Mont St.-Michel and the Loire Valley suggestions

We have been to Loire twice. We've stayed in Amboise and Saumur. We stayed one of the times at Chateau de Pray near Amboise. It's an actual chateau with an affiliated Michelin star restaurant. We enjoyed the stay and the restaurant. We felt both were reasonably priced. We did both wine tasting and visited chateaus in Loire. My favorite chateau are Chenonceau and Villandry. We also visited Chambord (huge, barely furnished, nice views on top), CLos Luce'(Da vinci's place). All were worthwhile. Another trip, we did Saumur, Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire and Château d'Azay-le-Rideau. How long you stay in Loire really depends on your plans. You probably can do a couple chateaus a day.

For MSM, we stayed at Auberge de la Baie Mont Saint Michel. It is off the island a couple miles from the MSM parking lot. We got to the area about 4pm, settled in and then headed out to the island. We parked in the lot and took the shuttle to the island. We walked around and got some great pictures. We ate at one of the restaurants on the road the shuttle takes to the island. I recommend not eating at any of the restaurants affiliated with MSM. It was the worst food we've ever had in France. All the restaurants seem to be related. At the "golden hour" we got some great pictures across farmland and sheep pastures with MSM in the background. The next morning we got to the parking lot by 8am and took the shuttle and walked up to the abbey to arrive at opening. We walked around the abbey enjoyed the island and left as the crowds were coming at about noon. Our strategy worked well for us. Only regret, is that the people that were eating at our inn's restaurant seemed to be getting much better food than we got on the island.

If you haven't been to Honfleur or Etretat in Normandy, I recommend both.

We spent one night at MSM in a hotel in the grounds. The crowds have left and you have the place to yourselves. A terrific visit. Check out hotels on google. I don’t recall the name of the place we stayed at.

Both Judy and Jules strategies work for MSM. Staying on the island is very convenient but the food is truly miserable. Obtain a window seat to watch the tides and you will forgive the chef; it makes up for the swill you have been served. If you stay off island, visiting the evening before and the next morning should capture the experience nicely. An evening and a morning touring the island is a nice amount of time. Your time in the Loire depends on your chateau tolerance. Two a day is plenty. You have to decide how many you want to visit and budget your time accordingly. Amboise makes a fine base for the Loire. The RS guidebook expounds on the region in a fair fashion.

We stayed at Chateau de Pray too, when we were in Amboise. Took the train from Paris to St Pierre des Corps and picked up our rental car there. From the train station it's about 30 min drive to Amboise. We were there for 4 nights and saw 2-3 chateaux per day. We didn't visit any of the wineries- definitely next time.

We stayed off the island when we visited MSM, and did much like Jules - arrived later in the afternoon, explored a bit in the evening ( my sunset photos of MSM from the mainland were gorgeous), hit it again in the morning and were gone by noon. if you head back to Paris from there, drive to the nearest town with a car rental agency and train connections, and drop the car there.

And as a reminder - Easter will be April 17, so plan accordingly.

Thanks for the great tips!

Assuming you land in Paris in early am, rent a car and drive to MSM. You should get there in time to visit the abbey in the afternoon and then also see the place at night. If you don't have any other towns you wish to visit in the area you can then head to Amboise the next morning unless you need some R&R time. That gives you 5-6 nights in the Loire Valley. Amboise is a great base but with that many nights I'd be tempted to stay in 2 places 3 nights each (maybe also Blois?). Back in April 2014 we drove from Paris with a few D-Day stops in Normandy and arrived at our lodging (Les Valtieres du Mont Saint Michel on the mainland with a great view of MSM) late in the afternoon. We went over to the island around dusk for exploring and dinner. We pretty well had the place to ourselves but the abbey had closed. The next day we drove over to Cancale and enjoyed the town and a big lunch seafood feast. The following morning we went back to MSM and toured the abbey. Still not overly crowded. Then we drove to Amboise for 2 nights. We arrived in the afternoon and enjoyed exploring the old town the remainder of the day/evening. The next day we did a wine and cheese picnic on the grounds of Chateau Chenonceau before touring it. Then we returned to Amboise for more wandering around (drove by Clos Luce - it was closing when we arrived so we walked the grounds) and dinner. The following morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast and a little more wandering before driving back to Paris via Chartres (beautiful cathedral). In hindsight, wish we would have had a third night in Amboise - but it was our first family trip (two teenagers) to France and we wanted to see as much as we could. Hope this helps.

Thanks @KBK!

I would not recommend driving all the way from Paris CDG airport to Mont Saint Michel upon landing after an overnight flight. It will be much safer and not really slower to take a cab to Montparnasse station, train to Rennes (90 minutes), and rent a car there for the last 50 miles.
If you land at, say, 9 am, you can be in Rennes by 2.30-3 pm and at Mont Saint Michel some time between 4-5 pm.
Allow for 3.5 to 4 hours between landing and train at Montparnasse.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/mont-saint-michel-time-needed

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/travel-to-mount-st-michel

Pertaining to MSM. I have been to MSM twice and I'd like to visit again. I find this tiny little 'island' enchanting. But you do need to do it right!

The first time we visited (July 2009), we stayed overnight on MSM. The best part of our hotel room was that it appeared to be cut out of the mountain, and the door looked to be original to medieval times! The worst part of the room was everything else! It was dank, dark, and creepy -not in a good way!

We arrived around 5pm after the day trippers were gone. By the time we got into our room and went for dinner, it was after 9pm and we were to tired to take tour MSM. Tip #1, if you are going to arrive later afternoon/early evening, go having already eaten elsewhere off island, so that you are energized to take advantage of the lack of crowds right away. Like others have said, the food is not the draw here on MSM. We missed the entire sunset which must have been beautiful. I know because the next morning I saw the amazing sunrise! This is what I did right. I am an early riser, so before the rest of my family woke, perhaps 5:30 or 6:00am, I took my camera on a tour. I had the whole island to myself! I got to take pictures of MSM with the sun rising on the mud flats in the background. The experience and the photos were wonderful! By the time the rest of my family woke up and we headed out to tour, the place was jam packed. My family left feeling like MSM was just a tourist trap, I left feeling exhilarated! So much so, we visited again in 2015.

This time we arrived late afternoon, maybe 3 or 4pm, and the first thing I did was head for the mud flats. I took off my shoes and just started to walk out away from the island, my feet enjoying the soft warm mud and the rest of me enjoying a beautiful warm gentle breeze. I was alone as my husband didn't think his bad knees could handle this; he regrets having not done it though (which is why I think we will go back once again.) It was so quiet and peaceful and the photos I got of MSM from the mud flats were wonderful! We then spent the early evening touring the island all the way up to the beautiful cathedral. Only after exhausting ourselves did we stop to eat a meal. I personally find MSM enchanting when done right!!! There are some places I just keep wanting to go back to and this is one of mine, along with Grenada, Spain (the Alhambra and Albaycin,) and the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

I think next time, my third time, I will book a hotel room off the island and have a big lunch around 2pm. Then we can arrive MSM fully sated and energized to the island (around 5pm) to take full advantage of the lack of crowds. We can tour the island all the way up to the magnificent cathedral. Then, after 9pm, when its dark and we are exhausted, there are some restaurants up high with outdoor seating and gorgeous views that might make a lovely place to rest and dine. (If anyone knows of a good one, let us know.) Then we'll sleep over at the hotel and return in the very early morning to catch the sunrise and a take that wonderful walk on the mudflats. Note, there are low lying water faucets around the back of one of the buildings, follow the crowd there to wash your muddy feet. Note: you can also take a ride out on horseback; If you ride, this would be magnificent, don't you think? After our walk we'll have seen and done everything we wanted to do and can leave whenever the day trippers begin to get in our way.

I'll add my vote to staying on the island, and avoiding the mid-day crush. I have stayed both on and off island, and they are not comparable. The last time, I left my island hotel a little later just as the tour buses were arriving. I had to fight my way down the road against the stream. And that was on a rainy day. Arrive late, stay the night, and leave early. "magical" is so cliché, but in this case it is true. Regardless, avoid the main road if at all possible, and particularly during the day. There are all sorts of paths, ramparts, and lanes that most tourists will never set foot on. Sometimes I wonder why they even came. The only other thing I would recommend is to check the tide charts, and plan your visit for the time of month that the tides are most dramatic. That may be difficult depending on the rest of your trip, but there isn't much to see tide-wise unless you are at one of those peaks.

The Bay of Mont Saint Michel is known for its spring tides ( grandes marées). These will make the approach to Mont Saint Michel particularly dramatic from April 17-19 2022. High tide may conceivably cut off access for a few hours, and low tide will uncover much of the bay (ps stay on the trail to avoid quicksand unless you take a guide)

If these are your dates, check the timetables and plan your visit accordingly, especially if your time is limited. The MSM website will post guidance in advance closer to the time. It’s an especially magical time to be there. (Otherwise don’t worry)

Thanks Balso, Phil, Barbara, Tim and Kerry!

Another vote for stay on the island. We flew into Paris (arrived around 9am) took a train Rennes (arrived around 2pm) rented car and drove to MSM. Stopped at perfect creperie en route and then headed to the car park where we parked the rental car and headed to the island with our rolling suitcase (there is a shuttle but the approach walk is one of my favorite memories to truly take in the gorgeous sight, smell and sounds of the island and surrounding landscape). We arrived at MSM around 4pm (perfect timing like so many have suggested and noticed the tourists filing out for the day). Our actual hotel room was unremarkable but it's location, tucked up a staircase right next to a little side chapel was idyllic. It was part of the Le Mouton Blanc hotel. We immediately dropped our bags and just explored the island (so many side paths and nooks and crannies to discover). Had a quick unmemorable dinner and then set out to capture the glorious sunset from as many places we could catch it (including walking back to the causeway and then from the Abbey). When we were there (Sept 2019) the Abbey had an evening light show that we bought tickets to which was a neat experience and provided some additional splendid views as the final hints of light sunk below the horizon.
We went back to that little chapel late that evening and were able to participate in a Eucharistic Adoration - amazing.
We woke early the next morning to the bells and walked the perimter walls as the sun rose - again absolutley amazing. We then packed up and walked back to the car mid morning and headed out. We then headed to Bayeux for 2 days followed by 3 nights in the Loire (Amboise). (We dropped the rental car in Tours and then trained back to Paris).
Not sure I could ever pick a favorite - but definitley feel staying overnight on MSM is a bucklet list item!

Strongly concur do not drive to MSM on arrival day. I could tell an extremely unfortunate true story about driving unfamiliar Austrian roads after a 9 AM arrival in Munich.

We did arrival Paris (5:30 AM!) and drive to Giverney and into Rouen early afternoon for the evening & dinner.

Next day we drove to Bayeux and spent 1/2 and a next full day.

Then we left Bayeux, spent a few hours at UTAH beach and drove on to MSM arriving as the buses were leaving. Spent one night on MSM, had a wonder full dinner, walked the mountain, then got up the next morning and toured the chapel as the buses were arriving. Much as if we had the mountain to ourselves.

Much recommended.

My amazing solo experience had me arriving (by car) at my B&B at about 5 p.m. After a quick bite and relaxing, I drove to the MSM parking lots after 7:30 so that I would not have to pay. Took the shuttle to the island (after tour buses had left) and walked the ramparts and taking in the views. Like other posters, I had a late dinner close to the windows with a view (everyone else had already left). Afterwards, enjoyed walking the main street in the cool of the day, checked out the omelet restaurant, Le Mere Poulard, and left the island to take pictures of the evening light along the causeway. The last shuttle returning to the parking lots was, I believe, at 11 p.m. which I made sure I was standing there awaiting arrival. The only downside of my evening was pushing people out of the way on the shuttle so that I could have a seat.

The following morning I made my way back to the island to tour the Abbey. On the way, I saw the sheepherder taking his flock through the town out to the fields. After parking the car and the shuttle trip to the island, I used the only public restrooms which are right as you get on the island. Then go to the left, find the tourist office, and purchase your tickets for the Abbey right there. Continue to the left and walk up to the Abbey (less strenuous then going up the main street). I rented the headphones and toured at my leisure. Yes, there is an English tour, however, there were so many people I could not hear. I also attended the first portion of the noon mass. I was at the front watching the person pull on the ropes to ring the bells. Again, there are NO restrooms in the Abbey and there is no food/water. It is a long tour with many rooms so be prepared.

On the way back to my B&B, I sat on the side of the road and watched as the sheep came back from the fields into town. That evening I had lamb chops for dinner (I know). I stayed two nights--perfect. Enjoy!

Our short visit to MSM on Thursday October 20th 2016 was fabulous.

We took the advice of others and avoided meals there as being over priced and nothing special.

The walk up to the top is demanding, but be patient as it’s well worth the effort.

We arrived up top a bit after 2pm and signed up for the 3pm English tour. To our surprise and no doubt to the disappointment of our young French guide, we were the only two signed up for 3pm! Must have been a combination of being late in the season and late in the day. Was a lovely private tour of MSM, the guide was very gracious.

Didn’t stay overnight, regrettably, as we were on our way from Dinan to Normandy.

We overnighted in Amboise in 2016.

Stayed a delightful manor, Le Vieux Manoir, run by an expatriate Gloria. But I hear she was closing the place down so it may not be an option now. Recommended several wonderful restaurants in Amboise.

We dined at one of her recommendations, L'Alliance. Was one of the best places we dined at during our two weeks in France, and we had many many fine dinners on that trip, wouldn’t hesitate to go again.