OK, the more I read the more confused I become. Taking the FULL day victory tour from Bayeux - Afterwards we are renting a car(6:30pm), and staying over night. He does not go to any museums, and we'd like to - seems there are many to choose from - but the Peace Museum in Caen seems to be the one. SO - My question, would it be practical to drive to Mt St Michle after our tour to stay the night, see it a little in the Morning, and head back to Caen or the Beaches to catch a museum (or two?). We have to drop our car back at Bayeux at 6:30pm, train at 8pm back to Paris. Is that too much? should we just stick to Bayeux and meander the museum/beaches? I know I know we need more time...
Next time!
Thank you!!

I think it would be good to rent the car and drive to MSM that evening - stay overnight and see the Abbey in the morning.

You don't want to miss MSM - it is great to walk out to the mount and back. You can drive out to the mount but if the tide is high you may have to walk as they won't let you drive out to the parking area as it gets under water.

We stayed in a b&b there that we liked very much.
La Jacotiére

Well, it's a lot. The first time we went to the Mémorial, we spent 4+ hours there (without even realizing it - granted, that included grabbing a sandwich). You'd need to get up very early at le Mont-St-Michel to make it back to see the Mémorial (and any other museum, and there are so many of them). I hope you're planning to see Bayeux itself, the tapestry and cathedral, and town.

Plenty of time IMO - and to glimpse MSMichel itself all glorious lit up at night from the mainland is one reason to stay the night here.

another is the sound and light show that i took in at night - thru the monastery buildings and church - neat special effects in various rooms - i enjoyed it better than the elbow to elbow tour of the place the next morning

there is a gaggle of hotels and motels on the mainland right opposite the causeway - a few on the island itself that could be overpriced IMO for what they offer.

I'm really leaning towards making the trip to MSM, We are not nailed down to an itinerary if we fall in love, it may be we to to a smaller museum close to Bayuex before 6:30. Sounds like if we are 1-1/2 hrs drive away, we'd better go take a peak, and bonus, we will be arriving in the evening - right? What B&B to stay at now ?

If driving from Bayeux to Mont St Michel be sure to stop off IMO in Avranches and head to the Bishop's Garden (name?) in the town center for a celebrated view of Mont Saint-Michel awesomely looming in the distance across the often just sand bay - you can imagine here the exaltation medieval pilgrims must of had when they approached their goal and see it from such a distance - hoping their prayers would be answered.

Avranches Things To Do - Avranches Travel Reviews - VirtualTourist.com
... It was however the bishop of Avranches that ordered Mont-Saint-Michel to be built, ... of Avranches, one can enjoy a breathtaking view over the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, ...
http://www.virtualtourist.com/.../Av...ches-BR-1.html

why not take the train to Caen, pick up rental car at station (or opposite it) and then head for the Caen Memorial Museum, by far the best and most comprehensive D-Day/Normandy Invasion Museum - and it's nice to start here to get an overview of the whole invasion with their huge relief maps and displays -not a stuffy museum at all.

Then why not drive yourself around the rather compact area that the mini-buses cover - like the Colville-sur-Mer military cemetery right above a major D-Day beach where thousands died and were wounded in the first few days.

Or if you want to see one museum before trekking on over to MSMichel then there is none really closer to Bayeux i think - and actually the Caen Memorial is on the outskirts of Caen - towards Bayeux and with the fast road there it is really quite close - then drive from Caen to MSMichel

http://www.memorial-caen.fr/portail/index.php

If you head toward M.S.M. pretty quickly after your tour you could arrive before it is closed for the night. However,If you are planning to tour the abbey in the morning, I don't think that there will be time to see the museum in Caen, and then make it back to Bayeux by 6:30 and not be hurried; but you may travel more swiftly than our family does...we lingered about 4 hrs in Peace museum.

As you mentioned,since you are not nailed to an itinerary, you could see a museum in Bayeux instead...the Tapestry Museum would give you good variety since you would have already visited the WWII sites on your tour.

By the way, I think that you will be very happy with Victory Tours. Roel gave an excellent tour and as there were only 3 of us it was practically a private tour. One my DH & DS will never forget. Oh yes, and on the Mont we stayed in Auberge St. Pierre. It wasn't anything special, but being on the Mont after the crowds had left was quite that.

Yes indeedy - even if you stay in the cluster of hotels on the mainland at the end of the causeway then be sure to drive or walk the mile or so on the dyke to the island at night - yes when it is practically deserted, except for folks coming for the sound and light show.

and if you stay on the Mont itself be sure to drive or trek to the mainland to see the majestically floodlit Mont from the mainland. Simply gloriously surreal.