We (4 adults) will be traveling from Paris to Mont St. Michel on Sunday, March 15. Our original plan was to train to Caen, pick up a rental car there and drive to MSM for the overnight. I am finding out that there is construction on that train line and the train trip would be 4+ hours. Now I'm thinking we may want to rent a car somewhere outside Paris and drive to MSM. Any suggestions on where to rent the car and a good route to MSM? About how long will the drive be? We'll eventually be returning the car in Bayeux on Monday, staying there for 3 days and going back to Paris. We would be OK with the long train ride that day. Thanks for your help.

I once needed to leave for Normandy on a Sunday morning with my wife and 2 year old. I picked up a rental car just before closing Saturday at Gare Montparnasse. Our hotel had parking. First thing Sunday we were up and on our way... driving up the Champs Elysée at 7 AM and seeing maybe 6 other cars on the street. Swooping around the Arc de Triomphe was so much fun I did it twice for the second time in my life.

What I'm trying to say is that driving out of Paris, especially on a Sunday morning, is easy as things get! Plan your route (and program your GPS) and you'll have no trouble. You'll save 4 train fares and have less schlepping of luggage too. Even if your hotel has no parking it will be less than 20 euros to leave it in a parking garage. Consult with AutoEurope.com by phone to get the best solution for your trip.

The Caen rental offices are closed on Sundays. Train to Rennes instead. Call Kemwel/Autoeurope to determine what "by appointment only" means for the offices in Rennes on Sundays. Rennes is closer to MSM than Caen is.

Stu Dudley

"by appointment only" means that there is a fee (usually around €40) for someone to meet you at the office to pick up the rental car.

If you don't want to incur both a train and car rental fare, gare Montparnasse makes the most sense, it's near the route you'd take to the NW--take the peripherique to A13. If you want outside Paris proper, rent in St-Germain-en-Laye, which is right on the RER line and near A13.

I will definitely look into the train to Rennes. What about getting out to Orly and picking up a car there? I thought that might give us more car rental options since it is a Sunday. Thanks again.

MSM is a 4 to 4 1/2 hr drive from Orly. It takes 30 mins on the RER to get to Orly.

MSM a 1 1/4 hr drive from Rennes. Trains leave Paris hourly - 2 hr relaxing train ride.

Stu Dudley

Consider renting in Rouen. The drive from there to Bayeux is lovely.

Avis at the Rennes train station appears to be open on Sundays from 4:00-9:00p.

http://www.avis.com/car-rental/location/EUR/FR/Rennes