We will be getting off a cruise ship in Le Havre next April. Since it's only a few hours from Mont Saint-Michel, I thought it would be the best time to visit however, although there are many tours offered from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel, I couldn't find any from Le Havre. It seems very complicated to go there from Le Havre. Looks like we would have to rent a car but I'm not sure we are comfortable with that. So, 2 questions; 1 - Any information on tours or transfers from Le Havre to Mont Saint-Michel would be appreciated, 2 - How is easy/complicated is renting and driving a car in France?
Posted by
Surrey, UK
502 posts
I have no experience of this company, but they do offer tours from Le Havre to Mont St Michel.
Posted by
Somewhere out there
157 posts
It’s roughly 2 1/2 hours from Le Havre to MSM. Although I’ve been in that area a number of times I can’t tell you where to rent a a vehicle. Count on rental car outlets being open during weekday business hours. So at this point count on a total of 5 hours driving and an hour or so renting and returning a car. You have used up the better part of a day at this point. A busy day at MSM could consume 3-4 hours…or more.
Unless you have an extended port call at LH I can’t see it being a doable trip. Coming from Paris to MSM is doable and would allow some time to enjoy but in the end most of your day is still spent coming and going.
MSM is worth a trip but there are hurdles to overcome. In your case it limits worthwhile opportunities.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for taking the time to reply. We're actually getting off the ship in Le Havre and staying in France for another week or more so time is not a constraint. We were thinking about staying in Le Havre for a couple of nights.
Posted by
Paris
7580 posts
Le Havre is far from Mont Saint Michel, and its main appeal is 1950 architecture.
Not sure that's where I would stay unless that's your thing. And it would be more practical to pick somewhere closer to Mont St Michel.
Posted by
Normandie
528 posts
It is pretty easy to rent a car and drive in France, as long as you become familiar with some of the signs and rules of the road that probably differ from your home location. Of principal importance is understanding the rules and signage accompanying the principle of "priorité à droit" (yield to vehicles entering your roadway from the right) and the speed limits, which are largely standardized across France based on road type and location.
Stick to the major roads (Autoroutes and National highways, identified by an initial "N" followed by a number) and you should have a stress-free drive. Departmental roads (identified by an initial "D" followed by a number) can get quite winding and narrow in the bocage of Normandie, with roads sometimes only 1.5 vehicles wide and both smaller bridges and underpasses beneath railways even narrower. Negotiating those, which are also used by pieces of very large agricultural equipment, can be a challenge.
Posted by
Somewhere out there
157 posts
A few counter thoughts……Le Havre is indeed a city memorializing ‘50s architecture but worth a night’s stay. There’s an old property on the waterfront repurposed into a Garden Inn and well worth a night.
The back roads of Normandie are indeed narrow and rate vigilance. That said those roads are a fascinating journey well worth your time in a journey to MSM. I live part of the year in rural back country of Calvados and a Sunday drive is simply letting a confused GPS take us to Bayeux or St Mere Eglise for dinner.
So…..go see MSM, pick a few stops to explore and have fun. I think most folks on RS who live in Normandie agree with that much. . We’ve been in and out of this area for 20 years and still haven’t seen enough.
By the way….no big deal to rent cars in this region.
“Veteran Traveler”
Posted by
1505 posts
We found driving in Normandy/Brittany very easy. It's all very country scenic. We also marveled at the well maintained and litter free roads!