Mt St M from Bayeux

Yes, it can be a day trip. We left before sunrise in late October to get there very early before the crowds and had breakfast there. We thought that worked great. You can walk around before the abbey opens at, I think, 9:30. As I recall, the drive was just under two hours if you don't stop. We didn't stop along the way, but when we were returning it was still early and we went to see the chateau in Falaise, which was easily done and kind of interesting, but I would not call it a must-see.

Many people who post here use the MSM shuttle from their hotel, The Churchill. Many others swear that you have to spend the night on the island to experience the mystery and majesty.

Our day trip (no overnight, and no regrets) was from Dinard, which is much closer. We stayed in Bayeux later. You can estimate driving times on Google Maps. As long as you are well into September, I think the high season will be over, but it is still a popular destination. Honestly, the position of the ocean tide is (OPINION) more important than how many hundred of your close personal friends are in the massive parking lot with you. But many people stay long enough to see both tides. That wasn't so important to us, so we had lunch (you have to choose sit down or hero sandwich in hand) and moved on. Hard to resist that Alligator Farm on the approach, kind of like Orlando, FL. (Kidding.)

There are lots of interesting stops, but you probably don't have daylight time for them. The road conditions are good, but there is plenty of traffic and connecting time and curvy roads. Here are a few you could read up on and decide if they interest your family: Dol-de-Bretagne & menhir, Dinan, St. Malo,Paimpol steam train, ...Vitré, Coutances, cider route Gardens: Coutances, La Ballue,Chateau de Caradeuc, Jardin Thabor, … de Beaumesnil, … de Bizy

Richard: We went to MSM last fall from Bayeux, but not as a same-day trip; we stayed the night and then left for Chartres the next morning). It is a pleasant drive from Bayeux which takes a couple of hours. For a same-day trip, I would recommend an early departure from Bayeux with the goal of arriving at MSM before the hordes of tourists get there--say leave Bayeux by 0615 to arrive at MSM by 0815. This will give you plenty of time to park, use the lavatories, get on the shuttle, and get to MSM proper by 0830-0845. This will allow plenty of time to walk up to the Abbey without a lot of hassle and should put you ahead of most of the visitors (note that the pathway is quite narrow and can be cramped when negotiating around tour groups). Figure about one and one-half to two hours to visit the Abbey. The RS France guidebook has a small map showing an alternate route to the Abbey from the entrance to MSM that follows the battlements; If it isn't crowded, take the usual route up and the alternate path back down--you'll see some great views that you would otherwise miss. I defer to others or TripAdvisor for restaurant recommendations.

I'm not contradicting Darrel at all, but note that for good weather and healthy people, the entire journey from the parking lot to the MSM ticket booth is entirely walkable. It is a rather touristy "street", but the shuttle shows you the same businesses. It also shows what your food options are if you find the lines on the island too long for your meal. The road improvements are not so "new" anymore, but beware of old GPS maps on the final approach to parking. For example, look at Google Maps at least once. Better yet, go to their business-partner's website and download a map.