We will be driving from the South and I would like to spend a night in Normandy before heading to Paris. My plan was to arrive in the evening at either Saint Malo or Mont St Michel, get up and tour Mont St Michel, head for Caen to see the D-Day beaches and then end up that night in Versailles where we can drop off the car. We would tour Versailles the next day and then head for Paris for the end of our trip.

I'm torn about whether or not to bother with Saint Malo. It might be fun to spend the night on Mont St Michel.

1) Should we try Saint Malo?
2) If not, any suggestions on rooms for 3 on Mont St Michel?

Have you checked the distances? That is an extraordinary amount to pack into one day.

No can do--well, and see anything, that is.

Just an opinion, but you need to drop either St. Malo or MSM. Choose between D Day beaches or Caen.

Look into the feasability of dropping the car off at Caen and train to Versailles as an option.

St Malo is in Brittany, not Normandy.

What is driving from the south??? Dordogne, Provence, Loire, other.

Like Padraig says, that sounds like a lot of driving and not much "doing". Mont St Michel, Caen, and the D-day beaches is about a 2 full day/2 night visit at least - unless you just want to drive by & not get out of the car much.

The short answer is to skip St Malo - you won't possibly have time to start the day in St Malo, visit Mt St Michel, Caen, and the D-day beaches & make it to Versailles by midnight.

Try to visit Mt St Michel on the day you drive up from the "south" & stay overnight there.

Stu Dudley

We visit both during a 10 day
trip last year. I found Mont
St Michel more interestingly
architecturally, once you got
past the cheesy touristic streets
leading to it.

St. Malo does have a lot of nice restaurants in the old city, but I do agree that the itinerary is too ambitious.

Mont St. Michel is going to take 3 hours. You could then stop at either the Memorial at Caen OR the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach and then go to Versailles.

Remember that driving in Europe, except on autoroutes, is generally one lane in each direction and can be slow if you get behind farm equipment.

Thanks for the feedback. What if we slept on/near Mont St Michel, toured in the morning, drove to Omaha beach and then ended up in Versailles?

Stu, if I told you where we were coming from you would really think I was nuts.

>>Stu, if I told you where we were coming from you would really think I was nuts<<

I've done some "nuts" things in France - but I've learned from my experiences. OK - where are you coming from??

Stu Dudley

The other advantage to staying at Mt. St Michel overnight is that you would see it in the evening and early morning when less crowded. I haven't stayed there for years (and camped nearby when I did) so can't offer any hotel recommendations.
I agree after that you should concentrate on Caen or DDay beaches before driving on to Versailles

We will be spending 4 days in Provence and 4 days in Beaune visiting friends. I know we should spend our last week in Paris but I really want to go to Mont St Michel and DD beaches. So:
- 1 day driving from Beaune to Mont St Michel
- 1 day MSM and DD beaches ending up in Versailles
- 1 day Versailles and then to Paris
- 3 days in Paris

Is this a holiday or an endurance race?

I would save Mont St Michel and Normandy for your next trip when you can take the time to enjoy them. In the meantime, enjoy a few more days in Paris, as you know you should.

If you simply must go to Normandy this time, then spend your time either at Mont St Michel or a few of the D-Day sites. I would opt for the latter, as they are closer, but be aware that with one day, you'll only be able to see the highlights.

Over many years of travelling, I've learned that you can't do everything you might want. It's much better to slow down and enjoy what you can. The other things will always be there for another time.

Kara2, I would hesitate to say that you are nuts, but you are playing with a nutty idea.

Even if you cut St. Malo out entirely, it's still too much. It's drive-past tourism.

If you still want to do this, have you considered taking the TGV from Dijon to Le Havre and renting a car there? You have to change stations in Paris, but for an example I checked Thursday June 14: there is a train leaving Dijon at 6:20 AM, and the connecting train arrves in Le Havre at 11:16 AM. Saves you half a day and the wear and tear of driving. Prems fare for 2 was GBP53.

We've decided to skip Normandy this trip and enjoy more time in Paris. We'll TGV to Paris and take a day trip to Versailles.

Thank you for your suggestions.

As usual Fodorites are right on this one. One thing people often forget to mention is how much time you can lose IF YOU GET LOST.
Even after 4 overseas trips, we still sometimes get lost and very frustrated.