Paris to Bayeux- train and car but how?
 

Hello, all. My son and I are staying in Paris from June 19th to the 23rd and will be leaving Paris on June 23rd to go to Bayeux (have lodging there). We want to rent a car to travel around the Normandy region (beaches and Mont St. Michel) then return to Paris on June 26th to prepare to fly home on June 27th. What would be most cost effective - train from Paris to Bayeux, then rent a car or rent a car in Paris for the entire Normandy part of the vacation? I am a little nervous about driving in Paris, but the folks at this forum have been wonderful in helping me prepare for this trip that I thought I'd run it by you.
Regards,
A nervous mom

My two cents worth:
Take the train to Caen, rent a acr there(directly across the train station)use the car to do Normandy and then return the car in Caen and train back to Paris.
I'm sure others will disagree!

From a pure cost standpoint, the most cost effective way would be to rent the car in Paris because you basically are saving the cost of two round trip train ticket. However, you are adding the cost of tolls ( 18 euros each way) and gas to get to and from Bayeux which should be less than the train tickets (80 euros per person RT).

That said, if you are not comfortable with driving in a big city, it might be worth the extra cash to take the train out of Paris. You will also avoid any possible traffic issues which can cause an hour or two of delays and it will reduce stress in general.

I completely agree with John's suggestion to take the train to Caen. There are countless car rental agencies right there at the train station, unlike at Bayeux, which is a tiny station. The trip takes a little over two hours.
Arrange your car rental ahead of time, from the States (if that's where you live). I always use AutoEurope.

Last time I tried, I could not pre-arrange a rental from Bayeux - no major outfits there - so we rented in Caen, which was quite easy to do because of the several rental companies representated at Caen's train station.

I have also picked up in Versailles and found driving out of Paris toward Normandy very easy from there. We took the RER out th Versailles, saw the palace, and stayed overnight before getting our rental car the next morning.