A ten-day loop from Rouen following the coast: the cliffs of Étretat, the Vieux Bassin in Honfleur, the Côte Fleurie, the D-Day beaches, the tip of the Cotentin peninsula, then Mont-Saint-Michel. No long distances between stages, few tolls outside the A13, and only one toll bridge, the Pont de Normandie.
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May, June and September: fewer people than in July-August, when parking at the Mont rises to €28 a day. In winter the days are short but parking at the Mont is free in the evening; the Bayeux Tapestry is in London until July 2027.
🚗 97 km · 1h55 of driving from Rouen
The toll-free Abbey Road along the Seine via Jumièges and Caudebec-en-Caux, rather than the tolled A150 and A29.
🚗 45 km · 45 min of driving from Étretat
D940 to Le Havre, then the Pont de Normandie, with a toll barrier: €6.10 since May 2026, bank cards accepted.
🚗 96 km · 1h35 of driving from Honfleur
D513 along the Côte Fleurie (Villers-sur-Mer, Houlgate, Cabourg), then the Caen ring road and the N13, no tolls.
🚗 107 km · 1h40 of driving from Bayeux
Toll-free N13 towards Carentan, a detour via Utah Beach and Sainte-Mère-Église, then the minor roads of the Val de Saire.
🚗 159 km · 2h50 of driving from Barfleur
Via Coutances and Granville, no tolls. At the Mont, car parks are 2.7 km from the rock, then the free Le Passeur shuttle.
🚗 250 km · 2h45 of driving from Mont-Saint-Michel
Skip Barfleur and do not stay overnight in Étretat: see the cliffs on the way from Rouen to Honfleur. Nights: Rouen 1, Honfleur 2, Bayeux 2, Mont-Saint-Michel 1.
| Car hire only, Rouen average | ≈ €43 a day (Kayak, Sept 2026) |
|---|---|
| Small car | ≈ €45 a day |
| Most expensive month, April | ≈ €51 a day |
| Cheapest month, November | ≈ €40 a day |
| Your own car | The simplest option if you are coming from Paris. A toll tag pays for the barrier-free A13 automatically. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | Rouen Rive Droite station: Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar. It is a loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Vehicle | A small or compact car: tight car parks in Honfleur and Étretat, narrow roads in the Cotentin. |
| Age | At Europcar, from age 18 with 1 year's driving experience; under 26, €40 a day extra. |
⚠️ Without a tag, the A13 toll must be paid online within 72 hours: otherwise, a €90 penalty notice on top of the toll.
Motorways 130 (110 in the rain), dual carriageways 110. Other roads 80, except in the Eure and on 8% of the Calvados network (90).
From Orgeval to Caen, gantries have read number plates since December 2024. Without a tag, pay online within 72 hours.
0.2 g/l on a probationary licence. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 points; above that, a criminal offence.
Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned, both driving and parked, in Rouen and 12 neighbouring towns.
Privately driven speed camera cars. Detectors banned: up to €1,500 and 6 points.
Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on dual carriageways, 80 elsewhere.
Toll barrier, cash, card or tag. The Tancarville bridge, further upstream, costs €2.90.
Cars stop at the car parks, 2.7 km away. Le Passeur runs until 01:00 in July-August.
≈ €2.15 a litre for SP95-E10 unleaded, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 754 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €110 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
National averages from ministry data. Prices vary widely between stations: compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr.
| A13 and A14 Paris-Caen, barrier-free | €28.80 via the A14 (Ulys); without a tag, pay within 72 hours |
|---|---|
| Paris-Deauville via the A13 | ≈ €21.10 from the Porte d'Auteuil, €24.60 via the A14 |
| Return Caen-Rouen via the A13 | ≈ €10.50 (Dozulé gantry €4.20 and Beuzeville €6.30) |
| Unpaid free-flow toll | €90 penalty notice on top of the toll, €10 if paid within 15 days |
| Pont de Normandie | €6.10 since 1 May 2026 |
| A150 and A29 between Rouen and Le Havre | Partly tolled; the Abbey Road via Jumièges is free |
| N13, A84, Côte Fleurie | Free |
| Mont-Saint-Michel car park, March-June and Sept-Oct | €16 for up to 3 hours, €22 for the day |
| Mont-Saint-Michel car park, July-August | €20 for up to 3 hours, €28 for the day, €15 in the evening |
| Mont-Saint-Michel car park, winter | €10 for up to 3 hours, €14 for the day |
| Mont-Saint-Michel car park, evenings | Free from 18:30 to 03:00, from September to June |
| Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey | €16, free for under-26s |
| Bayeux Tapestry | At the British Museum from September 2026 to 11 July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Bayeux Tapestry Museum | Closed for renovation |
| Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville | Booking system announced in 2026, check before you go |
| Le Passeur shuttle | Winter 08:30-22:00; March-October 07:30-23:00 |
Allow 10 days for this loop of 6 stages and 9 nights from Rouen: Étretat, Honfleur, the Côte Fleurie, the D-Day beaches, the Cotentin and Mont-Saint-Michel. With 7 days, skip Barfleur and see Étretat on the way. A weekend is only enough for one area: Étretat and Honfleur, or the beaches and Bayeux.
In your own car, about €100 of fuel at September 2026 prices for some 800 km at €2.15 a litre, €6.10 for the Pont de Normandie, about €10.50 on the A13 back from Caen and €22 for parking at the Mont in mid-season. If you hire in Rouen, add about €390 for 9 days at €43 a day, Kayak average.
From Orgeval to Caen, the A13 has had no barriers since December 2024: gantries read your number plate. With a tag, payment is automatic. Without one, pay online within 72 hours. Otherwise you will receive a €90 penalty notice on top of the toll, reduced to €10 if you pay within 15 days.
In the mainland car parks, 2.7 km from the rock: €22 for the day from March to June and in September-October, €28 in July-August, €14 in winter. Parking is free from 18:30 to 03:00 from September to June. The Le Passeur shuttle is free all year; you can also walk across the footbridge.
Not in Bayeux. The tapestry has been on display at the British Museum in London since 10 September 2026, until 11 July 2027, while the Bayeux museum is renovated. It is then due to return to France for restoration. In Bayeux, the Romanesque and Gothic cathedral is still open to visitors.
Only to enter Rouen and 12 neighbouring towns, which form a low-emission zone: Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned there, as the exclusion of Crit'Air 3 planned for 2025 has been suspended. The sticker costs €3.85 on certificat-air.gouv.fr; without it, a €68 fine. The rest of the itinerary does not require one.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/normandy · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
