Theonly problem with this plan is that you won;t be able to see the Abbey. In summer the last visitor are admitted at 6pm and it closes at 7. And if you arrive there at 5 and park you car you then have a long, steep climb to get up to the Abbey.

And, IMHO, visiting the Mt and ignoring the Abbey is a complete waste of time.

Also, the drive is along country roads - so I think 2 hours is probably wishful thinking - esp in midsummer.

With this plan - IF you arrive at 4 pm (doubtful) you would be done at the Mt by about 8 pm - then, have dinner there and drive back later? Drive back to Bayeaus and try to find a place serving dinner at 10 or 10:30 pm?

Not a great plan.

A quick look at the route on viamichelin.com shows, at the moment, 6 "incidents" - I assume accidents on the road between the two. We didn't have that, but did have considerable construction and about 20 minutes wasted trying to get past a huge hay wagon that was going about 10 mph - and had a whole line of cars behind it.

If taking the train from Rennes, you have two choice: Change in Paris or change in Marseilles. In Paris you need to change train stations, in Marseilles it looks like it is the same station. In any case, it will be a 9 to 11 hour trip. I would not use the Paris transfer.

Kanne:

We're doing a similar trip in March, without the MSM. Arrive in Paris at 8, catching a train to Caen (11:25) and renting a car from there. Will arrive in Caen around 2:00, so will check out the Peace Museum that afternoon, before heading to Port en Bessin for dinner and hotel. Next day (saturday) will tour the beaches and, if enough time left, go to Bayeux to the tapestry. Hotel again in Port en Bessin. Will have about a half-day from Port en Bessin to Caen to return car and train back to paris for 6.5 more days.

I looked at pricing car rental from Paris vs. train to Caen and rental.

Sorry, unintentional early submittal above.

To continue: When you factor in fuel costs, tolls, etc., for us, our round trip to and from Paris was 22 euro more expensive to train and rent vs. rent car at Paris. I felt the 22 euro investment in the fear of jet lag, plus all the driving time getting to Normandy the train/rent car in Caen was a better investment. Not sure how it works out cost wise with a different drop-off point for the rental car, but the added trip to Nice does change the game. I'd recommend catching the train up and renting from Caen. You can expect a 60 euro 2nd class trip from paris to caen for all 4, but the train from CDG to St. Lazare will cost you nearly 35 euro as well. The benefit is that you can, at least for the 2 hour ride from paris to caen, hopefully catch a quick energy nap if you are tired, which will allow you to eliminate the risk of drowsy driving in a different country on unfamiliar roads.

Good luck and enjoy!

Good point nytraveler. I still think the day trip idea is worth considering with the abbreviated time in the area but you would want to arrive earlier to make sure you could see the Abbey. With sunset around 10 pm you could stay late, eat dinner on the Mont or in the area and get back at a "decent" time.

But, we drove it in May, not midsummer, and traffic was not bad.

Well - I'm all in favor of road trips - it's out travel of choice - but we've larned not to drive more than an hour right off an overnight flight - and not to plan to drive more than about 4 or 5 hours in any one day - even with 2 drivers.

the problem with eating on the Mt is that most of the restaurants are trouist traps - food is edible but not much more - and eating dinner outside of Paris after 10 pm (except for the Riviera in season) isn't going to happen.

the other issue is the age of the kids. Not sure how they are with long hours in the car or eating at later hours. Some that age are OK - some are botomless pits that must be fed continuously.

I think a daytrip is doable if they start early in the morning - but that youw give them practically not time in/near Bayeaux unless they ad another day.

The Bayeux tapestry should not be missed, and one should absolutely make the time to see it.

Wow - thank you for all the replies! We have decided to stay in Paris first, then visit Normandy/MSM. I think we can fit an extra night (for a total of 3) for this side trip before continuing on to Nice. I don't want to run my family ragged, but we are the type who lean towards packing in as much as possible and planning every excursion to minute! I know that horrifies many travelers, but it seems to work well for our family. I do especially appreciate all the notes people have made regarding times (driving, opening, tides, etc.) and train/vs car travel.

It is my husband's preference that we go to MSM & Normandy, actually MSM is his second choice after Lourdes which I just do not see how we could fit in at all without abandoning Nice altogether. I went to MSM when I was my around my boys' ages and really enjoyed the experience, and I hope they will too.

I know I will have more specific questions to ask from the replies above and hope to have those sorted and posted tomorrow.

Thanks to all again!

But, Michael, do you think boys 11 and 13 would be interested in the Bayeux tapestry? I don't.

Mimar,
We had the kids read a book on William the Conquorer before our trip to Bayeux, so they were really interested at the Museum.

Kanne,
If its been that long since you have to MSM, prepare yourself for the crowd.

Boys who are 11 and 13 will soon be, if they haven't already been, exposed to the history of William the Conqueror (or should be!). My kids were just about exactly that age the first time they saw the tapestry, and they loved it. In fact, two years later, when we returned to Normandy, they insisted on seeing it again.

To the person arriving at 8 and training to Caen, hope your plane is on time. Cab to Paris factored into the car rental price? Sure is a LOT to do after an all night flight.

For a squeaky clean and very reasonable hotel look at Hotel Bayeux. Five minutes from the Cathedral. Five minutes from teh Tapestry. Very near to the major highway out of town.

Considering the Bayeux Tapestry is essentially a cartoon, I think the kids will enjoy it. Make sure they have audio guides. Perhaps there's a child's version?

Not only the crowd, but the change from what it used to be. We were in Bayeux for 3 days (in addition to 3 more around Normandy) and still couldn't "make enough time" to go to MSM.
Normandy is known for its cider and cow's milk cheeses. There are a LOT of interesting things to do. I'm not sure my grands would be real blown away by MSM---the age of these children.
The beaches and the museums that are on each of them are going to be very interesting to boys.

Gretchen: Were not cabbing to St. Lazare, taking the RER. We each are limited to one bag per person, and you drag what you take. We figured getting to St. Lazare w/ transfer from RER B would be just as easy as trying to drive out. There's also a 1:45 out of Lazare if the 3.5 hours isn't enough from landing - thru customs and hopping on the RER to Nord, switching to Lazare thru Magenta. Would rather schlep through the stations after getting off the over-night than try to drive for the first time on foreign soil.

I see advice here regularly warning travellers of the impossibility/difficulty of driving significant distances after an overnight flight from the States. Speaking only for myself, I do it just about every time I fly to Europe. This past September, after an all-night flight from Philadelphia to Madrid, 3hr. layover, then a 1 hr flight to Barcelona, I drove a large van with 6 people for 3 hours north to our hotel on the Costa Brava - no problem. I've done this before with longer layovers and 5 hour drives.

I point this out not in a boastful way, but only to state that what seems unreasonable for some people may be perfectly fine for others. In my case, I arrive without the benefit of sleep (just can't manage more than a 20 minute nap on any flight, no matter how long), and am full of adrenaline to start my vacation.

I'm sure there are others who can, and do, make similar trips.

On the other hand, once I get home after vacation, all I want to see is my bed ...

<i>I point this out not in a boastful way, but only to state that what seems unreasonable for some people may be perfectly fine for others.</i>
That is why we advise folks about it. Then we let them make up there own mind.
it affects everyone in different ways.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_lag

DH and I flew into Paris, stayed 4 days, then took a train to Caen, mainly to avoid trying to drive out of Paris. We are used to driving in Los Angeles and Atlanta but we did not want to drive in Paris. So, we took the train to Caen, rented a car (reserved before we left the US) and did some of the beaches on our own, but one whole day with a private guide. We then drove to Brittany, stayed in Dinan, and went to Mt. Ste. Michele. There didn't seem to be an easy way to get to MSM, but we enjoyed the ride. Do beware of the lack of service stations and toilet facilities since you'll have children with you.
Also, if you do rent a car in Caen, allow plenty of time to fill up the car with gas before turning it in. We must have driven around an hour before finding a station. The rental car offices are right across the street from the train station.
Everyone is different and has different comfort levels. We loved exploring but we made the right decision, for us, not to try to drive out of Paris.
One last comment about the beaches. They deserve a decent amount of time. Don't miss the American cemetery above Omaha Beach.

I think it's a good idea to stay in Paris first. That way, you can either hit the ground running or laze away the first day, depending on how everyone feels when you arrive. (In our family, sometimes one parent and kid head out immediately and the other parent and kid feel like napping. I am almost always the napper, although I am proud to say on our last trip, I was NOT the slacker on the first day.)

We did this trip (Paris, Normandy, MSM) a couple of years ago with our boys (probably aged 13 and 15 at the time), combined with a week of canal barging, and it was great.

They were definitely most interested in the beaches and the American Cemetery, as compared to MSM or the Bayeux tapestry, although we saw and enjoyed it all. I am generally not fond of tours, but touring Normandy with a knowledgeable guide was really interesting, especially helpful in keeping the kids engaged. The food on MSM was the worst of our trip; wish we'd avoided it. Be rested and ready for lots of uphill hiking on MSM. The highlight was a Segway tour in Paris (expensive and not sure the minimum age though). We stopped at Giverny, since it was a convenient stop, which the parents loved and the kids were not interested in the least.

I think you will have a great time!