Mont St Michel and the area

It's going to be awesome I envy you.

We felt like we needed a car while there., Made things easier.

We got there later in the afternoon and parked at the car lot and had to pay there.

There was no fee to Enter the Mont.

I think there is a fee for the Abbey on top of the Mount but we did not make it all the way to the top as it was getting dark.

I find the meal options on the Mount to be sorely lacking and I wished we would have packed a picnic cause the food was just expensive and bad.

Loved being there at Sunset.....great pictures.

We loved Honfleur which is nearby and it became my favorite stop of our trip.

1. I highly recommend La Jacotiere B&B. If possible book the room downstairs where you have your own entrance and a little patio. Very peaceful with a view of the Mont. Short walk to the shuttle or 20 minute to the Mont. Many, many will say you need to stay on the Mont but we were staying 3 nights and using as a home base. We went at night a few times at night. Beautiful sunset on the causeway.
2. Yes a car is very helpful for exploring the area. The Mont Dol is close as well as Dinan. The RS Rance River drive trip is beautiful as well as the coastal drive to St. Malo.
3. Going to the Mont is free but the Abbey is 10 E (I think). If you go I recommend the English tour. It is free with admission (we tipped the guide but most did not). Ours was a 3 pm but it is posted on the website depending on the day of the week.

Glen,
My husband and I rented a car. Really interesting place to see, I know some people have posted don't go because its too crowded, too many tourist shops. I disagree with them, Mont St Michel is such an interesting place to see from afar and thru its winding streets. Do go into the church at the top. The views are spectacular.
Have a great weekend.

To my opinion public transport will limit you too much, so look for a car. There are some nice viewing points along the D797 from Pontorson to Cancale overlooking the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, like the one of Roz-sur-Couesnon. I agree with Renee visiting Mont Dol too.

Saint-Juliac south of Saint-Malo is a nice former fishing village along the banks of the Rance estuary and Mordreuc for the view of the castle at the opposite border. Further west of Dinard on top of a cliff Fort la Latte.

It is high season now so hard to say how the crowds will be invading Le Mont-Saint-Michel as I visited early June last year. But in the evening and early morning I think it will be quiet enough to enjoy it., however the abbey will be closed. There is a big parking lot at the mainland, parking is free in the evening and a shuttle brings you to the entrance of the island.

We agree with Renee. La Jacotiere is a great place to stay. While you say long weekend you don't say how many night you will have. We had a car which, with your short time there, will help you visit more sights. Cancale is great, especially if you like oysters and if you have time St. Malo, and Dinan. Our Rick Steves France book, which is a few years old, has a nice driving route from Mont St. Michel to St. Malo and on to Dinan, titled Scenic Drive Between Dinan and Mont St. Michel, which might interest you. In the opposite direction, we also liked Honfleur, though it might be too far for a comfortable day trip.

Although it's not next door, we stayed in Dinard, which has the virtue of being a beach resort with good access to St. Malo. I found the immediate MSM area to be very touristy, but I'm sure the nice B&B's are slightly off that beaten, Alligator Farm (no kidding) track.

Except on the main roads, you should not expect to make fast progress with the car. You need a GPS (many threads to search for here) and a list of sights you might be interested in. Your stops would depend on where you're flying to, and where she works. I was sorry to miss the Paimpol steam train, and we missed some restaurants out of season, which won't be your problem. You'll have crowds. Parking at MSM was vastly modernized some six or so years ago, so it's less of a problem than it used to be.

We visited some local estate gardens, which were way off the beaten track. But it's getting late in the summer for many flowers. Here's a paste of the list of ideas from my 2012 itinerary: Dol-de-Bretagne menhir, M.S.M.,Dinan,St. Malo,Paimpol steam train/Beauport Abbey/moonlight walk Gardens: Coutances, La Ballue,Chateau de Caradeuc, Jardin Thabor, … de Beaumesnil, … de Bizy ...Vitré, Coutances or Cider Route

Further north: D-Day Beaches, Tapestry, Caen, resort towns/Lace workshop/war cemeteries/Honfleur
Gardens: Chateau de Brecy, ... de Canon, … de Harcourt, … de Vendeuvre,

Edit: I might have noted that Vitré is a possible substitute for touristy Dinan, if it's on your route already. It's not as good, but much less of a Disneyland. We didn't have time for Madame Sevigny's residence, just out of town. http://bretagne-vitre.com/le-chateau-des-rochers-sevigne/

Bayeux is about 1 1/2 hour drive, I really like the tapestry of William the Conqueror. Cancale is about 1/2 hour drive, great seafood - probably the best oysters anywhere. St. Malo about an hour drive, walled city, beach great walks out to islands at low tide, ramparts, museum. Dinan maybe another 1/2 hour to hour. Great port town and old medieval center.

This is wonderful information - thank you. I'm super excited.

I was there last week and I was extremely disappointed with my visit. It was the low light of my 23 day trip and I had expected it to be the highlight!

My husband had been many years ago, before they built the bridge, when it was accessed via the causeway, when it felt more like an island. The bridge has permitted far too many people to access at the same time.

A car is almost essential there. I cycled down there, but it cost €11.70 to park your car. You can then push and shove (yes, really!) to get on the shuttle bus where most seemed to be standing or you can walk along the boardwalk (15/20 minutes). The bus drops you a few minutes walk from the entrance.

The Mont is free to get in, but the Abbey costs €9 pp. I was there last Monday and it was heaving, so I dread to think how busy it would have been at the weekend. There were long queues to get into the Abbey, so we gave up. The rest of the Mont is full of tourist tat - snow globes and fridge magnets and restaurants.

Nearby Saint Malo was worth a visit and whilst it was a busy weekend, you could walk at your own pace, unlike at MSM. Dinard was a gem, with a nice seafront walk amongst the gardens and some interesting art galleries. The villages between St Malo and MSM are worth a visit, as is Dol de Bretagne, with its pretty, historical high street.

When will you go? I was in Dinan about the third week of September and it was definitely past the tourist season. The market in the town center one morning was full, but didn't seem like too many that weren't locals.

Bretton towns have "pardons" throughout the spring and summer (I think some into early September). They are community festivals - traditional celtic music, clothing and dance - and worth making an effort to see.

The best time to go to MSM as I learned from RS and the forum, is in the evening and early morning. We were there in early May on a Friday night and the street that runs up MSM was mostly deserted. The next morning, we got up early so we can tour the Abbey. We got our tickets online so we didn't have to stand in that line. By noon, the island was packed and we were happy to get off. Jennifer was right about the shuttle. We were able to get in the shuttle but people trying to get in kept pushing and shoving into us and we had to yell at them to stop. The driver just sits in his seat and doesn't monitor the crowd. Glad that happened as we were leaving so it didn't ruin our trip. We really enjoyed seeing the island both in the evening and morning.

Agree with the others about renting a car and make sure you have GPS in the car or your phone. We never would have figured our way around with paper maps! It makes the drive more enjoyable. I also recommend stopping in Etretat if you have time. We had 3 nights so we spent 2 in Bayeux and 1 at MSM at Relais du Roy. It's not in the island but the shuttle was close by. We visited Etretat, Bayeux, did a half day tour of the DDay beaches, MSM and St Malo. Visiting Normandy was a highlight of our trip!

UGH - this has fallen through for the time. It's expected to happen in about a month or so - What's replaced it? Malta. Yeah now my research is starting all over.

Thanks again - I will keep this for my trip to MSM and the area, believe me - all your effort has NOT gone to waste.

Malta is great to cover by bus - cheap and frequent all over the island.

Valetta is a must. Interesting war time history.

Malta in a month will be hot and peak season, so odd choice for then. The food won't be as good, but there won't be as much of a language barrier.