Paris or St. Malo ??

We can provide more helpful answers to your questions if you provide more information about your group's interests, and your prior experiences. Have you been to France, or Paris specifically, previously?

For example, me and my travel partner both like time in cafes and art. So for our first visit to Paris, and actually, all subsequent visits, we've visited both the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre, for longer periods of time than Google listed. (And many other museums; Paris has may wonderful museums, but not everyone is a museum-goer.) I would say to plan time for both only if your group enjoys art and museums. And two to four hours for either really depends on your interests. Go to each of the museum's website to help you decide how much time you might want to spend there.

I love to experience the Eiffel tour from an evening boat ride on the Seine (vs. going up it, which I did once and enjoyed, but do not need to do that experience again).

What draws you specifically to Mont-St-Michel and St. Malo? I have been to Mont-St-Michel, but as part of longer trips to Brittany and Normandy (two visits, on separate trips). I have had dinner in St. Malo, but that's it, so can't say anything about St. Malo. I have done several overnight visits to Honfleur, and though there are many tourists, I think it's a lovely town.

I love to walk to the Arc de Triomphe, but primarily to watch the cars driving around and around it; I'm in awe of the drivers that do that! I have never gone to the top, and haven't ever wanted to do so.

Montmartre and Sacre Coeur, I have enjoyed my visits to that part of Paris, but mostly because of its associations with Impressionist artists. So if you're not interested in that aspect, maybe you'll want to spend your time elsewhere. And you may have your own (religious or otherwise) reasons for wanting to visit Sacre Coeur. To me, the best thing about visiting Sacre Coeur is the view over Paris. Also, consider the amount of time that it will take your group to get to Montmartre. It's not real outside of the center of Paris, but does take some time.

Yes, Notre Dame is worth a visit, but I've never timed it, so can't say whether Google is correct on the timing. It's nice to view Notre-Dame at night-time, as well. Do you plan to climb the tours? Also consider whether you would want to visit Saint-Chappelle, which is quite close by and gorgeous.

Where would the tour company pick you up for Saint-Malo and Mont-Saint-Michel?

IF you want to go up to the Abbey on MSM you might have to hustle to get up, tour and back to wherever they are going to meet you. Find that out. IF it's at the entrance to MSM that is one thing. IF they need you back in the parking lot where the bus drop is, that is probably an hour's walk from The abbey back down, across the causeway and to the parking area.

I've been to Saint-Malo twice, once for a stay of 3-4 nights, once as a day trip. You can walk around the walls and see the cathedral and maybe grab. to go sandwich in 4 hours. I love watching the tide come in and recede but don't think you'd have that time in 4 hours.

For myself, I'd choose an extra day in Paris but I am spending 3 weeks there soon and know I will not get everything seen that I want.

I'd say you could do the ET (timed entry either early as possible or late afternoon), the Orsay (timed entry closed Monday) and Notre Dame (no timed entry needed) in one day. I'm not sure what YOUR top 3 would be. Mine would be different.

We will be there as the last city of a river cruise. 1 of 4 has been to Paris and Saint Malo. The other 3 haven't been to either and this will probably our only trip to this area. 2 of us have never been to Europe.

I can only speak for 2 of the travelers. Without knowing much about the area we just want to see some of the top sites that a general tourist would see. We would not be described as people who like art per se but don't want to miss an opportunity to see famous art. We are not visiting the sites for religious reasons. We don't want to be so rushed that we cannot enjoy time in a cafe

I am drawn to Saint Malo because of WW2 history and the book, All the Light We Cannot See.

I hope this additional information helps.

Pam, thanks for your input. We would travel from Paris via the TGV train and arrive at 10 am. We plan to visit Saint Malo on our own (Is that a mistake? 1 of the 4 travelers has been there before) until 2 pm. The pick up location in St. Malo by the private driver has not been communicated to us yet.
arrive MSM at 3 and have a guided tour of the Abbey. Leave for Bayeux at 7 for overnight stay.

of the Paris sites, our group has the same top 3 as you, however, 2 of us are probably interested in more time in Paris

Micro-scheduling your 4-day vacation in increments of hours so you can travel to four, very spread out places is a recipe for a rushed vacation where you don't really get to enjoy anything fully. I would personally either do four days in Paris, four days in Normandy (near the D-day sites) or four days in St. Malo and Mont Saint-Michel. I got tired just reading your plan.

I would agree with Pam on choosing Paris. You could stay near the Eifel Tower (Rue Cler area which is a fun walk just by itself) and from there walk along the Seine down towards the Orsay or the Louvre or take a river off-on boat down the Seine as far as Notre Dame. Part of enjoying Paris is simply sitting in a cafe and watching everyone. Also remember, Paris is known for its food and leisurely dining so you want some down time if it all possible to just enjoy being there. It will be very crowded any where you go in July so plan to get timed entries if you plan on the Louvre or Orsay - you could probably just show up at Notre Dame if you go early.

OK, thanks for the extra information. So, you are essentially doing a day trip to Saint-Malo and MSM. Since you will have a private driver from Saint-Malo to the Abbey and back to Bayeaux that makes me feel better about you not missing transportation with might not wait!

I completely understand wanting to visit. You know most of the things within the walls were bombed to bits so they are rebuilt. I loved walking out to the 3 small islets but you can only get to them at low tide and you might not have enough time for that.

HOWEVER, with just 4 days, and I am guessing that Day 1 is the day you disembark from your cruise ship and transfer to your hotel?....I would probably skip this side trip. That gives you 3.5 days to tour Paris.

Since you are not really in to art, I'd go with the Orsay. Buy your ticket ahead of time on the official Orsay website. The price should be 16Euro. IF you are on a site that is charging a lot more than that you are not on the official site.

And another HOWEVER...is that it is YOUR trip and you should do what pleases you and not what would make me or anyone else on the forum happy.

ajones,
I am very skeptical of times allotted by Google. It seems there is no time allotted for getting from one place to another, waiting in line for security checks or just for entrance, finding a place for lunch or even having time to go the the bathroom. Your Paris schedule makes me feel frustrated and exhausted just reading it. The Louvre itself is huge, with three big wings you would need to choose among, or at least plan a route if your goal is to see the big, well-known paintings and sculptures, allowing time to go from one to the other. Definitely closer to 4 hours than 2 even for a cursory visit. The Eiffel Tower can be admired from the ground at many locations (Champs de Mars, Trocadero, e.g.) in an hour. If going to the top you will likely spend an hour at the second level waiting to get into the one small elevator that goes to the top. That is after the line to the second level, or the time to walk up to that level. So, if ascending, 3 hours is cutting it close, IMO. At Notre Dame, 1 1/2-2 hours works, but that is for the cathedral, not the towers. Trying to do the first three in your list one day would be a bit tough. You could, however, admire the ET from below, or from the Trocadero, then go to Notre Dame. Have lunch somewhere nearby afterward, and visit the Louvre with a mid-late afternoon appointment time. (Or the Musee d'Orsay if that is your choice.) That puts the most time-consuming sight at the end of the day so you can maybe take the occasional rest within the museum, before calling it a day. Just be sure to allocate enough travel time between sights, whether by metro or on foot. Still, it is a long and very packed day, but you will have checked off three boxes if that is your goal. Don't underestimate how much time you will spend at each venue. Spreading things out a little differently, perhaps, you can fit in all five things in two days. I would hope, however, that you would choose to just spend some time wandering along the Seine, or sitting in a cafe or bistro having a coffee or aperitif and watching Paris go by.
Your trip to Mont St Michel needs more than 4 hours. As was mentioned, it is steep and a slow walk to the Abbey on top. Including crossing the causeway, ascending, seeing the Abbey, stopping on the way down to admire the view, maybe getting a cold drink or checking out a shop, back across the causeway, I see closer to 6 hours there. I would skip St. Malo this trip. I presume you will be headed to MSM from Bayeux, the morning after your stay there following the DDay beaches tour. You can get a train back to Paris from nearby Rennes. (Of course, with a tour company, they will have their own schedule. Just don't expect to get around MSM in 4 hours.)
Fyi, Paris to Bayeux is about 165 miles. Paris to Mont St. Michel is about 22l miles. Not a quick trip,but if you get an early train you can have a good DDay tour from Bayeux.
All in all, although you want to get the most of your four days, everything sounds very rushed and "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium". Pick two things for each Paris day, and add a third if you find you have extra time. But as it stands, it seems you will be constantly on the move, not counting your two busy days away from Paris.

I wish you a wonderful time in Paris and wherever else you go. Just please factor in times between the sights, meals, some downtime.
P.S. One of your evenings in Paris can be spent sitting on the top deck of a Vedettes de Pont Neuf boat admiring the views of Paris. A nice one hour interlude and inexpensive to boot. Get there a bit early to snag a seat on the top deck!

St. Malo is a lovely resort town, but it was completely rebuilt post-War (completed in 1960 as essentially a replica of the original city), and it’s out of the way from the rest of the places you mention. You’ll get your WW2 history in Normandy, including in Bayeux. Personally, I’d skip St. Malo (I’d skip MSM, too, as I found it mobbed and very underwhelming) and enjoy Paris with what little time you have.

Lots of helpful responses and lots of differing opinions!

I won't wade into the Paris part, as you have already gotten much good advice, but for what it's worth, I agree that if you are interested in WWII, you will get far more out of seeing the D-Day sites in Normandy than you will from touring St-Malo. I far preferred Bayeux to St-Malo, personally. I was just there in February and found it unappealing, frankly (I have also read the book). Maybe it is the fact that SM was totally rebuilt, but it felt inauthentic to me and I can't imagine giving it even 4 hours (many people love it though so all due respect to them). We also toured MSM in February and were easily in and out in 4 hours, which included walking from the parking lot to the island, walking up to and touring the entire Abbey and them making our way back down along the ramparts. We enjoyed it very much.

It's important to remember that people move at very different speeds when on holiday (and in life, in general) and no one way is the right way. If someone wants/needs to spend 8 hours touring a monument or museum, more power to them. If on the other hand, another person feels they have gotten what they need in half that time, that is equally okay. I 'm going to go back on my word about wading into the Paris discussion and say this: having been to 4 of your top 5, I think the times you listed for them are totally doable (although Paris is BIG and the travel time between these places is probably longer than you think). You may never plan to return to France and you might just really want to see these famous places even if you only have a few days to do so and that is totally fine. Go for it.

I do not love Paris myself and that hasn't changed in three visits. I've seen everything I want to see and am very glad I did, but if I never get there again, I will have no regrets. Other folks on this wonderful forum have been many, many times, absolutely adore Paris and feel like there is always more to discover or revisit. Both these ways of being are equally valid in my books and as such, I encourage you to see your top 5 in the few days you have and then you can decide for yourself if you're done with Paris or if you simply must return.

All the best on your holiday!

I really like St Malo but it is definitely the outlier on your plans. Save it for another trip. Sometimes it is tempting to try to get too many things packed into a trip and then your time is spent going to places vs. experiencing the places.

Skip going up towers of notre dame - and personally I wouldn’t bother going up to very top of Eiffel Tower ( it’s an extra wait for another elevator ) second level is enough . I have not been to notre dame since the fire - so won’t adress it much - for me one main attraction was how old it was - walking in the footsteps where thousands have walked hundreds of years before ( loved seeing the worn out step stones etc )

We have been to everything on your Paris itinerary many times - and personally we like the view from the arc de triomphe the best as you can really see the spread from the ET to far in distance Sacre coeur . Plus love looking down at the Champs Élysées and the spoke of roads that it centers .

Montmartre and Sacre coeur to me is for one day - not a few hours . Lovely - but allow the time you need to enjoy them .

I would choose either Louvre or Orsay - both take hours to enjoy ( well years really lol ) and which you choose is up to you - roughly newer ( Orsay ) or older exhibits ( Louvre ) . Both will be crowded - but both have sections that will be less crowded ( as many rush to see the impressionists ( Orsay ) or Mona Lisa ( Louvre ) - I love both , but just for me I prefer Louvre if I only could do one ( and yes it’s just personal tastes )

If interested in WWII sites - skip st Malo , I’ve only been there once about 50 yes ago - and loved eating my first mussels there , go to Bayeux

Important - note which days the museums close in Paris - usually a Monday or Tuesday ( I can’t recall which is which for which ones ) so when scheduling your Tuesday in Paris be aware and check for this.

I am drawn to Saint Malo because of WW2 history and the book, All the Light We Cannot See.

Same here.

The coastal walk from Saint-Malo towards Alet contains some excellent WW2 sites, in addition to gorgeous scenery. You can see German machine gun placements that were shredded with bullets.

The German bunker at the 1939-1945 Memorial is on that walk, and well worth a visit. Back in 2019, we got lucky and walked up about 5 minutes before the guided tour started. At that time, the tour was in French only, but they have an English syllabus you can use, and our guide made a point of speaking to us English before the tour started, and offering to answer any of our questions. The exhibits were labeled in French and English, so we didn't have any problems. Definitely check the website for tour times.

"The "History" tour in the anti-aircraft bunker (3 floors) covers: the 1940 invasion, the use of the port, the construction of the bunkers, the Cité d'Alet, the Battle for the Liberation, Cézembre, and the reconstruction of the city. The "Discovery of the Fortifications" tour is an indoor/outdoor tour that explains the 18th-century fort, the steel turrets: installation, combat techniques, the machine gun bunker (3 rooms): operation, daily life, and the artillery fire control bunker, recently restored with the support of the Mission Bern, the Fondation du Patrimoine, and the Française des Jeux (7 rooms): fire aiming, transmissions, observation of the bay."

https://nl.saint-malo-tourisme.com/aanbiedingen/memorial-39-45-saint-malo-nl-3646382/

Just want to make sure that you are planning to hire a D-Day tour company to drive and guide you for most of a day. (Several hours maybe lost from travel from (?) Paris. Be aware that most such companies book up (fully paid in advance) well before the busy month of July.

Have you visited large cities during their tourist seasons? I am worried that you have not taken proper account of crowds and waiting lines (timed tickets or not!) at the height of tourist season, as well as either subway or private car transportation in a jammed city like Paris. I don't consider one or two days sufficient to visit Paris. I should also mention that the Louvre is at least ten times as big as the D'Orsay.

The day we were at St. Malo, there was an in the water Boat Show, which made access (even if you don't need parking) to the city difficult. Also, it is located on a peninsula, so there are traffic delays on the narrow roads leading from the "mainland."

I'm trying not to tell you how to see France, but I think you are not aware of some issues that are beyond your control!