I am in the early planning stages of a trip in mid May of 2018. So far, 1st night in Honfleur, 2 nights in Bayeux then a visit to Mont St Michel. My question is if it is too much to get to St Michel early morning, visit and then drive to St Malo to spend the night. It is our first trip to France and would appreciate any tips and advice.

Your timing sounds good to me. A morning visit should let you miss at least some of the tour buses. Let me suggest that you get a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to Normandy, and perhaps the one for Brittany; that will give you an idea of the driving time involved. You can also use the viamichelin.com web site.

FWIW, I was very glad that I stayed overnight on Mont St. Michel -- I thought it magical after day-trippers left and was very pleased to be able to visit the abbey before the day-trippers got there. In contrast, I was disappointed in St. Malo. JMO.

I'm with kja. We spent a nite near Mont St. Michel, staying at one of the hotels in the strip just across the bridge. Their are shuttles running until very late. We arrived in the late afternoon (4:30pm or so) as crowds were thinning and had plenty of time to see Mont St. Michel since it stays light out relatively late in the summer. Take note that restaurants close early on Mont St. Michel and across the bridge so you'll want to be seated by 7pm or so.

Then back at nite to take some beautiful night photos and wander a bit. One more visit 8am the next morning when it was quiet and peaceful.

St Malo and Dinard are nice to visit, but we stayed in Dinan. A nice base. IMHO you are moving around a lot; While 1 nite in MSM is enough, I'd at least think about doing Honfleur as a day trip and staying 3+ nites in Bayeux

Thanks for the info. I think we will probably do three Nights in Bayeux as suggested and then stay on Mont St Michel. I appreciate your replies. This will be the beginning of about a 27 day road trip in France, so I'm sure to have more questions.

While I understand the advantages of avoiding one night stays when possible, I must admit that I adored Honfleur after dark. Just something to consider....

I agree that visiting Mont St. Michel is best off-hours. We visited around 5pm and stayed on the island until 9 or 10. It was absolutely magical! If you can arrange to visit in the morning and in the evening, I highly recommend it. Just avoid the mobs between 10-4. Be sure to find the nearby Mont St. Michel biscuit factory. I wish I could remember the name! We had a lovely picnic there overlooking Mont St. Michel after sampling many yummy cookies!

Thank You!