Two question about traveling in France

Your concerns about gas on Sunday in the country and credit cards in gas pumps are both well founded. Getting gas in the country in France, away from the Autoroutes, on Sundays can be a problem that blindsides those of us from countries that don't take Sunday (the day of rest) as seriously as the French do. You don't want to just assume, as you would here or in most countries, that surely you'll find a gas station that's open, not on Sundays. Gas up on Saturday so that you start out Sunday with a full tank. * * * ¶ Another problem is that stations that are open, off the Autoroutes, may not be manned by an employee, the employees would accept euro cash, but the machines often won't accept US credit cards. Also, figure that gas may be roughly $7 per gallon, so you need enough cash, that is, if you can find a manned gas station on Sunday.

Well I guess I got some planning to do. Maybe D-Day Sunday with French guide and see if we can pay him for gas. Can you get anything like a french prepaid debit or cash card?

Perhaps better to do the country driving to Mont St Michel on Saturday than Sunday. You mentioned a guided tour on Sunday, the Battlebus tours get good reviews, they leave out of Bayeux, Google their website to get full info. A bit spendy but we've never had anyone here say it wasn't worth the money. It would solve your gas problem on Sundays.

Depending on your route/departure point to MSN, odds are a big chunk of it will be on a freeway which will have full service all the time. Also, you can make it from Caen to MSN and back on a bit more than half a tank of gas. Also, you say you're going to take a ferry from Dunkerque, but it doesn't seem that you'll have a car; the Dunkerque docks are a far reach from anywhere, I've never seen a bus around the ferryport, the only line that runs out of there is Norfolk, Norfolk Lines does not take foot passangers from Dunkerque to my knowledge.

When you rent a car it's a good idea to specify a diesel. Most of them get well over 1000 km out of a tank of gas. Saves you a good chunk of money and you should be able to avoid looking for a gas station on a Sunday.

Its only 77 miles from Caen to MSM, 154 there and back. I can do that 3 times in my car, so if you top off the evening before you should have no fuel worries on that trip. ¶ Where in DePanne? The amusement park or the town. My memory is that the amusement park is in the middle of nowhere. The town is the most southerly outpost on the beach-side tram. ¶ I didn't know there were any passenger ferries on that path to Ramsgate or Dover.

1. We will be in Saint Mere-Eglise. So 120 klm on way 220 round trip so we should be able to make it. 2. I am traveling on Norfolk Lines from Dunkerque to Dover. Kind of weird their are no foot passengers when I booked a ticket with a bike. Wouldn't that be considered foot passenger? I guess I will need to email them. 3. De Panne is north of Dunkerque just across the boarder.

So I looked on Norfolk website. And they do say no foot passengers. Kind of misleading when you can book fare with just a bike.