We (4 adults) will be traveling from Paris to Mont St. Michel on Sunday, March 15. Our original plan was to train to Caen, pick up a rental car there and drive to MSM for the overnight. Thanks to some helpful posts here, I realize that there is construction on that train line and the train trip would be 4+ hours. Now I'm thinking we may want to rent a car somewhere outside Paris and drive to MSM. Any suggestions on where to rent the car and a good route to MSM? About how long will the drive be? We'll eventually be returning the car in Bayeux on Monday, staying there for 3 days and going back to Paris. We would be OK with the long train ride that day. Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3691 posts
First, if you want to take a train and then rent a car, why not take the train to Rennes and rent a car there. If you were taking the train to MSM, that would be the route -- train to Rennes followed by the connecting bus. However, rental car pick ups in France on Sundays can be difficult because the offices outside of airports and train stations are often not open on Sundays although you can sometimes solve that problem by paying a fee for off-hours pickup. You can connect your rental car to your train ride and reserve both through the SNCF website and not have to be concerned about the normal business hours of the car rental company. The rental car company is Avis and they usually charge a drop off fee for one way rentals so I don't use them but it is an option for Sunday travel. If you don't use the car+train program, you should confirm that picking up a car on a Sunday will not be an issue. All of that being said, I would just pick up the car from Gare du Nord in Paris and drive the 4 to 4.5 hours.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1506 posts
We rented a car from Avis (at least I think that's the company) on Ave Charles du Gaulle in the Neuilly Sur Seine in the outskirts of Paris. We took the metro there and the station is just across the street. From there we did have to make a u-turn a couple of blocks down the street but then it was straight to the highway. Since it's on the outskirts of the city and near the highway it might save you some time and stress when leaving Paris. Be aware that regardless of where you are returning your car in Paris the traffic will be worse getting into the city and it could take quite a bit longer to return so you should factor that in to return your rental on time.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
I'll definitely look into the train+ car via Rennes. What about getting out to Orly and picking up the car there? I thought that would give us more car rental options since it is a Sunday. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You'll want to check that the car rental office you plan to use is open on Sunday.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3691 posts
The drive from Orly, CDG or Gare du Nord to MsM is probably going to be between 4 to 4.5 hours so it will not make that much of a difference if you pick up the car at an airport. The main differences will be the cost in time and money of getting to the rental car location and the availability of cars especially if you will need an automatic transmission. It is best to pick up the car from an airport if that is the case.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
I agree with others that you should take the TGV to Rennes and rent a car at the station. I've done this and there are several agencies, including Europcar, Hertz, and Avis, right at the station. The drive to MSM takes about 1.5 hours.