Unforgettable Mont St. Michel Tour: Experience Normandy with Viator
We recently did a tour from Viator of Mont Saint-Michel on our recent trip to Normandy, France. After two trips to Paris, we decided to expand our horizons. This trip did not disappoint. Our 2nd day trip on our trip to Normandy was to Mont St. Michel. To make our day easier, we decided to book a tour. This was an excellent decision. Click the link to see the tour we booked via Viator. Our tour guide and driver, Yannick, was friendly and polite. He did a wonderful job getting us ready to explore Mont St. Michel. There was a lot of history about this location that we would have missed if we had tried to do it on our own.
Mont St. Michel
We were staying at Hôtel La Fontaine Caen Centre in Caen, this part of the trip. We took an early train from Caen to Bayeux to do this tour. Our tour started at 8. Yannick explained it was much better to start at this time to avoid some of the crowds. When we arrived in Bayeux, it was a quick walk to the meeting spot. We arrived early, hoping to get a bite to eat, but the charming city of Bayeux was not awake yet. We did enjoy walking around the empty streets. Their Cathedral in the center of town was magnificent. You can visit the cathedral, however, the hours didn’t work for us this trip. Hopefully next time. It was impressive from the outside.
Bayeux Cathedral
It appears all the tours leave Bayeux from the same location. About 20 or so people were waiting for the different tours that morning. Our driver arrived and asked for us by name, and off we went. Our tour included our family of 4 and a couple from Washington, DC. The drive to Mont St. Michel was around 90 minutes. On our way, Yonnick did a great job explaining the history of the area and the castle. We didn’t know much about Mont St. Michel. I had seen pictures for years and knew I wanted to visit there.
Once we got to Mont St. Michel, we lined up with Yonnick for the shuttle to take us to the castle. You can take the shuttle bus across the road to the castle, or you can walk the path that takes about 40 minutes. The shuttles are free. The line started backing up pretty early, so be prepared. Yonnick did a fantastic job helping us stay in front of the crowds that day. I appreciated his time management. He also did a great job engaging everyone on the tour, including my 17 & and 19-year-old sons. Yonnick is a professionally trained tour guide. He spent three years studying to prepare for this position. He is one of the owners of the company we chose. He is passionate about he places we visited, and it showed.
Yannick took our group around the castle, explaining its history and architecture. We climbed over 300 stairs together. We saw several people stop to catch their breath. Be prepared there is some climbing. It wasn’t a straight shot up. If you need to catch your breath, you can. After our approximately 2-hour tour, he gave us free time to eat, shop, and explore.
Inside the village at Saint Mont Michel
There are several shops and restaurants when you first enter the village part of Saint Mt. Michel. In the Middle Ages, there would have also been shops and restaurants here. Their merchandise would have been different, but it was a similar vibe to the pilgrims visiting the castle. This was mid-May, I cannot even imagine how crowded this area would get in peak season. We had a great lunch at Le Tripot, one of the restaurants here in the center of town. The downstairs area is snack food, but if you go up the stairs in the back, there is a sit-down restaurant. We had a nice family lunch. Yonnick had recommended the lamb. My husband ordered it and it was delicious. The meats were sourced locally.
Our family at Mont St. Michel
After exploring, we had enough time to walk back to the parking lot to meet our guide. It was a beautiful day. When we arrived, it was high tide, but when we were heading back, the waters had started to recede. There were people out walking on the mudflats. This should only be done with a certified guide. There is quicksand in the area, and it can be dangerous.
People exploring the mudflats
Me in front of Mt St Michel
Our adventure to Mont St. Michel was a day well-spent. If you want a day trip to St. Mont Michel, I highly recommend booking a tour through HQ Company, or you can book through my referral link on Viator.
Please check out my other posts on the region if you are heading to France.
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