Unique Views of Mont St Michel

Are there excursion boats that can take you around the island? Hot air balloons? Helicopters?

We had a rental car and drove along the shoreline before and after visiting Mont St- Michel.

These days there's no unique views of Mont Saint Michel, I think every single has been covered .

However, you do get a different, less often photographed view from Avranches and the area around the Ecomusée de la Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel. It does depend how long your lens is, though.

My favorite view of MSM is from Mt Dol in Brittany. Not a close up but very evocative view of MSM in the distance.

The atmosphere has been ruined by building the road right up to MSM. There aren’t any unique views. My visit here was the biggest disappointment of the entire 6 week trip.

We were driving and just pulled over on the road for this snapshot:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/mont-st-michel-is-that-a-real-place/

Night shots from the parking lot or bridge properly cropped can be gorgeous as well.

While of course there are alternatives to renting a car, this is a relatively remote location. Many posters here revere spending the night on the island, but I wouldn't bother. The mainland support area does provide enough (lengthy) walking to view the abbey without supermarkets, hotels, or parking lots in front of it. But you may be seeking some romantic ideal that does not exist. That is, because the abbey/island/town street is SO CLOSE to the mainland.

Maybe a look at Google Maps would make this clearer to you?

We went in a car because it was only a 4 hour stop for us on a longer drive for the day. We got what we wanted.

You might also wish to consider that there are lots of other lovely medieval village remnants in Europe. MSM is not the beginning and the end of your opportunities in a lifetime of travel.

The views from the causeway are great—although often repeated. If you want good views/images, the time of day and lighting will affect the views/pictures more than anything. Check the tide tables for your visit beforehand. If you are seeking good photographs, don't dismiss pictures that are close ups of detail on the island. Not every great shot is a wide panorama from afar. Some of my favorite shots are details of the ramparts, island houses and their details taken during the golden hour or even later. But if you do want a view seeing the whole island from a distance, drive up the D275 to the East/Northeast of the island. There are several views that will include the wonderful pasture land in the foreground with cows and/or sheep grazing if you're lucky. To get a good picture from there you will need a long lens (I used a 70–200mm lens on a cropped-frame DSLR). But I presume if you're looking for good pictures you are thinking more than a simple phone camera. The views of Mont Saint-Michel from Avranches are extremely distant and weather dependent, but it is a wonderful town in its own right, with good history related to MSM.

By the way, I am firmly in the camp of staying on the island itself. I suspect most people who recommend against this have never actually done it themselves—I have done both. If you just want a comfy hotel with a distant view, Google Drone footage of Mont-Saint-Michel for some very stunning views you won't be able to get yourself from anywhere, and you can watch them from the comfort of your living room.

We got photos we liked just walking along the causeway. We stayed overnight and the atmosphere of being in a fairytale with only a few other people was one of our favorite experiences. We got there by taking the train to Rennes, eating lunch at a crepe restaurant with the best chocolate crepes, and then a bus from a company called Keolis. There were options earlier in the day, but we wanted to arrive in the afternoon when the day tours were leaving and toured the abbey when it was quieter.

If you check with the tourist office, you might get a guide or tour out on the mudflats around MSM for a different view. There were a lot of people on the mudflats during the day, including preschool groups, but also a lot of space so each group was separated. A guide is highly recommended due to quicksand.

I second signing on to a guided tour on the sands. You walk quite a ways out from all sides and I’m sure you would find great shots. Ours lasted about two hours. Find a guide who speaks English. Great fun. And stay overnight on the island!