We'll be concluding a trip in Southern France in Lyon in late September. We plan to take a train from Lyon and head to the Vernon/Normandy Region and spend approx. four day there before we head back to Paris. We're thinking getting a rental car would work best for us once in the area. We're in the beginning stage of planning this portion of the trip. In looking at train options from Lyon it looks like we can get a direct train from Lyon to Mantes-La-Jolie (MLJ) which would help us avoid Paris and related crowds/traffic. It looks like there are rental cars right near the train station in MLJ. Does this sounds like a good option for beginning this leg of this trip? TBD in regards to sites to see and a place(s) to stay. Just want some input on most efficient way to get to the region from Lyon and renting a car.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2972 posts
jdbraun,
Do you want to sightsee on your way to Vernon, or do you want to go straight there? By Normandy, I assume you mean the DDay locations. Normandy is big (over 11,000 sq. miles) and includes places like Rouen, Honfleur, Le Havre, the Route des Abbayes, and many others. Is Mantes-la-Jolie in the plans because of the direct train option from Lyon? I see it is about a half-hour drive from there to Vernon (I take it Giverny is your goal). If your train is faster than about 6 hours (drive time from Lyons to Vernon), then yes take the train, especially if it arrives early enough for you to spend about 3 hours at Monet's house and gardens the same day.
I would check out the hours that car rental places are open to pick the car up.
Of your four days in Vernon/Normandy, be sure to allow drive times. We have driven from the Paris suburbs to Giverny, spent 3 hours there, and stayed through lunch at a cafe there. We then drove to Rouen the same day, getting there early enough to walk around the old quarter, see the cathedral, find a nice restaurant and enjoy the ambience of Rouen (no time to visit museums however).
Next day we took the D982 along the Seine, stopping at Jumieges Abbey for an hour (fantastic!). We drove on and arrived at Bayeux in the late afternoon, enough time to wander the center of town. Next day we saw thee tapestry first thing, then drove around the DDay beaches we had chosen to visit, and the museum we had chosen. We attended the flag-lowering ceremony at the American cemetery. If you have two full days there you can see quite a lot of the DDay sights. (For us, trying to see all the beaches and cemeteries there would take several days be an overload.) Check out cider-tasting options.
If you take the faster route from Rouen to Bayeux (along the Autoroutes), it will take about 2 hours, giving you a good half day in Bayeux. I would decide what is important for me to see and do in Normandy and plan my routes accordingly. You may want to spend all 3 days at the DDay sites. Just figure out your train and/or drive times.
I would definitely return my car in Caen and take the train back to Paris however. Just my opinion. Have fun planning!
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1543 posts
If you have no plans to see Paris, then a direct train sounds like a good idea. I drove from Paris to Giverny a couple of years ago, which included this relatively short section of road. A slight detour could bring you to Castle of La Roche-Guyon. It is a fabulous ancient Château overlooking the Seine and was the headquarters for Field Marshall Rommel during WWII and the Battle of Normandy. I drove on from Giverny to Rouen the same day and then on to places in Normandy further afield the next day—including the Battle of Normandy sites (i.e., "D-day"). I agree with a stop at a Abbaye de Jumièges if going this far. If you let us know your interests, maybe you would get more suggestions. And yes, this area begs for having your own wheels. Normandy is mostly rural with minimal public transportation and many places you might want to see do not have good train service (if at all).
Posted by
Paris
7771 posts
The direct Lyon-Le Havre train (which stops at Mantes-La-Jolie) is your best option indeed! Just check the opening hours of car rental offices in Mantes.
The train also stops at Versailles-Chantiers: if you can't find a car at a time or price you like in Mantes, you can look in Versailles. The drive will be longer but will still avoid the worst of Paris traffic.