Normandy Restaurant Recommendations and also things to do the first 1/2 day.

The resto I recommend in Bayeux is La Rapiere. Though open for lunch and dinner, I have only had dinner and thought it was exceptional. Not inexpensive but you get what you pay for. Here's a link to their website. If you choose it, you'll never forget the Menu Gourmet.

for that last day with Mont St Michel are you returning to Bayeux that nite or staying in the MSM area?

We will be heading back to Bayeux to our B&B. We could stop anywhere along that route.

We will be heading back to Bayeux to our B&B

I suggest reading the chapter about MSM in the Rick Steves guidebook or watching the Normandy TV episode on this site. As he says, MSM is very crowded during the day. His suggestion, which is what I did, is to arrive in the late afternoon (say 3-4pm) when the big-bus tour groups and day-trippers are leaving, then spend the nite. That way you get to explore it when it isn't so crowded, plus visit again at nite when it is beautifully lit up. And even once more in the morning if you want. It sounds like you are planning on a full day there and frankly there isn't really enough to do to make it worth that much time. 3 hours or so is sufficient to see everything.

That leaves the MSM day if you follow the advice above. The RS book doesn't have extensive coverage of Normany, others such as the Rough Guide do it better, but you could have 7+ hours or so to drive and explore Normandy if you leave the B&B at 8am. You could drive to some of the town in the Normandy countryside, maybe do the Cider Route. I didn't have a chance to do this, but someday... Or you could drive to a town RS covers, such as Dinan or St Malo and spend a few hours, stop at Cancale for oysters on the way to MSM. Or some other drive to sights of interest after browsing thru a guide book.

As for restaurants, one of the best dinners I have ever had in France was at the restaurant associated with Hotel Le Relais du Roy which is one of the hotels across the bridge from MSM. Typically places in beautiful areas get by on the captive crowd and the food is mediocre, but they had great-tasting food that was wonderfully presented. A real gem!

Elaine: Please consider visiting the Bayeux Tapestry on the first half-day. It will take about one hour, give-or-take, and you can spend the rest of the afternoon visiting the cathedral, the town, and the Museum of the Battle of Normandy. I recommend using Trip Advisor to get current restaurant reviews for Bayeux. Also, review the RS guide for information on MSM--it isn't a full day of activity and you may want to return to Bayeux for dinner.

Elaine, absolutely visit the Bayeux Tapestry. It is a world treasure of great historic significance. Even if your not interested in history, its worth the time, and you're right there.

We went on a guided walking tour in Bayeux, and it was excellent. We learned the history of the town, and also saw parts of town we would not have found on our own. It met in front of the tourist information center, and reservations were not required.

This is past September we enjoyed L' Assiette Normande in Bayeux. A cozy ambiance, good meals, well priced. The waitstaff was so friendly and accomodating! We returned for a second time a night or two later and had the same positive experience. Both evenings we walked in, no reservations. Very near the cathedral as I recall. We chose from among a few fixed price 3 course dinners each time and we all enjoyed it. Nice people.

We left our B&B near Villers-Bocage and drove to MSM to arrive when it first opened, long before the tour buses arrived. We had the place almost to ourselves and spend a leisurely 60-90 minutes and saw just about everything we wanted to see. We then left as the crowds began to swamp the place and drove around the bay to Cancale Brittany (world famous for oysters). We enjoyed a scrumptious seafood lunch on the waterfront with MSM in view across the bay. Marvelous. We then drifted back along the back roads, stopping in small villages to buy cheeses, various trinkets, and of course, Calvados. We had our own GPS plus a Michelin road map to assist us in driving along the back roads from villages to small towns. go early and then enjoy the Normandy and Brittany countryside on an easy drive back and you might even find a delightful place to eat dinner on the way back if you're still hungry after lunch in Cancale.

It's been several years since we were last in Bayeux, so I checked current TripAdvisor reviews to see if the ratings were still good. We enjoyed L'Assiette Normand, Le Petit Normand and Le Pommier. Le Petit Normand had a delicious apple tart that you had to order when you sat down. Double check the days any restaurant you are interested is open. We found that the days seemed to rotate.

I would also recommend Le Pommier in Bayeux. I thought the food was great!

Would go back to Les Rapieres in a heartbeat. We spent five days in Bayeux and ate there twice. We had a multi course meal with the seafood cocotte a highlight on one night and after a long day driving on the next day,fronted up to a fully booked house. But the waitress remembered us and found a table and we had the cocotte and salad and dessert. It was served in a small Staub casserole and we have since bought several of this brand . Yes, it may be a bit pricey if one is on a long holiday but it is worth it!