I'll be in Paris with hubby and 15 year-old daughter in July and am planning a side trip from Paris to Mont St. Michel. Has anyone used Paris Vision or Grayline for this tour? The trips themselves for those companies look similar, but the meals/restaurants are different. One Paris Vision tour provides lunch at Terrasses Poulard for omelettes, but does anyone else know if that restaurant serves anything else on that particular tour? (I hate eggs but my family would be very happy there.) Another Paris Vision tour stops for brunch at Carrouges Castle, and the Grayline tour stops at Le Dauphin at L'Aigle and Memorial-Musee de la Paix at Caen. I certainly don't expect the food to be the highlight of the trip, but can anyone give me further information about any of those restaurants on these tours? Do they have fixed menus, or are there choices? Thanks for your help.

We just returned from our 10th trip to Paris and our first to Mont Saint Michel. We opted to rent a car and drive from Paris, stopping to visit the cathedral in Chartes on the way. We stayed overnight on the island, as during the day it, like the other walled cities and bastides, seem overrun by tourists. At night, after the tour buses leave, the island becomes magical with the floodlit Abbey and winding cobblestone streets. You also get a chance to experience the tidal flow as it surrounds the island.
The cost of the rental car and a triple room plus food came to less than the cost of the tour price when there are three of you. Remember that the round trip drive is 6 hours without stops. Touring the Abbey can take 1 - 2 hours depending on how in depth you might want to be. If you want, you can drive back to Paris via the D-Day beaches if that is of interest to you.
To answer your specific question: If you do opt to take the one day tour, either company offers a tour that will give you a nice taste of the island. As for the restaurants, Terrasses Poulard is the best on the island and if it is included in your tour is a good choice. If you're not an egg person there are other choices on the menu from which to order.

Just so you know: viamichelin estimates that it is a 7 hour journey, RT, from Paris to Mont St Michel. Something to think about before you commit to the idea of a day trip.

I have heard people speak of 'pre-sale lamb' (i.e., saltmarsh raised lamb) being served at Terrasse Poulard. However, I don't know if the tour you mention would offer that as a choice. A suggestion: be sure to shop the day before for a few nourishing (and transportable) snacks - e.g, salami, cheese, nuts, fruit, etc. so as not to depend overly much on what you get served. Bon voyage.

I have to agree that if you do not spend the night on the Mont you will experience your visit with hordes of day trippers. Our meal at Terasses Poulard was less than mediocre and expensive--very rude staff there--in 2004 anyway. The highlight for us was the high tides which occurred on April 2 that year. Have a great trip!

It's a very far trip... I visited MSM on a road trip of Brittany that I did a couple of years ago.

The best town that I visited was Dinan and it's not that far from MSM (between MSM and Rennes). Try to stay there for one/two nights.

Don't forget that Brittany is the home of crepes... That's almost all I ate the whole trip (even on MSM). 2 dinner crepes and 1 dessert crepe... SO GOOD!

Do not stay on the mont, really, stay in Dinan. Mideval town on a hill, fantastic shops/architecture/food!

Thanks for your help so far. However, considering that we will not have a car, will not be able to spend the night, and are limited to a tour group, my more specific question is: Between the Paris Vision tour to Mont St. Michel and the Grayline tour to Mont St. Michel, which offers the best restaurant choice? Paris Vision offers Terrasses Poulard or Carrouges Castle, and Grayline offers Le Dauphin at L'Aigle and Memorial-Musee de la Paix at Caen. If you have taken either of these specific tours and have eaten at these specific restaurants, I'd love your comments.