I%26#39;m in the early stages of planning my third trip to Europe. My wish list this time around includes a number of small towns in southern England, as well as Mont-St-Michel and Honfleur in northern France. However, I am not at all sure that this is feasible. I plan to travel solo and do not wish to rent a car. It%26#39;s simply too hard for me to look at a map and follow directions while driving by myself.
I%26#39;ve traveled across Britain by train before, so this part I can do. But, is it possible to use public transportation to travel from small town England to small town France? Or even from London to the French coast by Eurostar?
I did see that there is a ferry from Portsmouth to St-Malo. Are there buses or trains from there to Mont-St-Michel and/or from there to Honfleur?
Is there any way to make this work without a car?
I would appreciate any and all advice!
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Would you consider printing out directions from a site such as The AA or Via Michelin?
www.aaroadwatch.ie/routes (click on the Europe Option) or www.viamichelin.com
These give excellent instructions and you wouldn%26#39;t need to look at a map.
I think it would be difficult to do the trip you envisage without a car - but I could be wrong. Others may have alternative opinions and suggestions.
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I did it travelling with my daughter who was 14 at the time. The buses and trains are pretty good, but buses dont run from department to department, so you need the train for that.
There is a transfer from Ouisterham (the ferry port)to Caen. Caen to Mont St Michel is be by train to Pontorson then bus to MSM.
From Caen to Honfleur is by bus, about 90 minutes from memory.
It cant be too difficult - at the time I had 2 root canals waiting a dentist%26#39;s appointment, and my daughter wasnt at all well..............and we still managed it with a fair bit of elan!
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Yes I think it can be done but it%26#39;s SLOW. Why not ask for a hire car with SatNav?
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Absolutely -- you have the option of hiring a car with a GPS (or buy your own -- just make sure it can be loaded with European maps) -- and it will tell you your directions in your choice of voices...in English, no less.
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A car with GPS is a really interesting idea. Thanks, everyone!
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So what if it%26#39;s slow? (and even then, it isnt particularly slow...)
If you%26#39;re on holiday, and if as the philosophers say it;s all about getting there, then the public transport route is the way to go. Its also cheaper, greener, more relaxed - and you dont spend your whole time hoping that the country track your sat nat is taking you down doesnt end up in a boggy cow yard.
As someone who drives a lot in France (my new home country) one of the things I miss most is seeing stuff. You cant see stuff from behind the drivers wheel. Much better to take an extra hour here or there and see what it is you paid all that money to travel through.
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Wiz (please forgive me if I%26#39;m getting too familiar!!) the one thing I love is heading down those country lanes, getting close enough to eyeball the cows, getting the essence of a country.
While I appreciate the green ness of public transport (I%26#39;m currently thinking of all those with colds travelling on busses!!), there are two ways to travel by car.
You can travel by motorway - which is excellent if you have a ferry or a plane to catch - or you can use it like the proverbial donkey wandering here and there to places where no public transport will fit (I suppose it helps if you have your own car rather than a hire car)
The drive via the Motorway from St. Malo to Mont St Michel is well signposted and low on views. The drive via the coast from is not particularly well signposted but is absolutely beautiful - old mills, lovely scenery and le Mont looming nearer.
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