St. Malo vs. Mont St. Michel

[Jamietravelstheworld]

Excursion booking starts next week for my Northern Europe cruise in 2022. I'm not sure what excursion to do when we dock in St. Malo, France. If you've been, do you recommend tour of St. Malo or tour of Mont St. Michel?

 

Thanks.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Saint-Malo is a nice walled town, not too different from many other walled towns. 

Mont-Saint-Michel is unique and not to be missed!!!

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

I'm not sure what excursion to do when we dock in St. Malo, France. If you've been, do you recommend tour of St. Malo or tour of Mont St. Michel?

Between the two, I would choose Mont-Saint-Michel - the abbey and the historical buildings within the commune are a photographer's dream & the history is very interesting. I hope you visit on a day when it is not overrun by tourists (but even if there are hordes of tourists, I would still, hands down, recommend visiting Mont-Saint-Michel).

You can read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont-Saint-Michel

and a short video here:

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by dogs4fun

[Hlitner]

Agree with the other posters that Mont Saint-Michel is not to be missed.  Depending on how many hours you have in port and the timing of your excursion you may have some time left (after your return to the port) to explore some of St Malo....which you can easily do on your own by foot.  

 

Hank

[John Bull]

Mont-St-Michel - if you're tolerably fit !!!

There's no transportation after you enter at sea-level. The main "street" is steep and winding, altho there's plenty of shade. 

We've been there twice, and didn't get to the top either time. But still a worthwhile experience at a unique property.

 

The walled city of St Malo is about a 20-minute walk from the ferry terminals (I'll hazard a guess that's where small cruise ships berth), mainly because the footpath thro the port is a bit tortuous. The cathedral, in the centre of the walled city, is a further 5 to 8 minutes. 

As Hank says, easy enough to wander, but check the time if this comes at the end of a trip to MSM.

 

JB 🙂

[marazul]

Mont Saint Michel. There is no comparison.

[Hlitner]

On 7/1/2021 at 10:15 AM, John Bull said:

Mont-St-Michel - if you're tolerably fit !!!

There's no transportation after you enter at sea-level. The main "street" is steep and winding, altho there's plenty of shade. 

We've been there twice, and didn't get to the top either time. But still a worthwhile experience at a unique property.

 

The walled city of St Malo is about a 20-minute walk from the ferry terminals (I'll hazard a guess that's where small cruise ships berth), mainly because the footpath thro the port is a bit tortuous. The cathedral, in the centre of the walled city, is a further 5 to 8 minutes. 

As Hank says, easy enough to wander, but check the time if this comes at the end of a trip to MSM.

 

JB 🙂

Come on JB,  you didn't get to the top?  Surely you two can handle that trek :).  The next time you visit perhaps you stop at one of cafes (at lower ground level) and have some of the wonderful black brew to give you some courage :).

 

Hank

[caripoo]

Mont St Michel for sure.

[Harters]

No excursion for us in St Malo. We plan to spend the day wandering about the town with a nice lunch somewhere along the way.

[Hlitner]

On 7/22/2021 at 5:30 PM, Harters said:

No excursion for us in St Malo. We plan to spend the day wandering about the town with a nice lunch somewhere along the way.

Completely agree.  The last thing we wanted to do in St Malo was be part of a large group slowly working its way up the town.  There are quite a few restaurants/cafes on the ground level (near where you enter the city) and we have enjoyed both lunches and dinners in that part of town.   The old days was interesting when driving there in a rental car.  The big parking lots were on a flat area (near town) that would flood at high tide.  You parked your car, noted the time of the high tides, and made darn sure you were out of there before the big tides :).  

 

As much as we enjoyed exploring this town, the best part (for us) was something not seen by cruisers.  On one of our driving trips we spent a night at a motel that was located about 2 miles from St Malo.  We explored the town during the afternoon and returned to our motel to shower and relax.  Then after dark we left our room to drive back to town to find a place for dinner.  As we looked toward the city it was bathed in an eerie light (the city glowed) that was just fantastic.  That was our most memorable moment from two visits.

 

Hank

[Simon-t]

I used to live in Northern France and choosing between St Malo and Mont St Michel is tough. St Malo’s old town is classic France with lots of quaint restaurants and shops within the old town walls. And a walk around the walls is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

 

Mont St Michel is unique. The views over to the Mont from the surrounding countryside are spectacular. The walk up to the Abbey at the top of the Mont is not easy, and wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with mobility problems, but the views are spectacular. It is very busy and very touristy and to me is nowhere as “authentic” as St Malo. But if I could only do one, I would probably pick Mont St Michel simply because of its uniqueness.

[WESTEAST]

On 9/1/2021 at 5:35 PM, Simon-t said:

I used to live in Northern France and choosing between St Malo and Mont St Michel is tough. St Malo’s old town is classic France with lots of quaint restaurants and shops within the old town walls. And a walk around the walls is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

 

Mont St Michel is unique. The views over to the Mont from the surrounding countryside are spectacular. The walk up to the Abbey at the top of the Mont is not easy, and wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with mobility problems, but the views are spectacular. It is very busy and very touristy and to me is nowhere as “authentic” as St Malo. But if I could only do one, I would probably pick Mont St Michel simply because of its uniqueness.

We have visited both and without a doubt if we were to choose only one, it would be Mont St. Michel. St. Malo is nice and similar to other walled villages but, Mont St. Michel is totally beautiful and unique!

[ColdCruise]

Definitely I would pick Mont St Michel, even though it can be packed with other tourists besides yourselves. It is authentic, a pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage site. St Malo is nice but had to have major rebuilding after WW2, so a bit less authentic, and can be just as crowded in areas (ramparts especially) with other tourists besides yourselves. And as others mentioned there are other walled cities in France, although you might need to take a different trip to see them. 

 

id suggest taking the horse drawn carriage transfer from the town where everyone has to park to the foot of the monastery. and definitely make the hike up the hill to the cathedral. 
 

if offered, the Normandy beaches that were the site of D-Day are a better (IMO) excursion option. Saving Private Ryan scenes in real life.  Bayeux  is also wonderful option - old historic center, good WW2 museum, and world famous Bayeux Tapestries, which were created shortly after the Norman Invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 and are in amazingly good condition. I was awed by the rich colors still present in a tapestry that’s almost a thousand years old ( and made with all natural dyes, of course) it’s beautiful and has an interesting history of its own.

[Mary Ann 2]

The 2022 Sky transatlantic is due to be in Cherbourg on a Sunday.  Will every place be closed at Mont St. Michel?  I just noticed this Sunday arrival.  It's one of the main reasons we chose this cruise - to visit Mont St. Michel.

[marazul]

5 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

The 2022 Sky transatlantic is due to be in Cherbourg on a Sunday.  Will every place be closed at Mont St. Michel?  I just noticed this Sunday arrival.  It's one of the main reasons we chose this cruise - to visit Mont St. Michel.

The Abbey is open every day of the week. 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We'll be in Le Havre on a Thursday in April and have booked a ship's excursion to Mont St Michel. We're not youngsters but are fit for our age. Hopefully we're not rushed and can take our time there. How much time would you say it would take....even if we didn't get to the top? At least it's downhill going back. 

Thanks to all who have shared info about this amazing place. 

[WESTEAST]

We walked with a tour group and guide and it took approximately 20-25 minutes.  It was crowded and this was a factor but, our guide navigated us through to the top.  The views from the top were amazing and not too be missed (except, if it is raining which does happen often). Best to wear good walking shoes as steps can be slippery.  Going down we were on our own and was much easier as guide directed us to an alternate exterior route which had slopping walkways versus the interior steep steps. 

[roberts2005]

If you take a ship’s tour, is there a way to opt out of the steps and meet your group later.   Are there really more than 365 steps?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I realize this thread is old but I'll ask anyway: Does anybody know of a way to get to Mont St. Michel other than by cruise excursion?  Someone asked me and I don't know.  Apparently cruise excursions are pretty booked up already.  We visited the Mont quite a while ago, but not via a cruise.  And what about St Malo? If the person can't get to Mont St Michel, is it hard to get to St Malo to create a nice day of DIYing there?

[Hlitner]

23 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I realize this thread is old but I'll ask anyway: Does anybody know of a way to get to Mont St. Michel other than by cruise excursion?  Someone asked me and I don't know.  Apparently cruise excursions are pretty booked up already.  We visited the Mont quite a while ago, but not via a cruise.  And what about St Malo? If the person can't get to Mont St Michel, is it hard to get to St Malo to create a nice day of DIYing there?

Off the top of our head we can think of two ways.  1.  Book a private tour (car/driver),   or 2, Just rent a car and drive.   

 

Hank