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Recommended cities between Mont-Saint-Michel and Amboise

Posted by on

Hi! I am planning a trip a two-week trip around France using only public transportation. I'll fly into Paris and spend 5 days there, then head to Mont-Saint-Michel to stay on the island overnight. Now, I'm thinking of how to connect MSM to the Loire Valley using public transportation.

Looking at the route, it seems I would need to make several transfers: Le Mont-Saint-Michel --> Pontorson --> Rennes --> Le Mans --> Tours --> Amboise (my preferred home base). The travel time is at least 6 hours. With all the transfers, I find this very daunting and too much to do in a day for me, so I was wondering which city would be good a stop-over to spend a night or two to bridge MSM and Amboise.

I plan to spend the rest of my trip in the Loire Valley then fly out from Paris. I would appreciate suggestions. Thank you!

Posted by
7708 posts

First of all, to ease your travel worries, I recommend that you use the Keolis Armor bus from Le Mont Saint-Michel (La Caserne) to Rennes. This removes 1 transfer.

Then, to break the journey, I suggest Le Mans! Often overlooked, yet with a wonderful late-medieval old town complete with a beautiful cathedral and some Roman remains. I had a great stay at the then-new Le Prince hotel a few years ago.

Posted by
2 posts

Balso, that is an excellent recommendation!! I checked the Keolis Armor bus website, and I'm happy to know it will be a lot easier to reach Rennes and it doesn't take too much time. I saw pictures of Le Mans and it really does look like a splendid city. I knew I asked at the right place. :D Thanks so much!

Posted by
19 posts

I second Le Mans! We did not spend the night there but I wish we had. A few times, while walking in the old centre, it felt like I was transported back in time….it was breath-taking! Wandering around at night would be even better! Just a heads up though, the walk from the train station to the historical centre was less than lovely, with a few unsavoury characters around. Nothing to feel unsafe about, just the usual street life that is more and more common these days, but as it sounds like you will be on your own, it might help to be prepared and to know that you will be rewarded upon reaching the old town. Have a wonderful trip!…….we stayed in Amboise last year as a home base and loved it!

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