I know the fastest way to drive from St Malo to Paris is via Rennes/LeMans and then on the A11, but that sounds boring and incurs tolls. I was wondering if the more direct route on the N12 through Alencon is scenic and worth the extra hour it would take?
Posted by
Washington DC
27369 posts
I have no idea how accurate the driving-time estimates are in this instance, but Via Michelin offers a third routing suggestion that's actually a few minutes shorter (in theory) than the A11 route. It swings north, bypassing Caen. It follows the A84.
If you zoom way in on ViaMichelin maps, you'll find the most scenic sections of road marked in green. In this case there's precious little green marking the routes back to Paris, though there are many side roads in the area so indicated. You could consider doing a bit of wandering off the direct route. The route through Alencon looks (just from the map) as if it might good for that purpose.
Posted by
Paris
7011 posts
The best route that avoids the A11 is the following:
- N175 east past Pontorson
- D976 to Domfront then Pré en Pail
- N12 to Paris
It's a bit more scenic than the A11, nothing exceptional either... But it avoids all the tolls, so you spend 1 to 1.5 hours more on the road but you save 30€ of tolls and some gas (maybe 10-15€) in the process.
If you'd rather stick to highways then the road via Caen mentioned above is cheaper than the road via Rennes, and basically takes the same time.