Hello - My husband and I have reservations very soon for tours to Normandy beaches and Mont St Michel with a guide highly recommended by friends. However, I just received notice that this guide will be on vacation, but they can book us with another tour guide. I am reluctant to do this at the last minute without a referral as I understand the best tour guides book early. We will have a car, so wonder if it's best at this point to drive to the sights. Pros and cons for driving vs a tour? Thank you.
Posted by
Chicago
7836 posts
Yes go with the recommendations in the book or consider doing your own tour.
Posted by
Washington DC
27107 posts
I would not just drive around by myself unless you primarily want to go to the (many, and good) museums in the area. Otherwise, you will see beaches. Many beaches. And hunks of concrete. Seeing the invasion sites without someone to provide historical background would have meant much, much less to me. Not to mention that we're talking about a very large area, and navigational errors would be likely. A tour led by a professional driver/guide will be much more efficient.
I was very happy with the one-day Overlord Tour I took last year. Overlord uses vans, not buses, so the group will be small. There are other similar companies sometimes mentioned positively on this forum. Edited to add: Most of the van tours seem to depart from Bayeux.
I have not visited Mont-St.-Michel, but I think you certainly can do that on your own.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
I spent a couple days around Normandy visiting the DDay sites on my own, and I felt no great need for a guide. That said, I have an interest in history and before I went I knew quite a bit about the events and many specific places, so your needs might be different. I thought the time I spent there was fantastic.
For Mont St Michel, not only would I say there's no need at all for a guided tour, I'd say that doing MSM via any tour would be a major mistake. MSM is tiny - really tiny. There's just one short, narrow street. And that street is absolutely crammed tightly with people on tours and other day-trippers. It's one of the most crowded tourist places in Europe. The way to do Mont St Michel is to NOT be there in the middle of the day, when the organized tours jam every square inch of the place. Instead, arrive in the afternoon, and spend the night in one of the little hotels on MSM itself. That way, you get to experience the place at its best, without crowds, for a few hours in the evening and then in the early morning, when it is magical. By late morning, the tour buses roll up and the crowds return, so that's when you should leave.
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
Acraven is right. You want a tour. It is WELL worth the money, and I say that as a Dutch person!
As for Mt. St. Michel, you can do that on your own. Hotel Churchill in Bayeux runs a morning shuttle there, gives you about 3 hrs, and then drives you back to Bayuex. I believe it is 65 Euros each. You can find info on their website.