From Paris to the Mont. St. Michel -- need your help. thx.
 

Hello Everyboby,

My family (2 adults and 2 children) will vist Paris in the coming Summer and we want to go to the Mont. St. Michel.

Can you tell me the best method to go there?

If possible, Tell me more about the travel fee this trip.

Thanks so much.

Gavin

I you mean as a day trip from paris - this is a very long day - at least 15 hours - and is best done as a coach tour.

If you mean you want o visit Normady for several days I would reco renting a car to visit more the highlights including Bayeux, Caen and the invasion beaches.

All the info you'll need is on the official website. Essentially you take a train from Paris to Rennes and then take a bus from there to MSM.

http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/index.htm?lang=en

IMO opinion, this is a very long day trip (plan on about 4-1/2 to 5 hours of travel before you actually set foot on MSM) that will be even more difficult in about 10 days when they implement the new shuttle system.

http://accueilmontsaintmichel.fr/english/index.html

If you decide on this you'll need to use the TGV website to buy/reserve your tickets. For info on these trains use the website www.tgv-europe.com for schedules and prices. Don't forget to uncheck the box marked "Direct Trains" to see all possible options. If the TGV site redirects you to the RailEurope website then try again and enter "Antarctica" as your ticket collection country. Other countries may also work but just try to find a country that doesn't get you redirected to RailEurope. The RailEurope website often doesn't show all the trains and generally has higher prices but you can check just to compare. You can buy tickets up to 3 months in advance and the earlier you buy them the cheaper they will be. The discounted tickets are known as PREM tickets but these are non-refundable and can't be exchanged.

Here is a website that will tell you how to navigate the TGV website:

http://www.nickbooth.id.au/Tips/FrenchTrain.htm

An excellent website to learn all about train travel in Europe is www.seat61.com.

Here is info about the buses:

http://www.keolis-emeraude.com/en/mo...st-michel.html

http://www.destination-montsaintmichel.com/?lang=en

Personally, I don't think this is a good day trip from Paris since about 2/3 of your day will be spent getting there and getting back. Nine to ten hours of your day will be spent traveling.

And here is a link to one of the coach tour companies that does trips to MSM, although I think there are others:

http://www.pariscityvision.com/en/fr...t-saint-michel

Lastly, if you are going to rent a car I would recommend visiting places closer to MSM than the D-Day zone, such as Dinan, Saint-Malo and other places near there, unless you are going for longer than a few days. The D-Day zone is just over a 1-1/2 hour drive from MSM. Here is a report I wrote (with photos and descriptions) about exploring the area near Dinan/Saint-Malo/MSM if you want to have a look:

http://tinyurl.com/82azcyh

A train from Rennes to Pontorson and the Courriers bretons bus from there. From what I understand the bus drops you right off at the bottomof the Mount but I havent taken it myself. The bus station in Rennes is right next door to the train station.
Have a joyful Yatra!

How long will you be in Paris itself.

Coming from Paris there are no convenient trains to Pontorson. The earliest ones usually leave Paris around noon, require a transfer and take from 3-3/4 to 4 hours.

Is it possible for one day trip from Paris to Mout. St. Michel ?

Hi Everyone,

I am doing this 13 hour tour from FranceTourisme in Paris to St Michel in October. Due to health problems, I like to take some coach tours occasionally as it gives me a break from getting lost and exhausted! You can nap on coaches and not miss your get off point. And you do meet some interesting and lovely fellow travellers too.

http://www.francetourisme.fr/tours-d...chel-tour.html

It is the most reasonable price I can find at $110 euro.Lunch can be booked from 18 eu to 48 eu and the menus are on the website to help you choose. As I am on a tight budget, I may take my own food and spend the time looking around rather than waiting for a meal.


Another advantage is that it is easy to get to their office which is located near Saint-Michel/Notre-Dame. But hotel transfers can be arranged for 30 eu if preferred.

Info off Website
Price : 110.00 €

Mont St Michel Tours : Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Departure : at 7:15 a.m. from our agency
Duration : 13h00
Entrance tickets to the Abbey included
Option : Lunch "Terrasses Poulard"18 eu(At a glance,this restaurant has mixed reviews but you do get dessert!)

or "La Mère Poulard" 48eu (What!-No dessert? That entrée and main course better be good! Again, mixed reviews from Trip adviser.)

Agency address / Excursion departure :
33, Quai des Grands Augustins
75006 Paris - Tel : 01 53 10 35 35
Métro/RER : Saint Michel (ligne 4 ou RER B)
Open daily from 7a.m. to 9:30 p.m.Team is composed of multilingual professionals.

Kerry
"Have the most possible fun on the least possible money!"

hkchemsir - All the information you need to do this as a day trip from Paris has been provided in the thread already. As I said, it's at least 4-1/2 to 5 hours of traveling from Paris until you set foot on the Mont, whether you do it on your own or take a bus tour. So be prepared for 9-10 hours of travel time round trip if you want to do this. This is not a day trip I would want to do myself but many people do it.

Just want to add that La Mère Puolard, despite having been around and thriving for decades (maybe centuries), may be the worst restaurant in all of France. In fact, I think it's close to impossible to get a decent meal anywhere on le MSM (and I've been at least a dozen times and tried).

And while I understand that le MSM is some sort of iconic French draw for many Americans, 110 euros and a 15-hour expedition from Paris seem utterly excessive to me.I would translate "Have the most possible fun on the least possible money" in this instance to "Have an excruciatingly long, boring day on a bus for a glance at a historical site and a lousy meal, for a ridiculously high price."

Hi Gavin -

You could consider renting a car in Paris and driving to some place like Dinan. Spend the night there, where the food is good, and then go to MSM the next morning. Then drive back to Paris.

I am also thinking that you could take the train to Rennes and rent a car there, but I don't have experience with that. Might not be bad if the Rennes train station is close to the car rental agency.

My recollection is the Dinan is maybe 20-30 minutes from MSM. Of course there are other places for an overnight near MSM but I really liked Dinan and had an outstanding dinner there.

With a car you won't need to worry about 440 euro bus tours, or train schedules or bus connections or making sure all 4 of you are on that bus from Rennes. And back to Rennes.

Hi St Circ.

I know your advice is excellent but the idea of this forum is to present alternative ideas no matter how crazy they may seem to someone else. I'd like to construct an ultra-light from toilet rolls and use a really ,really big rubber band to power it so I can get to Mt St Michel in less that an hour but, while I know toilet rolls can be easily acquired, the humongous rubber band may not be available at the local shops. Fortunately the OP has not cottoned on to this alternative.

A coach trip suits my circumstances though I have to admit that your viewpoint has made me reconsider it. But the Op can decide what suits him or her without feeling like they are crazy if they decide a long and boring trip is worth it to them too.

It's not hard to be tactful and it works so much better. I understand you know so much more than I do on this subject but you can get your point across without making people who have alternative ideas feel like morons, regardless of whether they are or not. I am not an American either, so have no cultural obsession with Mt St Michel.

Kerry

And how, exactly, did I make anyone feel like a "moron?" I merely stated that I thought that 110 euros per person for a bus tour to le MSM, given the length of the ride and the small amount of time presumably spent on the Mont and the bad food available there, was, as I said, excessive.

Robertino pretty much echoed my sentiments.

You're touting some website that maybe you're affiliated with - who knows? In any event, I stand by my statement that what the OP proposed seemed way overpriced and a very long day for precious little reward. If people want to make tours like this, let them. It doesn't affect me. I just think that's a boatload of money to spend basically on a bus for 8 hours.

Mt St M is - unfortunately - one of those place like Niagara Falls - that so many tourists think they MUST see - but really aren't worth the time, effort or money - UNLESS you will already be in the area. (As a native New Yorker I finally saw the falls in my 40's when on a road trip to Toronto.)

We finally visited when we spend 6 days in Normandy = and it made sense. But we didn;t try in our previous perhaps 12 trips to Paris - just too much time and troubl.

I am not affiliated with any website or travel group in any way. This was just the cheapest price I could find. Get over yourself StCirq, and get a sense of humour.

KERRY, maybe after you actually make this trip, you'll agree with StCirq.

To the OP, how old are your children? That's an awful lot of time crammed in a bus for young children.

KERRY, I have a very healthy sense of humor. You just don't know what you're talking about.

I actually DO agree with you, StCirq! I said I was reconsidering the coach in view of what you said and am investigating staying overnight at the Hôtel Du Guesclin rather than the coach trip based on the advice received here from StCirq and others.

I am sorry if I sounded as though I was accusing you of considering people with other views as "morons" .That was offensive and I apologise. Maybe a cultural thing - here in Oz the term is almost an endearment.

But I get so tired of the manner of some posters here who sound unfriendly and even sarcastic at times. And I think StCirq's comment below sounds a though he/she considers my lifestyle choices as being rather laughable at times when it's worked very well for me in the past. To Quote-" I would translate "Have the most possible fun on the least possible money" in this instance to "Have an excruciatingly long, boring day on a bus for a glance at a historical site and a lousy meal, for a ridiculously high price."

And please don't fall back on the old standby adage "poster is over sensitive" based on this. Many others also feel that, while the advice is excellent, the manner in which it is delivered leaves something to be desired. However, I am not good at standing the heat so I am out of this kitchen for good.

StCirq is also correct that I don't know what I am talking about. He/She has been to Mt St Michel many times. I haven't, so they have the advantage. But I was just making a suggestion based on what may have suited me and the OP. Obviously not a very clever suggestion it would seem, although, after reading reviews, I found many people have done the day trip by coach and thoroughly enjoyed it and an equal number of others think it's a complete waste of time and money.

And Mimar is quite correct . It could be a nightmare with children.