claudiale

Staying in Deauville, Strasbourg and Paris in July for 2 weeks. Thinking about driving to Monte St. Michel from Paris and staying on Monte St. Michel for one night,instead of driving directly to Deauville and taking a day trip to the Monte.I am not much for crowds and junk shops,but would like to see the Monte. Any advise?

Kristin

There will be crowds, but if you arrive in the late afternoon (or even a little later) you will miss most of them, and have the island almost to yourself for the night. Things will pick up again the next morning!! It is really wonderful to stay there -- even if you hate crowds -- it is SO beautiful.

j

By all means do not miss Monte ASt Michel. It is one of the most unique and spectacular sights I have seen. A wonderful place to explore. The crepes are worth trying there too. Not sure that you need to spend the night there. Can leave early, spend the day and go on to Deauville for the night.

Marci

Claudiale, <BR>If I may ask, where are you staying in Deauville? I'm trying to find someone who knows about the hotels L'Augevale and Park in that town but am coming up empty. We are also planning an overnight on Mont Saint Michel, staying at La Mere Poulard. From previous posts here, I get the impression that staying overnight, while the place is quiet, is the best way to experience the Mont. <BR>Bon voyage, <BR>Marci

kalena

Hi Claudiale: <BR> <BR>Mont St. Michel is one of my favorite places. <BR> <BR>check http://www.normandy-tourism.org/ <BR> <BR>We'll be staying at the Auberge St. Pierre for a couple of nights based on other travelers' recommendations on this site. (Thanks Patrick!) Mere Poulard has her fans too, but I liked the idea of a smaller hotel, higher on the Mont. Plus we'll have their "chambre familliale". A friend was there last year and said that mass in the early evening after the crowds left was an incredibly mystical experience. I also want to get knee deep in that tidal mud and eat as many oysters as possible

Stephanie

Uuuuuuugh!! Just got back from a weekend trip to Brittany. We swung through Mont St. Michel and totally wasted a precious day. Arrivede at 10:00 am and the parking lot was packed already. Arriving at the main gate, we then had to walk the dreaded tourist gauntlet of long narrow steep streets lined with horrible cheap stores only to wait on a long line for tix. The church was only OK but had nice ramparts and we saw a seal from afar. It was crowded, hot, sweaty, expensive and so totally not worth the ordeal. If you need to, drive up and look at the isle from afar and keep going!! I wish we did.

Sandy

I'm with Stephanie . . . I (and my two friends agree), too, wish I'd just taken the photo as I drove by and not wasted the time and energy to go inside. There was nothing much to see. <BR> <BR>Here's another vote to drive up, take the photo and keep on going and exploring the other interesting areas in Brittany and Normandy. <BR> <BR>Just my 2¢ worth, <BR>Sandy <BR> <BR>I (and my two friends agree)

kalena

I'm bracing for the summer crowds... <BR>My previous visits to Mont St. Michel have been off season, but now with kids, we travel in the summer. <BR> <BR>But... that's the point of spending the night there....to avoid the crowds. I'll post my comments later, should my perception of Mont St.Michel change that much. And this is only a small portion of our trip, but to me, Mont St. Michel is a remarkable place. <BR> <BR>By the way, I have read here that Rocamadour also should be avoided during high season. When we were there in April once, we had it virtually all to ourselves. So, conditions change based on the number of visitors to a place, etc. <BR>

elvira

We stayed at a motel at the end of the causeway, and went to the mont early in the morning (8:30ish) before the tour buses arrived. By 11, it was a mob scene, but we'd had a chance to wander the streets and go into the church before then. So, either be there for the crack of dawn, or in late afternoon and evening to avoid the tourbus traffic. Because we stayed at the end of the causeway, we had a magnificent view of the mont at night and in the early morning light.