Post-Cruise Harwich to Mont Saint Michel

[cruisin4kicks]

I'm going to post this on both the France Ports and England Ports boards. We're doing a TA on RCI Jewel of the Seas this May. One of our stops is Cherbourg. We really want to visit the Village of Mont Saint Michel but I don't think we'll have enough time over there.

 

Royal has a couple of excursions to go there. It looks like it takes about 2.5 hours to get there and another 2.5 to get back. That leaves a max of 2 hours to visit. I really don't want to spend all that time going to and fro.

 

We're considering staying in Europe for a few extra days after the cruise. For all you European travelers here, can you offer any suggestions on how to get from the port of Harwich (our final destination) to Mont Saint Michel? Any ferries from Harwich to Normandy? Get to London and take the Chunnel Train? Any suggestions at all?

 

We get into Harwich early Wednesday morning May 18 and would like to use that as a travel day. Thursday we would like to spend the day at Mont Saint Michel, and then fly home Friday morning probably from Paris. If at all possible, we would like to rent a car somewhere Wednesday afternoon and drop it off Friday morning.

 

This is something I've just thought about and right now I'm just trying to find out if the logistics of all this will work out. I'm a retired airline employee so we're pretty flexible concerning what airport we fly back to the U.S. from as long as it's an airport that Delta flies out of. I'll be doing my own research as well but any ideas/suggestions that anyone comes up with would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Tim

[taxatty]

See http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ for a boat from Portsmouth to St. Malo, which is not far from Mont St. Michel. You could take trains and transfer between London train stations to go from Harwich to Portsmouth--around a 4-4 1/2 hour trip. Check http://booking.britrail.com/index.action?urlType=Point_to_Point_Tickets for the trains.

 

Les

[John Bull]

See http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ for a boat from Portsmouth to St. Malo, which is not far from Mont St. Michel. You could take trains and transfer between London train stations to go from Harwich to Portsmouth--around a 4-4 1/2 hour trip. Check http://booking.britrail.com/index.action?urlType=Point_to_Point_Tickets for the trains.

 

Les

 

Nice try, Les :)

But the St Malo is an overnite ferry, & takes about 12 hrs.

Then 30 miles to MSM - impossible by public transport but easy by car.

The exercise means all pretty tedious travel & no sight-seeing, apart from a few hours in either London or Portsmouth - with luggage :eek:

As my post in the UK forum, other Harwich/MSM options are equally problematic.

But two extra days to see France by jumping-ship at Cherbourg :)

JB

[cruisin4kicks]

I want to thank everyone on both boards with their responses to my original post. I probably should have done a little more research before I submitted that post but I just thought the original post and answers would be part of the research.

 

The deal killer turned out to be the 10 to 12 hour ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo. I found that out last night when I was checking the ferry schedule and then it was confirmed by John Bull on a post here. I thought train from Harwich to Liverpool Station, cab to Victoria Station (or Waterloo), another train to Portsmouth, and then a 2 or 3 hour ferry to St Malo (all this while carrying our luggage with us) and we would arrive early that evening. Looks like I need to brush up on my geography.

 

I don't yet know what we'll do about Mont St Michel when we get to Cherbourg on our cruise but I do know what we won't be doing once we land in Harwich after the cruise. Again, thanks to everyone for bringing me back down to earth.

 

Tim

[taxatty]

I want to thank everyone on both boards with their responses to my original post. I probably should have done a little more research before I submitted that post but I just thought the original post and answers would be part of the research.

 

The deal killer turned out to be the 10 to 12 hour ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo. I found that out last night when I was checking the ferry schedule and then it was confirmed by John Bull on a post here. I thought train from Harwich to Liverpool Station, cab to Victoria Station (or Waterloo), another train to Portsmouth, and then a 2 or 3 hour ferry to St Malo (all this while carrying our luggage with us) and we would arrive early that evening. Looks like I need to brush up on my geography.

 

I don't yet know what we'll do about Mont St Michel when we get to Cherbourg on our cruise but I do know what we won't be doing once we land in Harwich after the cruise. Again, thanks to everyone for bringing me back down to earth.

 

Tim

If you really want to go to Mont St. Michel (and it's worth the trip--the view as you approach the island is an awesome sight) leave Paris on Sunday instead of Friday, which will give you plenty of time to get there via London and Paris after picking up a rental car where you arrive in Paris. You can avoid a very long travel day by spending the night somewhere in between.

 

We drove from Paris to Bayeux and day tripped from there to Mont St. Michel (1/2 a day there is plenty) before returning to Paris. There are also a lot of other things to see and do near Bayeux (the Tapestry, Caen, Normandy beaches, etc.).

 

Les

[Cruise Junky]

I'd do the ships tour. For us we were totally done with MSM after an hour because of the crowds. In my opinion, it's best viewed from afar. Don't get me wrong, I loved it but didn't need that long there and I wouldn't do that long of a ferry trip to get back

[cruisin4kicks]

Hi Tim,

Info & opinions on these pages are all part of research, so don't worry about it ;)

 

But now there's several of us trying to persuade you to abandon-ship in Cherbourg, if its permitted. :)

Worth considering?

JB

Got off the phone with Royal Caribbean last night. They said it depends on the port/country but as far as Cherbourg is concerned, you can get the permission paperwork thru Royal and hop off there. So, now I'm doing some research to see about renting a car for a few days, see Mont Saint Michel, a few other places, drop the car off at the CDG, and fly home from there.

 

I'm a Hertz Gold Club member and I see Hertz has an two offices in Cherbourg... one at the airport over there and one that looks like it's close to the ferry terminal. I also see that Europcar has an office in Cherbourg as well... according to their website, near the ferry. Does anyone know if that is where the ship docks? We'll be in Cherbourg on a Tuesday so we shouldn't have to worry about the rental locations being closed but they do seem to have strange hours.

 

Just wondering if I can get any recommendations between Hertz and Europcar and, other than Mont St Michel, any recommendations on places to see and places to spend the night between MSM and Paris. Thanks.

 

Tim

[taxatty]

Just wondering if I can get any recommendations between Hertz and Europcar and, other than Mont St Michel, any recommendations on places to see and places to spend the night between MSM and Paris. Thanks.

 

Tim

See my comments above. If you have several days also consider seeing Rouen, Giverny (Monet's gardens), Honfleur and Chantilly, which is very close to CDG. Bayeux and Honfleur are delightful places to stay. Consider spending your last night at one of the hotels next to CDG on your last night--Ibis if you want cheap, Hilton if you want nice, to have a short walk or shuttle to CDG the morning you leave instead of trying to get there from the city. It's a reasonable RER B train ride from CDG to the center of Paris if you want to go into the city for dinner, etc.

 

FYI--I've never tried to take a boat from the UK to France, but I HAVE traveled extensively in France.

 

Les

[John Bull]

other than Mont St Michel, any recommendations on places to see and places to spend the night between MSM and Paris. Thanks.

 

Tim

Taxatty's suggestions follow the shortest route Cherbourg - Paris, and can include the D-Day beaches, which tend to be high on most US visitors' priorities.

But MSM is rather out-on-a-limb. So go there first, perhaps stopping off shortly out of Cherbourg at D-Day sights & museums of Ste Maire-Eglise & Utah beach. After MSM, return to the coast at Caen, either direct on the fast road or via the country lanes of the Bocage & the historic town of Falaise. Back-track a little from Caen if you want to visit Bayeux & Omaha/American Cemetery, before continuing to Honfleur, Rouen & Paris

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Cherbourg,+France&daddr=48.59144,-1.66366+to:49.25201,-0.68177+to:Pont+Neuf&geocode=FQ1t9QIdX17n_ymNGDOdC5cMSDGQfrlPSBQMBA%3BFVBy5QIdVJ3m_ylryhd1oaMOSDHRDrYfzaUMEw%3BFaqG7wId1pj1_yn7hXlTI1MKSDEh7ME4SBQMEw%3BFUJ86QIddrYjAA&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrsp=2&sz=7&via=1,2&sll=49.289306,-0.175781&sspn=2.608401,6.82251&ie=UTF8&ll=49.296472,-0.175781&spn=2.75133,6.82251&z=7

 

Alternatively, consider the beautiful Loire Valley, especially Angers to Orleans - chateaux & vineyards.

Then mebbe Chartres & Versailles on your way into Paris.

The much shorter cross-country route MSM to Chartres is on country roads, pleasant & traffic-free but slow & with no significant sights.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Cherbourg,+France&daddr=48.60595,-1.79084+to:47.43869,-0.7637+to:47.89955,1.83421+to:Paris&geocode=FQ1t9QIdX17n_ymNGDOdC5cMSDGQfrlPSBQMBA%3BFf6q5QIdiKzk_ymXMs86PpkOSDEwRmUfzaUMEw%3BFWLb0wIdzFj0_ykfI4AB0ikGSDEBWi1IUjcNEw%3BFZ7j2gId4vwbACmt6OL30u_kRzFADEzo1sgNEw%3BFVt-6QIdi98jACkPt-IGH27mRzFglIxow4ILBA&hl=en&mra=dpe&mrsp=3&sz=7&via=1,2,3&sll=48.268569,0.32959&sspn=2.80824,6.82251&ie=UTF8&ll=48.290503,0.406494&spn=2.807035,6.82251&z=7

 

Taxatty's suggestion & the Loire Valley have their pros & cons, guess you've got a fair bit of research ahead of you, to decide which appeals to you & fits your time-scale. ;)

 

JB

[Cruise Junky]

We stayed here last year in Honfleur...lovely! Also highly recommend Honfleur, it's beautiful.

 

http://www.lapetitefolie-honfleur.com/fr_content/index.php

[Mimi33]

We spent a wonderful night in Rouen on our way from Paris to MSM at the Hotel de Bourgtheroulde right in the center of the city. It is very elegant, new but in an old building and close to everything. Rouen is a small city that you can walk around and see in one day. The cathedral there is worth the trip. The restaurant La Couronne was one of Julia Child's favorites.

 

Depending on your itinerary, I would also recommend staying the night in MSM at the Mere Poulard or Terraces Poulard. The Mont at night is a spectacular sight and there is noone there after dinner. You walk around a deserted place and it is magical.