Mont Saint Michel - To do or not to do?

From my point of view, Janis's story is Exhibit A in the argument to spend the night at MSM if you do go. The day trippers depart and you have the evening and following morning to enjoy the island.

Whether it's worth it to you, though, is hard to say. Honfleur and Bayeux are both lovely destinations and you might just want to spend another day in Bayeux, or exploring the countryside. I don't think you'd run out of things to do.

Mont St. Michel is justly popular but like all such places it is not pristine--you will see tacky tourist traps, and food and lodging on the island cost a but more. Didn't bother me, did bother my wife. So, reasonable people may differ.

I hope that helps you to make up your mind.

Having just done this trip last month, I may be the only person who would not make the trek to MSM. It's about a 2-hr drive from Bayeux -- at the most, I'd drive out to see it and return to Bayeux. It's beautiful to view from the mainland, not so much fun when you are actually inside the walls -- unless you like the sardine sensation. We were sorry we did not spend more time in the area around Bayeux because it is so lovely. We stayed outside of Bayeux in Crepon at a beatiful place called Ferme de la Ranconniere (www.ranconniere.com). The rooms are beautiful and the food is wonderful. The Battlebus tour greatly exceeded our expectations -- we wished we could have taken the 2-day tour.
Best wishes for a great trip!

I'm going to disagree with the last poster. Yes, during the day, the narrow confines of Mont St. Michel become uncomfortabley choked with daytrippers from Paris. But in the late afternoon after the mobs leave, few places in Europe acquire such a serene, other-wordly magnificence. I would not pass up the chance to spend a night on the Mont. The best strategy is to arrive later in the afternoon as the crowds start to dwindle, enjoy the spectacular ambience of Mont St. Michel at night, then visit the abbey as soon as it opens in the morning. The daily invasion of daytrippers doesn't commence until mid-morning, so at this time, you'll have no lines.

In 2005, we spent a night at MSM because we were told that 1.It is important to be there 2.Staying overnight makes all the difference in the world. I was on the walls at 6a.m. the next day... the misty mainland looked like a Monet painting... the silence was only interrupted by occasional bird calls. The tide sped in- it was incredible- we went on to Normandy, the fabulous and not to be missed Museum in Caen and Bayeux. Please stay overnight at MSM. George, Pittsburgh

It is awesome from a distance. Try to see it late in the day when the crowds are leaving, see it then leave. It is a great location but I would get in and out.

Be cautious with your car rental, check the entire car before you leave including spare tire, hubcaps ,everything. They will try to stick you with anything when you drop it off.

If you decide to go, I would vote with George because that is the way you should get to see MSM...and the tides. I wasn't able to see the tides, and that was a major dissatisfier for me. The way George described it is the way it deserves to be seen.

Any way you can maneuver an extra day in your schedule to do both? :) My husband and I did very similar itinerary in May 2006...2 nights' stay in Bayeux...one day doing Normandy invasion coast and one day driving to MSM and back. Well, we wished we had more time to actually see Bayeux itself and yet we wished we would have made plans to overnite at MSM. Very tough choice! We needed to move on to Angers (genealogy search) I suggest you try real hard to find that extra day to do both!!!

Jill, just got back Thursday from Paris. Yes, its a must do!!

From Paris we wented a car (with Sixt) and was fortunate to have a GPS. Sixt advertised that most of their cars have GPS I believe.

From Paris we drove to Omaha Beach, then cut across to Mt. St. Michel and stayed at a chateau near there. We went to MSM and stayed there til 10 pm.

The next day we drove to Bayeux, saw the tapestry, and drove back to Paris.

PM me if you want more details.