My family of 5 will be traveling to Paris in December and departing from London. We would like to rent a car to tour Normandy and go as far as Mont. St. Michel. I would like to take the train from Mont. St. Michel, or possible to Loire valley directly to London. We would have to rent a car one-way. Would we be advised to go by train, or rent the one way car, or is there a better way to travel? Possibly by tour bus. The other option would be to drive back to Paris to catch the train to London, but I feel like that would take a lot longer. I'm also not sure what is the best way to get to London, based on our itenerary.

Hi nb,

I think that you will have to go through Paris.

Check train schedules from your towns of interest at
http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...n?L=profi&

You can purchase tickets at www.sncf.com

We took a trip in the summer of 2004 where we flew into London spent a few days there,(traveling on the sightseeing double decker buses)then took a train to Portsmouth England, spent the night there. The next morning we took the fast Ferry 3hours 45 minutes,(first class is inexpensive)to Caen, France. In Caen we had a taxi driver take us in the Normandy region. (He spoke fluent English)We spent the night in Caen then took a train to Paris. I was absolutely moved by the American Cemetery. My son is a Saving Private Ryan movie fan and the Portsmouth-Caen is the same route they took in the movie.We rented an apartment in London because there was 4 of us and it was great. We took a train from Paris to Switzerland and that was also incredible. Our whole trip was 8 days. We may not be back to Europe for a long time, I wanted to see as much as possible.

You have to go through Paris if you want to take a train from Mont St Michel or Loire Valley to London. But renting a car is highly advisable if you want to tour Normandy with a family of five.

If your plan is to have "done" Paris before you head to Normandy, you might look into picking up a car somewhere west of Paris and return it to a port town where you can ferry across to UK. You would go to Mont St Michel first, then drive east along the coast until you get to wherever you can arrange most convenient car return and crossing. Drive to Calais if you don't want to take a ferry.

Check websites for the major car rental companies to see what cities for pick up and return. I think Rennes will be the closest major co. car rental to Mont St Michel. You can take TGV Paris to Rennes.

The only train to England goes through the tunnel, that's it, because of the water.

There is no train from Mont St Michel, either, there is no train station there. Rennes is the closest large station, although there is a smaller one at Pontorson (or something like that), but it would go back through Rennes, anyway.

I agree with other posters who say renting a car is the best way to see Normandy. And with a family of five, it's probably going to be the most cost-efficient, too. Just for the sake of discussion, here are two possible itineraries: You could take a train from Paris to Orleans, pick up a rental car, tour the Loire Valley, drive to Mont-St Michel, tour Normandy, turn in your car at Caen, and take a Brittany ferry to Portsmouth. There is train service from Portsmouth to London. Or you could skip the Loire valley, take the TGV to Rennes, pick up your rental car there, and go on to Mont-St Michel, etc. FYI, there is train service from Paris to Pontorson-Mont-St Michel via Caen as well as via Rennes. However, since you're going to be driving in that area, taking the TGV to Rennes would get you a look at a different part of the country. For car rental, I recommend www.autoeurope.com, a broker that finds you the best price among various agencies. Book now before leaving home for the best deal.

One more thing: For driving, it's essential to have detailed maps. For Normandy you'll need Michelin regional map #512. If you start driving at Orleans, you'll also want Michelin regional maps #519 and #518. You can buy them at www.languagequest.com.

A ferry from Normandy, as mentioned, might be better than the train. Check also for cheap flights from England to the coast of Brittany, which might be another alternative to the train.

I drove from Paris to the Loire Valley about 4 years ago. It was amazing. But it would have been much better if I got the detailed maps that are already suggested here, and had even a small clue as to how to understand and navigate the French highways. I was constantly getting lost (and FYI I speak fluent French). I just did not understand how the highway system worked. But that is lack of planning and research on my part, I readily admit.

You don't have to go to Paris to take the Eurostar to London. There are a few trains daily that stop at Calais-Frethun station before entering th e tunnel

If you drive to Calais, you will want to have Michelin regional map #511 (Nord: Flandres, Artois, Picardie).

According to www.viamichelin.com, if you stick to the autoroute (toll road), driving time from Caen to Calais is a little over three hours. If you decide to take the Eurostar from Calais to London, be aware that it is usually cheaper to buy return (round trip) tickets than single (one way) tickets, especially if you buy the tickets as far in advance as possible in order to get any available discounted seats. Even though it is listed as a "compulsory" return, ignore that and just throw away the portion you don't use.