Has anyone traveled from Saint-Malo to Cambridge (UK) by either train, plane or a combination of both (not driving)?
I think I've looked at pretty much every possible combination and now would like to hear people's experiences. Did some things work, and others didn't (anyone have a scary/frustrating experience flying into Stamsted on Ryannair, for example?!)?
If anyone has traveled this route would love to hear about it.
There is no airline service at either St. Malo or Cambridge.
Three suggestions....
Train the entire way...St. malo to Rennes to Lille to London to Cambridge.
train from St. Malo to Rennes, Easy Jet flight to London, then either coach or train to Cambridge.
or
Take a ferry from St. Malo to Portsmouth and then a series of trains to Cambridge.
There is no airline service at either St. Malo or Cambridge. Three suggestions....
Have you done any of your suggestions?
No, because I've never traveled between St. Malo and Cambridge.
Getting from somewhere in France to somewhere else by train almost always involves passing via Paris. So you would take a TGV from St. Malo to Paris, then transfer to Gare du Nord and take the Eurostar to London, and then take a train to Cambridge from London...
The ferry however looks attractive, as sometimes it sails overnight, and you can just sleep the way. But check the schedule. It is not fixed as St. Malo has a 13m tidal range, and the ferry can not dock at low tide...
The flights from Rennes go into Gatwick, so there is a through train every 30 minutes from Gatwick to Cambridge.
There is an hourly bus from the centre of Rennes to the airport.
No I have never used Rennes airport, although I have been to the city.
My own route of choice would be ferry to Portsmouth, which I am very familiar with.
National Express run direct from the port, but only to London Victoria (the route I am familiar with). You would then have to use the tube across London to one of many stations for the train to Cambridge.I
Or taxi or local bus port to central Portsmouth for train to Victoria or Waterloo, far more frequent than the bus.
If I had to do this I would take the ferry from St. Malo. I have not taken this one, but last June I did take the ferry from Portsmouth to Cherbourg. What a wonderful way to travel and arrive in another country. When I look at fares for next April I see it costing £44 per person (the English language site shows prices in pounds). I can't imagine you'd save much money using trains.
The St Malo ferry normally leaves at 1045 am and takes 8-9 hours. There are occasional overnight sailings, where you really want to book a cabin. These are big ships, a bit like a smallish cruise ship, and very comfortable.
Month of travel?
I wouldn't combine those two locations on one vacation. You might use the search box top center (desktop view), because ferries come up from time to time here. Here's one two-year old discussion:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/england-to-france
Month of travel?
Late March. I get seasick so the ferry is out.
It is too early to get train schedules in March 2027. Right now, these is a direct train from Rennes to Lille Europe (where the Eurostar to London calls) at 6:35 am and at noon. There are also a couple of departures with changes at Massy TGV and CDG. This avoids having to make the cross-town station change from Montparnasse to Nord in Paris.
There are also a couple of departures with changes at Massy TGV and CDG. This avoids having to make the cross-town station change from Montparnasse to Nord in Paris.
This is music to my ears! My first time trying to get from Montparnasse to Nord, with a large bag and carryon was nothing short of a nightmare (and we missed our train). Taught me to never travel with a full sized bag again. Thank you!
On current timetables there is also a 1031 from St Malo, Rennes 1125/1200 Lille Europe 1554/1835 St Pancras arrive 1857, Kings Cross depart 1918 Cambridge arrive 2014.
The less changes of train the better.
The Eurostar can be booked now from £55 (or £100 in Plus Class- bigger seats + light meal and snacks).
Check in time at Lille is 60 minutes before departure.
Looking in 6 weeks time St Malo to Lille Europe is 94 Euro on the 1031. KC to Cambridge is £31.90 Anytime Day Single- flexible fare so doesn't matter if the Eurostar is late.
On current timetables there is also a 1031 from St Malo, Rennes 1125/1200 Lille Europe 1554/1835 St Pancras arrive 1857, Kings Cross depart 1918 Cambridge arrive 2014.
That's 10 hours of travel.
Now I'm looking at Saint Malo to Nantes (2.30 - 3 hours), 30 minutes Nantes to Nantes Airport,, 2 hour wait, 1.5 hour flight into Stamsted, maybe 30 minutes to get through passport control? (I'm flying end of March, no checked bags), then train 30 minutes to Cambridge. Total travel time 8 hours. Thoughts?
Of course, one would have to fly the dreaded Ryanair.
Why not use the far closer Rennes?, as above. Those mainly mid afternoon flights (to Gatwick), 4 days a week, are on Easyjet (a step up from Ryanair).
It's only a short walk from Rennes station to Republique where the airport bus leaves from.
Including luggage around £120 on sample dates in March.
It is a 2 hour train journey from Gatwick to Cambridge., £45 train fare.
The choice, if including an air segment, is between a long French and short English train journey, or a short French and long English train journey.
It's only a short walk from Rennes station to Republique where the airport bus leaves from.
I don't know Rennes. What is the Republique. And how long is the walk?
The Republique is just a street- officially the Place de la Republique. Around a 15 minute walk or two stops on the red line of the Rennes Metro (an underground subway line), https://www.star.fr/reseau-star/bus-metro/ligne/a
then take the C6 bus- https://www.star.fr/reseau-star/bus-metro/ligne/c6
The fare is 1.70 Euro for the through metro/bus journey if you transfer within 1 hour.
Or you could just take a taxi from the Rennes train station to the airport. It's about 4.5 miles. Remember, you would still have a flight, including clearing immigration and customs, and then a nearly two hour train ride to get to Cambridge.
Perhaps a little less stress by taking a taxi over a walk and a bus or two busses for a short journey. For just a few Euros more.
By the way, you will be doing exit immigration leaving France since you are leaving Schengen.
Why not use the far closer Rennes?, as above. Those mainly mid afternoon flights (to Gatwick), 4 days a week, are on Easyjet (a step up from Ryanair).
It's only a short walk from Rennes station to Republique where the airport bus leaves from.
Including luggage around £120 on sample dates in March.
It is a 2 hour train journey from Gatwick to Cambridge., £45 train fare.
Thanks for this! Just booked on Easy Jet. I've traveled Gatwick to Cambridge before so this all works out.
Dreams come true,
I don't see any way to not have a full travel day. You are going from one small(er) town to another (smallish) town and must go through passport control and exit from Schengen. As noted, there will be security clearance some where along the line. This will entail a multipart journey of some sort, so just decide on which combination of journey legs and train or plane combo suits you best. TGV will require your arriving a certain amount of time ahead of departure, so alas, just bite the bullet.
Or you could just take a taxi from the Rennes train station to the airport. It's about 4.5 miles. Remember, you would still have a flight, including clearing immigration and customs, and then a nearly two hour train ride to get to Cambridge.
Perhaps a little less stress by taking a taxi over a walk and a bus or two busses for a short journey. For just a few Euros more.
By the way, you will be doing exit immigration leaving France since you are leaving Schengen.
Yes, my thoughts exactly. I'll be 70 by then and although in good shape, well, I'm 70!
Would you have any thoughts on how much time should one schedule to go through exit immigration? I'll be leaving Rennes mid afternoon and mid week in March.
Dreamscometrue.....I'm the same way. I've reached a point where I look for the easiest way to travel. Sometimes it costs me a few bucks more but usually worth it in the end.
Not eveyone subscribes to those thoughts.
As for how much time to give at Rennes....that's hard to say. If I only have carry on--no need to check a bag--and i have boarding pass in hand (usually electronically) I know I can go straight to security. I usually give two hours.
But with the way EES has been acting, no one knows how long that will take. Rennes is a small airport but I've never flown out of it.
Hopefully by March the bugs will be worked out of EES but I'm not hopeful.
