Hi everyone:
I need help - I plan on leaving Paris - going to Giverny to see Claude Monet's home get back on the train and head to Bayeux or Caen to do the DDAY Stuff - See Mont St. Michel at night (via a car rental) and then head back to Orly Airport to take a plane to Italy. PLEASE HELP ME - I want to do the train from Paris to Vernon - and then train from Vernon to Caen or Bayeux and then rent a car to see that area DDAY stuff AND Mont St. Michel either return the car there or drive to ORLY to get on my plane - 3 Days TOTAL - What about Train from Paris to Vernon see Claude Monets house and then train to Caen or Bayeux rent a car out there and then drive it ORLY and drop off? What train?? SNCF? please help - most appreciated :) Valerie
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
How many days do you want to devote to this trip?
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
I am tempted to suggest the following. Spend an extra day in Paris and visit Vernon as a day trip. Or, get an early start and pick up your car in Vernon; drive to Bayeux from there.
Either avoids a long day of traveling from Paris and back carrying your bags, then crossing the city only to leave again.
Posted by
winston salem, nc, usa
1078 posts
suggest you look at Expedia.co.uk and renting a car to do all of that.
We did just that 2 years' ago and with all the time you'll be wasting going back and forth, you are better off renting--plus the scenery is beautiful.
Posted by
OP
Orange County, Calif, USA
3 posts
Ed: probably 3 days Orly is so I can fly out of that airport to Italy
Posted by
Austin
976 posts
Hi Valerie,
if you go in the summer when it's daylight until nearly 11pm, and rent a car with a GPS you could easily do all you list. It's not too bad to drive out of Paris if you have a navigator to assist you. I rented at Europcar near the Champs des Mars and it took about twenty minutes to get out of Paris towards Honfleur. Be sure you understnad where exactly at Orly you leave the car, however- not every return is as well marked if you're in a rush.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
All trains you would take, no matter the route, are operated by SNCF, French National Rail.
It is possible to take the train from Vernon to either Caen or Bayeux without backtracking to Paris. For example, you could leave Vernon at 15:06, change at Rouen, and arrive in Caen at 18:38 or at Bayeux at 19:15.
AutoEurope shows a minimum of a three-day rental for cars picked up at Bayeux. However, you could do a two-day rental if you picked up your car at Caen. And you certainly could drop it off at Orly.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1864 posts
If you choose to do the train route suggested by Tim, you might want to stop for a few hours in Rouen. The cathedral is the one Monet painted repeatedly (outdoor lunch cafe right there) and the Joan of Arc site, about a half-mile away, is also interesting. For Mont St. Michel, check the tide tables for the day of your visit. The Mont looks much better when the tide is in. Giverny gets REALLY crowded--think of a major art museum on the day a really important exhibit opens. Try to get there early so you can be first in, start with the lily pond.
Posted by
Aurora, ohio, USA
80 posts
We stayed in Bayeux and had a rental car. We got up early and out to the DDay sights then drove to Mont StMichelle. We didn't get there till closing time at the monastery around 4 pm. The town was open but it's pretty much like every other tourist place. It was very pretty to view from a distance.
We then drove to Vitre and stayed there. Nice. Then drove into Paris via Versailles. Dropped off the car at Gare Lyon train station. Driving in Paris is no different than any other big city.