficult the drive out of Rennes station might be to MSM? It appears I can rent there and then return to the agency in Caen which would be ideal. I really appreciate the info! :)
Posted by
Somewhere out there
144 posts
Sent PM for you to consider.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
There are also car rental options in Bayeux, should be open on Mondays. You could take the train Sunday to Bayeux and enjoy that city without the car, then pick it up the next day. Caen has longer rental-office hours, and some worthwhile sights too, but it seems like Bayeux would work just as well for your purposes and save some time.
MSM is 2-3 hours from Bayeux by car, a lot of driving for a day trip but not so bad for an overnight. The Mont will be least crowded early and late in the day.
Posted by
OP
52 posts
Calvados…replied to your PM. Thank you! :)
New plan? High speed train from Montparnasse station to Rennes. Sunday rental car pickup at train station after 3pm. Drive to MSM. Overnight there. Head to base in Bayeux for next 3 nights. Return car in Caen or Rouen on last day. Train back to CDG? Would this work? Sincere thanks for everyone’s help!
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
The drive out of Rennes station is easy on a Sunday, and D175 is a straight shot to Mont Saint Michel. The annoying bit is getting out of the car rental parking lot, which is on floors 6-10 of a multistory car park with tight turns. I scraped my wheel rims returning a minivan the other day (thankfully, the damage wasn't seen).
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Good plan, but sadly no direct train from Caen or Rouen back to CDG. The simplest thing would be just to drive all the way to CDG around the northern outskirts of Paris. We did that once from Bayeux. It wasn't a lot of fun but it wasn't difficult.
If you can't do that or don't want to, then a train to Gare St-Lazare, and on to CDG by taxi or Metro+RER.