JES28

Thanks so much Shelemm, this is so helpful and the website is just what I needed!
TWK, we'll be there the end of July so it will be light late and I was thinking the same thing about MSM - that we'd have to wait until pretty late to see it lit up if we don't stay over. I'm looking at options off island but the lodging doesn't appear to be very appealing and I've read the food is so-so and pricey, so I guess it would be all about seeing it at night and if it's worth the trade off.

twk

We stayed at the Mercure. It was a perfectly fine chain motel, and I liked the restaurant next door. It may not be a Michelin star quality (and being where it is, it isn't cheap), but we had a nice meal of lamb there. Click on my name, go to my profile, and read my trip report if you want more information on the Mont.

Fra_Diavolo

A few highly opinionated observations:

Honfleur has a very scenic harbor and is tourist central.

For me, the Bayeux Tapestry was a high point of my visit.

People seem to think the Mont is all about the view. I loved exploring the monastery.

The food and lodging on the Mont is mediocre and over-priced.

Agree that the ruins of Jumieges Abbey are spectacular.

I found most of the D-Day sights very moving.

StuDudley

""If you stayed on the Mont and wanted to see it at night, you'd have to walk down to the bridge and then back up to your hotel, whereas, if you stay at one of the hotels on the mainland, you can catch a shuttle bus to the drop off point on the bridge anytime up until midnight."

Did you actually get on a shuttle bus & go to MSM at 9-10 PM after dinner?? We stayed on the Mont & loved it. Read the section in the above attached itinerary about MSM. Also check out my wife's Shutterfly picture book about MSM, & 2 other gardens we visited on our 2019 trip.

Click "Full Screen"
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/57

The "Other" sites we visited on the same 1 month trip.
https://stududley.shutterfly.com/56

We're not fans of St Malo.

Stu Dudley

twk

We went to the Mont about 8:45 p.m. after dinner (had 7:00 p.m. dinner reservation). I made 3 trips to the Mont over the course of an 18-20 hour stay. That's why I say its not essential to say ON the Mont, given the convenience of the shuttle if you stay at one of the hotels within the gated area. If this was someone's first and only opportunity to stay in a medieval town, then that would make staying on the Mont more worthwhile, but, there are other medieval towns with better lodging and dining options. As far as "seeing it at night" goes, I guess one needs to distinguish between being in the town at night, and getting a view of the Mont at night. If you google "Mont Saint-Michel at night," the vast majority of the images that come up are taken from the mainland or bridge. I assume that's the view the OP is looking for, and that's what I'm describing.

JES28

Stu & TWK, Thank you for the differing viewpoints and Stu your photos look amazing! May I ask why you didn't like St Malo?

StuDudley

We've visited St Malo 3-4 times. Plus three times for dinner. Also to catch the train "elsewhere" - but the station is not in the old section of St Malo.

Too much of it was destroyed in WWII and built back "not so seamlessly". You can see the differences. Plus, I don't like the architecture style anyway. Buildings are too blocky & not as interesting as other cities/towns in the region - Vannes, Quimper, Rennes, Dinan. St Malo is great from the outside and as you walk along the ramparts. But kinda boring on the inside, IMO. Many other people on Fodors have stated the same thing.

Same comments can be made about Nantes.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Here is my wife's Shutterfly book from another trip that included Normandy.

https://stududley.shutterfly.com/33

Click "full screen"
Rouen - pages 21-29
Pays d'Auge & Normandy coast north of Honfleur - pages 49-73. Between these pages is also Normandy - but not the part of Normandy you are visiting.

Stu Dudley

shelemm

StuDudley, That is a truly wonderful photo book. So many great places to discover. I loved visiting the Chateau at St Germain de Livet, with its checkerboard pattern, complete with moat.

bilboburgler

St Malo to me is interesting because, despite being very rectangular there are twisty turny spaces and they managed to keep many of the old signs. Getting to enjoy it takes time, the little beaches, the little alleys, the steps onto the ramparts. Give it time. I've spent some 2 weeks there over the years and you slowly glimpse the beauty.

Sue_xx_yy

Hi, I thought I would chime in.

I see you had originally planned 2 n Honfleur, 2 n Bayeux, and 1 on or near MSM.

Coming from Les Andelys, we had 1 n Honfleur, followed by, on the next day, a drop in to see the tapestry en route to MSM for a night (tapestry is worth it. It is like an embroidered story board. ) And Honfleur is touristy but darn charming. We finished with 3 n in Honfleur.

For our night in MSM, we stayed near, not on the Mont, but bear in mind this was pre-shuttle days; we were able to drive up and park on the causeway area. If the shuttle is easy, and at least one commentator says it is, then I'm on the side of those who suggest staying off the Mont. Better choice of accomodations, in my opinion (i have never forgotten the Best Western in Ducey where we fell asleep to the sound of the sluice gate of the old mill which was on the site of the hotel.) Meanwhile we arrived at the Mont just after 3, spent an hour touring the abbey, another hour touring the town, and enjoyed dinner with a view. That's about it, the place is not large.

Our final 3 n was in Bayeux, before we headed back to Paris. Part of the morning of the first night in Bayeux was spent getting back from the Mont to the landings area, and finding picnic supplies. I like picnic lunches when touring, much more efficient and very pleasant if the weather is suitable.
You could spend that afternoon in any number of ways. I can't advise on cheese, other than I like to eat it...

All of the day of our second night in Bayeux was spent in the British/Canadian sector, respectively. Both this group and the American group followed a similar plan for the military operation - paratroopers in first, to secure bridges such as the one at Ranville (renamed Pegasus bridge to honour the paratroopers that captured it) followed by the landing barges coming in for the infantry to gain a foothold, and the engineers who came to erect artificial harbours, including the one at Arromanches. We saw the bridge at Ranville and the small but very informative museum nearby, a nearby cemetery, the beaches near Juno (site of Canadian infantry landing) ; many Americans like to go out to Ste. Mere Eglise since that is a famous American paratrooper landing point but bear in mind the drive out will take you awhile.

The following day (preceding our third and last night) we had some laundry to do but then got away to see Pointe du Hoc, Omaha cemetery, the museum at Arromanches which details the building of the artificial harbour and gives you an idea of what the LCVP landing craft looked like and its role, and one or two other sites.

As you can see the time will pass very quickly. To your points about not wanting too many churches or museums. I hear you on the churches but many of the museums built specifically for Landings visitors are not only small but very much help one's understanding of Operation Overlord, as it was code-named. That said, do not underestimate the size of the area of just the initial landings area. Remember, this was the biggest invasion in history.

Good luck, have fun.

NomadLass

Visited Normandy in mid June 2018 on a combined Paris/Normandy trip. Stayed our first night in Rouen to see the Cathedral Light Show, then spent 6 nights at a Bed & Breakfast in Bayeux, with day trips to various sites. No air conditioning (I debated that as well) but we lucked out with cool weather. It would have been better to divide up the nights into 2 or 3 locations as you and others have proposed.

Etretat including the wonderful Les Jardins d’Etretat was a highlight. Delicious lunch of grilled fish at La Flotilles. If at all possible, I would encourage you to put Etretat on your list.

Visited two WWII sites on our own and recommend both
Le Grand Bunker/Atlantic Wall Museum in Ouistreham
Airborne Museum/Sainte-Mere-Eglise

7 hour Private D-Day Tour with Mathias Leclere of DDay Guided Tours
Highly recommend this tour and guide. Mathias is a native of Normandy, very knowledgeable about WWII history, and really brings the history to life. We gave him an idea of what we were interested in and he put together the itinerary listed below which included a stop for lunch at a lovely family owned restaurant - don’t recall the name.

La Cambe German War Cemetery
Pointe du Hoc
Omaha Beach
American Cemetery

Mathias also recommended visiting on our own the following sites. Out of this list, we were only able to see the Tapestry, it's a unique artifact and glad we included it in the itinerary.

Honfleur
Caen Memorial Museum
Men’s Abbey in Caen
Falaise Castle
Bayeux Tapestry Museum
Mont Saint Michel.

We also visited a nearby cider producer and enjoyed the tour. Most of our meals were in Bayeux. After sampling several restaurants we ended up returning a couple of times to a place recommended by our B&B - Le Petit Normand - for the food, outdoor terrace, and location across from the Cathedral. On our last night, we ate at L'Alchimie Restaurant which was a bit more upscale than the others, good food and service.

We really enjoyed touring Normandy. Wishing you a wonderful trip.

JES28

Thank you so much for the additional photos and recommendations, these are so helpful!
I think we'll stick with the 2 in Honfleur & 2 in Bayeux and if we stay overnight in MSM we're now leaning toward staying off-island. I looked up tides and it will be
Low Tide: 4pm | High Tide: 9:30pm. I'd like to see the tide come in and would love to see MSM lit up at night but I'm not crazy about the dining or hotel options there so still trying to decide if we continue on.
I looked through the other options mentioned above and Dinan looks really special so as an alternative we would head there that night for dinner, or the next day. I'm still stuck on this...
Nomadllass, now I really would like to add Etretat back on the itinerary so we may do that on our way out to Honfleur and thank you so much for the restaurant recommendations and great tour option to look into.

chale1

We loved Dinan. If possible, stay 2 nights. You can walk anywhere you want to go. We stayed at Le 27, a wonderful B &B in the center of town. Patrick, the owner is a delight. You can park across the street. Patrick will give you a parking card. Our favorite restaurant was Cantorbery. Be sure and make dinner reservations wherever you go.

NomadLass

A few tips if you do decide to visit Etretat.

Parking can be challenging in the town so recommend driving up to Chapelle Notre Dame de la Garde which is a historic church on the cliffs overlooking the town. There is a large parking lot there and the views across the cliffs and down to Etretat are spectacular. Entrance to the gardens - Les Jardins d'Etretat - is just a few steps away from the parking lot. Don't miss these beautiful gardens with quirky sculptures and incredible views.

After touring the gardens, we left our car parked in the Chapelle lot and took the shuttle train down to the town of Etretat. We went pre-Covid but I assume this round trip shuttle is still operating. There is also a hiking path to the town and back if you're looking for a workout!

In Etretat, we walked around the streets and all along the beach. If you watched the Netflix French series - Lupin - the last episode of Season 1 was filmed on the beach. La Flotille restaurant does not take reservations so we got in line about 30 minutes before it opened for lunch. Charming place known for grilled fish and meat, worth the wait. After leaving Etretat, we stopped at Le Grand Bunker/Atlantic Wall Museum in Ouistreham for a tour on our way to Bayeux.

JES28

Stu Dudley, I reread your perfect itinerary at MSM. If we do stay at the Auberge Saint Pierre on MSM, can you advise about getting luggage to the hotel and what that entails (stairs etc)?
Chale1, thank you for the Dinan recommendations! I think we will book there for our last night and leave early for the airport.
Nomandlass, thank you for the added great Etretat reco's. We are going to watch Lupin starting tonight!