Hows the drive to Mont St Michel?

[stickyshocker]

Ok, Mont St Michel would be the focal point of our cruise, we scanned the ship offered excursions and find them too expensive for our taste. Our stops would be at Cherbourg(12hrs)and LeHavre(14hrs)..for 2 consecutive days. We wish to get it done when we arrive at Cherbourg. Also, we’re travelling as a group of 8 with 3 children, i guess we have no choice butto rent a car. None of us have driven outside of North America and we have no idea what to expect in Europe, let alone in Normandy.

Can’t seem to find a road map, and cant help but asks ourselves.

 

1.Would it be a straight forward highway driving?

2. No roundabouts or downtowns to deal with?..

3.Tolls like the US?..Speed limit?

4. Are the signs bilingual? and what about parking?..

We would be in Cherbourg from 7am-7pm. and btw, im the only one who can drive stick.

 

I would like to hear from your experiences.

Edited January 6, 2018 by stickyshocker
grammar

[John Bull]

Something over 100 miles, 95% on divided highway. About 2 hours.

It's well-signed, very straightforward, & traffic is mainly light.

 

Americans don't seem to like roundabouts :p There'll be few, if any. Unless signs say differently, just yield to those who are already on the roundabout or are joining it on your left.

 

Once you're out of Cherbourg there's no downtown driving, it's all highway.

 

I don't think there are any tolls, but I might be out-of-date.

 

There are national speed limits, 90kph on local rural roads, and 110 kph or 130 kph on divided highways, depending on the type of highway. The highway limits are well-signed. Wisely those limits are reduced when wet - again the signs are clear.

The urban speed limit is usually 50kph (wet or dry), but I don't recall any urban driving except at the start & end.

There are fixed speed cameras. Quite a lot of speed cameras. And it's very easy to drive faster than the limits, so keep an eye on your speedo and use cruise control if the vehicle has it.

 

Signs are unsurprisingly in French. But they mainly involve symbols which are used throughout Europe and elsewhere and anyone can figure most of them from just the symbols

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_France

 

On divided highways you drive in the right-hand lane & use the left lane only for overtaking, similar to some interstate signs in the States. You don't overtake in the right lane (ie you don't under-take).

At lights there's no turnout on red. Red means stop, simple as that.

 

Direction signs aren't the same as in the US. US road directions usually quote the direction as north or south, east or west. In Europe the signs are to towns on the route, so if you don't have GPS look on your map for big towns in your direction.

So you'll start out on the N13 road signed N13 Caen & Paris, not N13 East. Then in about 30 miles you'll be looking for N174 toward Rennes or St Lo, not N174 South.

But I think Mont St Michel itself is signed all the way from Cherbourg. :)

 

There's plenty of parking near MSM, nowadays I think it's Park-and-Ride. You buy a parking ticket & that includes a shuttlebus.

Elsewhere there are service areas on the highways. Parking in towns, for instance if you wanted to stop off at Ste Mare-Eglise or St Lo, it's hit & miss.

 

Are you 8 including 3 children? Or 8 plus 3 children?

That's important cos it may affect whether your US driving licence is good for a vehicle with more than 8 seats.

And since most 8-seaters are based on panel vans, I don't know whether it's possible to rent one with automatic transmission. So it's probably you who'll be in the driving seat.

 

If you're driving in a foreign country for the first time, Cherbourg to MSM is as easy an introduction as I can think of.:)

 

If you have walking difficulties, esp up steep grades, MSM is one of the worst place I can think of.:(

 

JB :)

[stickyshocker]

I forgot to mention that we are all Canadians, nevertheless, i personally is not a huge fan of roundabouts. Our party includes the 3 children and two of them would be needing booster seats if thats what is required there in France. We were hoping to rent an 8 seater van like a Toyota Sienna or equivalent. About the GPS, thats another issue we have, we tried charting our course thru google maps (Cherbourg to MSM) and it wasn’t yielding any results. We would probably resort to paper maps if need be. Do they have “advance” green or left turn lights there? and I also just want to validate that when you mention “no turnout on red” means i can’t even make a right on the right lane even if there is no eastbound traffic coming?

Edited January 7, 2018 by stickyshocker
spelling

[John Bull]

OK, I'll revise my opinion of Americans & roundabouts. North Americans don't like them :D

 

Googlemaps won't yield a route to MSM because there's no public road to it these days - that "Park & Ride" thing.

So ask it for a route to La Caserne, which is the village about one kilometre away.

With a few notes from googlemaps you'd get by comfortably without a gps.

 

Yes, altho there are child/booster seat exemptions for taxis & buses, I think it's a requirement for rented vehicles.

 

I have no idea what "advance" green lights are.:confused:

In France, as in the UK & most of Europe, at junctions where there are different lanes for different directions sometimes a lane will have their own light - for instance you can go right on a green filter light even if the other lane/s have a red light. And sometimes that's reversed - your lane may have a red light whilst other lanes have green. That's much the same as North America.

But you can only go on a green light. Or go with caution on a regularly-flashing amber light (usually late night).

Just think of all light-controlled junctions as the North American junctions that show a sign "No turn-out on red" or similar.

So NO, “no turnout on red” means you can’t even make a right on the right lane even if there is no eastbound traffic coming, unless you have a green light. Red means stop, simple as that.

 

JB :)

[stickyshocker]

Bingo! La Caserne unlocked the map! Thank You I appreciate it. I reckon that this is where we park our van and take the free shuttle(are they) to MSM?

 

Advance green light for us Torontonians is pretty much in line with what you have described in European and US junctions except that all the lanes go(left, straight and right)at the same time while other directions(assuming we are South) North, West and East bound traffic are stopped in red. We normally have 10-12 seconds to advance before the opposite direction get their green. Majority of the traffic stops here doesn't have a dedicated left/right turn light and this is how we get by especially in rush hour.

Edited January 7, 2018 by stickyshocker
missing word

[John Bull]

Altho we drive parts of that route quite frequently heading south or to Brittany, it's years since we've been to MSM. Last time parking was on the causeway in the shadow of MSM. And on the beach, though occasionally folk got caught out - goggle "youtube flooding Mont Saint Michel" :D

Yes, parking is now at La Caserne - it might be Park-and-Ride or it might be that parking and the shuttle are two separate charges.

 

Advance green light sounds like a measure for crowded commuter routes - there are various vaguely-similar schemes in cities in Europe, but you'll not come across them in Normandy.

 

JB :)

[marchie1053]

John Bull has done his usual sterling and thorough detail posts! The only thing I can add is that when you do encounter a roundabout, there will be a red-bordered triangular sign at about shoulder height 'Cedez Le Passage'. Just remember to look to your left before entering the roundabout, and drive around it anti-clockwise!

 

Also, traffic lights have only green and red lights; there is no amber or other warning that lights are about to change (and French drivers are not noted for their patience at traffic lights ...).

 

Here is a link to a Bing map that gives the route from Cherbourg town to Mont St Michel itself - the Park and Ride will be signposted in good time so there is no danger of your driving to the Causeway itself!

 

 

https://www.bing.com/maps?FORM=Z9LH3

 

Lastly, if you do use a GPS, make sure that the warning of Speed Cameras is set to 'off' - the Cherbourg peninsula is a favourite Police Speed Trap hunting ground and having the speed camera warning operational can result in a fine of about €130-€150. Have a fabulous time!

Edited January 7, 2018 by marchie1053
Forgot the hyperlink - doh!

[dd likes to cruise]

Not traffic related but just a heads up on MSM itself. Hopefully everyone in your party is good with walking and steps, and inclines. We loved our visit there 2 years ago and will go again when in the area. But keep in mind it was built centuries ago and no elevators etc that we saw. And yes parking is a tad bit away and they shuttle you there. But you still walk a bit before you enter.

 

Enjoy

[RomyFamily]

In our experience, the number of booster seats available at French car rental agencies might be quite limited (or at least used to be). In order to avoid a bad surprise do not forget to book the booster seats at the same time as the van.

P.S. Time permitting, the kids might like „Alligator Bay“ just down the road.

[marazul]

stickyshocker -

 

The best advice is to plot your rute on http://www.viamichelin.com. Yes, they are French and sell tires, so they have the best directions of any navigation program. You will get not only step by step directions, but also pictures of the road signs on your route, location and amount of tolls, location of rest stops, estimated fuel you will use on the trip, etc, etc. Even if you decide to use google maps or other while driving, print the viamichelin directions so you can have a "navigator" looking at them. And also download their app to your phone.

[LondonTowner]

We were there two years ago and if I remember correctly the cost for parking a car was 12 Euros which I thought a bit pricey. Then, from the car park you take the shuttle bus to the mount itself.

 

The driving in France is very easy, even with our British car. The roads are fairly traffic free.

 

 

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[stickyshocker]

Thanks to all for the great advices, this would be our first DIY driving excursion and perhaps the trickiest.. I'm pretty sure we can nail it now. THANKS!!!

[Hlitner]

As a "North American" who has done this drive I will simply add support to everything that JB has said. And consider that JB is one of those strange Brits who comes to the USA and can actually handle driving on the right side :). If driving from Cherbourg, roundabouts (which we would simply call a traffic circle) are not a big deal. We also would agree with the other poster that MSM does involve a fair amount of walking as a car can only get you as far as the parking lot outside the town. Once inside the wall, everything is on foot.

 

 

Hank

[stickyshocker]

We have a stop at Le Havre the following day in case we encountered any deviation. The car rental hours could play a vital role on this excursion of ours.

[Hlitner]

We have a stop at Le Havre the following day in case we encountered any deviation. The car rental hours could play a vital role on this excursion of ours.

 

This opens up another option which is to rent the car for 2 days, spend the night somewhere in France, and catch up to the ship on Le Havre :). We have sometimes done these kind of deviations (you need to request it in advance from your cruise line). In fact, we are doing one of these deviations on an upcoming cruise..while in Japan. Many think its crazy to pay for a cruise, and then spend a night on shore....but it sometimes makes a lot of sense if seeing shore-side things are your priority.

 

By the way, as impressive as MSM is during the day....at night when the city is all lit-up...it is really amazing and a bit haunting. We once stayed at a motel about 2 miles down the road from MSM, and when we came out of our room to drive back to MSM for dinner....we were blown away by the beauty of the place at night. The downside was that none of the restaurants in MSM are worth writing home about.

 

Hank

[stickyshocker]

This opens up another option which is to rent the car for 2 days, spend the night somewhere in France, and catch up to the ship on Le Havre :). We have sometimes done these kind of deviations (you need to request it in advance from your cruise line). In fact, we are doing one of these deviations on an upcoming cruise..while in Japan.

 

 

Hank

 

12hrs in Cherbourg then 14hrs in Le Havre next day, doesn’t make any sense right?, like why cant they just have an overnighter in either of these ports instead? .. I honestly think, us spending the night in Cherbourg can be done.

I was just looking for someone that have done it.

 

If this is your first time in Japan, and have Tokyo in your sights, feel free to ask. Been there like 4x on land.

Edited January 10, 2018 by stickyshocker
missing link

[Simon-t]

If it’s any consolation, as a Brit driving in North America, I never managed to get my head around four way stop signs. If you can do those, roundabouts will be easy!

[stickyshocker]

Can i rent the car at Cherbourg and return it at Le Havre?

[LondonTowner]

You probably can, but there is normally a charge.

 

 

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[marazul]

Return charges also depend on where you return the car. We have found that returning the car at a train station can be a bit less than elsewhere. Most rental agencies have train station pick-up and drop-off sites.

When checking for prices in rental car websites, look for prices for returns at several locations. It may or may not make a difference.

[Hlitner]

If it’s any consolation, as a Brit driving in North America, I never managed to get my head around four way stop signs. If you can do those, roundabouts will be easy!

 

Nah. Its even worse when you think its a 4 Way Stop Sign, but its actually a 3 Way Stop Sign! Even JB would have trouble with this one :).

 

I really do not understand why so many Americans hate the roundabouts. They are a lot of fun....and once you get good at it the challenge is to fly around that circle without even slowing (or downshifting). I am sure JB could handle that in a Mustang.....but in a Vauxhall if would be ugly.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Can i rent the car at Cherbourg and return it at Le Havre?

 

Maybe ). You would have to check with the various rental car companies that have convenient offices in both places. But we have usually been able to do one-way rentals as long as they were being dropped in the same country. I just did a quick faux booking with Europcar (used a February date) and it was no problem...although the price was somewhat higher then returning to the same location. It also seemed to be no problem with Hertz...but didn't really pay attention to their agency locations in the cities.

 

Hank