I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to get from Rennes to Mt. Saint-Michel on July 16. Is there a train station in MSM other than the one in Pontorson. Some maps/train schedules seem to indicate there is; others not (perhaps it's a bus depot). We would like to get as close to Mt. Saint-Michel in the late afternoon on July 16 to see MSM at night and then go back the next day in the morning to visit again. We would then head to Paris on July 17. Is the station in Pontorson the best departure point for Paris? Should we look to get lodging in Pontorson and use it as our base to explore MSM? How would one get from Pontorson to MSM and then from Pontorson to Paris? Thanks so much for whatever help you can provide. Paul
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
The closest train station seems to be Pontorson. There's a shuttle bus from there to MSM.
Posted by
Paris
7304 posts
Hi,
There are two ways to get from MSM to Paris.
Fastest way is to take bus from MSM to Rennes then train from Rennes to Paris. This combo is sold as a single ticket by the French railways at en.oui.sncf.
If you do stay in Pontorson, you might however be interested in taking the train from Pontorson to either Rennes, Granville or Caen, and another train to Paris. Same site as above for times and tickets.
There is a shuttle bus from Pontorson to MSM. All info here: http://www.bienvenueaumontsaintmichel.com/en/preparing-your-visit/arriving-by-train.
Posted by
the Middle Coast
292 posts
There is a Rennes - MSM bus option - here are the hours in English!
Posted by
12 posts
Just did this trip two days ago. We took a 10:47 train from Pontorson to Granville then made a smooth transfer to Paris train. Arrived in Paris at about 3 PM. Not sure if you are a biker but you can rent bicycles in Pontorson and it is a quick flat ride to MSM--about 5 miles to the shuttle and 7 all the way to MSM. Not sure about the night but before 10 AM you can cycle all of the way to the MSM Tourist office. We did not know that so we arrived at 10. Would have totally missed the crowd if we arrived at 8 entered the Monastery at 9 and left at 10. Probably would need to take a later train....
Posted by
84 posts
"Some maps/train schedules seem to indicate there is"
You should stear clear of maps which show a train station at Mount Saint-Michel, if they have such a huge mistake, this is surely not the only one.
I recommend using www.openstreetmap.org which is in many way superior to googlemaps, not least in mapping railroads and stations much more clearly. Give it a try and and you won't look back!