CDG to Rouen, Bayeux, and Mont St-Michel. Car vs Train?

I'm assuming you're flying in from the US or Canada. It's not a good idea to drive after spending a (possibly sleepless) night on an overnight flight, so I'd prefer to hop on a train on my arrival day.

Folks not planning to stop in Rouen (which is definitely worth seeing) often suggest picking up the car in Caen rather than Bayeux because in Caen you have multiple agencies and probably a better shot at getting the type of car you've reserved. I cannot comment on the ease or difficulty of picking up a car in Rouen because I use public transportation to get around. You wouldn't want the car for sightseeing within Rouen, so you could schedule the pick-up for the next day. European car-rental agencies are often not open on Sunday, except for those at airports.

The usual suggestion for rental cars is to check the three major consolidators (AutoEurope, Kemwel and Gemut) to compare rates.

I prefer to check rail schedules on the Deutsche Bahn website, but for fares you'll need SNCF or trainline.eu. For reasons that I absolute cannot figure out DB and SNCF are showing different options for this Sunday. I hope someone else has a clue.

It would be good to check fares for your exact travel date. The most efficient routing will include a leg on a fast train (TGV), and those fares tend to climb as your travel date approaches. On the other hand, guessing when you'll clear the airport and be ready to board a train is as much art as science.

Matt,

I think a good rule of thumb is that if you don't know how well you handle jet lag, don't drive the day you arrive. If you know you'll be okay, of course, rent at the airport.

You can get to Rouen or Bayeux by train and rent a car at either. I'd use a car to cross Normandy to get from one to the other. The train options are not great. Also, if you are going to Paris, another option is to stay another day and see Rouen as a day trip, which is easy.

I'd also want a car to get to MSM, and of you are going to do that, I suggest spending the night. If you will be going to Paris or beyond, see MSM last, return the car in Rennes, and catch the TGV to Paris.

Adam, acraven,

Thank you for the response! So my head is exploding! I used Rome2rio (https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Paris/Rouen) and it looks like there are multiple options (Trains, buses) and rideshare BlaBlaCar!

Has anyone used BlaBlaCar? It appears like uber for long distances? Crazy!

• Matt

I bumped into blablacar online last year but have never used it. I think it's more like the sort of ride-sharing that went on before semester breaks on college campuses back when I was in school.

When you're trying to move between provincial capitals in countries like France, where the train lines radiate from the capital like spokes of a wheel, the concept is very appealing. It's bad enough that you have to spend 5 or 6 hours traveling between places that aren't all that far apart, but you also have to pay for all of that extra railroad mileage!