We will be leaving Bayeux on the morning of Sept 25 (Monday) and driving to Mont St Michel for the night. We would like to arrive in the late afternoon. Suggestions for a scenic route or stops along the way?
Then leaving Mont St Michel Tuesday AM and driving to Rennes to drop off the car before catching a 3:35 train to Paris. Stop in Dinan for a couple of hours? Other ideas? Any idea how much time to allow to return the car and get to the train?
Thank for your help!
The most obvious choice between Bayeux and Mont St Michel is the D516 north to Arromanches ( about six miles , stop there ) and then the D514 west along the Channel coast and visit some of the WWII sites along The Normandy beaches . Among the ones of major importance are The American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer , and the Pointe du Hoc . Many more sites along this route , read up ! The beauty of this route belies the horrors of 1944 .
Oh sorry, I didn't think to mention that we will be doing a D-day tour during the time we are in Bayeux. So I am really just interested in the route to Mont St Michel. I guess it's possible that we would want to spend more time at the WWII sites depending on what we see on the tour.
You need for the drive between Bayeux and le Mont-Saint-Michel in theory some 1½ hour, so plenty of time to make a detour to Fougères. The castle is really impressive as is the view from the old city centre on top of a hill. Or, and I think it is doable you can drive from MSM (before actually visiting it in the afternoon) to Saint-Malo along the scenic coast with a stop in Cancale.
Thank you, Wil. Just the kind of information I was looking for!
Another vote for St Malo plus I would add Dinard, just across the river - pretty place.
Dol de Bretagne just inland is worth an hour or so en route to Rennes. Drive to Rennes should be less than 1.5 hours.
If you're not overdosed on WWII history, you could route yourself to go to both Saint-Lo and Avranches, both on a logical route between Bayeux and Mont St Michel, and both with lots of history, especially WWII.
If you want to get your history fix a bit earlier than WWII, then I second the short detour to Fougeres. I just loved this as a stopover, spent about 3 hrs there, checking out the castle and seeing the town. I happened to be there on market day and it was one of the best markets I visited in France, but unfortunately it's on Saturday, not Monday.
If you do like the town markets, it looks like there is a Monday market in Saint James which is on the route between Avranches and Fougeres.
If you are looking for a small stop along the direct route, there is the small village of Villedieu-les-Poeles. It's the home of French copper craftsmen for centuries, including cookware and bells. Besides some shops, there is an artisan workshop and the factory of Mauviel (tours and outlet store, closed at lunch).
Most of the stuff in the area has D-Day connections. I'd probably drive past MSM to St. Malo, Dinan and/or Cancale (truly great oysters). St Malo is about an hour past MSM, maybe a little less, and Cancale is between the two. Dinan is probably another 30 minutes past St. Malo.
Don't try to return the car between about 12 and 2. I picked up in Rouen. If the car rental agent there closes for lunch, I'm guessing Rennes will. If the agent is at the station, I think an hour before your train is too much but 1/2 hour may be tight.
get the Michelin Green Guides (one each for Brittany and Normandy). It covers just about every town worth visiting in the area, has sample driving plans, etc.
Any idea how much time to allow to return the car and get to the train?
A guide once talked about planning for airports -- "you can either be bored or stressed". When I was there 2 years ago they were doing construction in the area and all the car offices were moved to a different location. I was picking up a car and they had directions; in French. Also many of the streets are one-way so without a GPS it could be an adventure. Maybe someone there more recently can talk about car dropoff.
Rennes is a beautiful city with a well preserved medieval core in its downtown. Online I see places that offer baggage storage in Rennes. On thought is to do a scenic drive there, drop the car, store your bags, then enjoy the city for a few hours before going to the train.
Rennes has an attractive historic district, but it's a healthy walk from the train station. I'd say at least 15 minutes and quite possibly 20 or a bit more. Other good news: There is a huge construction project (new RR station, I'm told) that has streeets totally blocked around the station and barricades set up that are high enough to block sightlines.
On the other hand, there are attractive-looking restaurant options within 2 or 3 blocks of the RR station (along Ave. Jean Janvier). I was extremely pleased with my moderately-priced dinner at Il Basilico--tuna with accompanying vegetables. The menu is heavy on pizzas, but in my experience pizzas in France just aren't as good as what you can get in Italy.
Incidentally, I went to Fougeres today and really liked it. It was strangely quiet, I thought, but perhaps its tourism is very weekend-oriented, and tomorrow's market day. Also, I did not go inside the castle, but rather spent about 4 hours pounding the pavement. The tourist office's map understates the area with historic architecture.
Thanks to all for the information provided. Much appreciated!
