Mont st Michel or Normandy Beaches?

We will be in Cherbourg from 7am to 5pm. We can only pick one tour. Any suggestions between these two? Thank you?

Totally different experiences for which you can probably find plenty of supporters for each tour. We have been to both places (several times) on our own and enjoyed both. My personal preference would be for Normandy, but that is just one couples opinion.

Hank

Totally different experiences for which you can probably find plenty of supporters for each tour. We have been to both places (several times) on our own and enjoyed both. My personal preference would be for Normandy, but that is just one couples opinion.

 

Hank

Hi Hank, I always appreciate your responses and value your opinion. Would you mind telling me ,in general, what you see when you do Normandy? When I research the tours it seems you are taken to see the beaches and the memorials that are in place. Is this the jist of these tours? Thanks again-Kade

We have also visited both places. If you go to the beaches you will hear all about the D Day landings and visit the museums. It really is a moving experience, but IMHO you can get world warred out. However, that is probably because my OH wants to see everything connected to the war and we take our own car.

Mont St Michel is France's second most visited attraction, after the Eiffel Tour. Therefore, it will probably be fairly crowded, although we managed to avoid most of the crowds. It has an abbey at the top of the mount and juts out into the sea. The surrounding countryside is very pretty.

You can Google to find out lots more information.

We will be in Cherbourg from 7am to 5pm. We can only pick one tour. Any suggestions between these two? Thank you?

Why don't you look at your plans for your other port calls? If you will be visiting a reasonable number of churches/cathedrals/basilicas, that might tip you in the direction of the D-Day sites. If that suggestion isn't helpful, just go with your gut. Both destinations are wonderful, if quite different.

Another thought: It appears you are considering taking either of these tours with the ship's excursion staff. In general, I prefer small group, independent travel -- the kind of excursion you can arrange for others to join or you can join via your Roll Call. That said, I think the Mont St. Michel trip would probably work better as a large-group ship's tour in contrast to the D-Day tour which would work better as a small group with a private guide.

Hi Hank, I always appreciate your responses and value your opinion. Would you mind telling me ,in general, what you see when you do Normandy? When I research the tours it seems you are taken to see the beaches and the memorials that are in place. Is this the jist of these tours? Thanks again-Kade

Since we do these places on our own we can only guess at how they do it on tours. But we can assume that most are going to take you to Omaha Beach where you get to see Point du Hoc which is cliff-like area overlooking Omaha Beach (this was taken by US Rangers in am amazing battle). The tour will take you into some bunkers and also give you an overview of the battle. I think every tour will also include a visit to the American Cemetery which is truly an amazing place where it seems like every blade of grass is manicured. This was the place used for the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan." This is actually a very "moving" place and many find it hard not to shed a few tears. There are other interesting places in the region such as the small town of St Mere Eglise.

If you are an American or Canadian, it is hard to describe the emotional impact of seeing these places. I am a Veteran of the Vietnam War, but came away from Normandy totally overwhelmed by the bravery of these men. DW kept saying, "how can you get men to do what those guys did." There is also a wonderful museum in Caen called the Peace Museum which is visited by a few tours (we think everyone should see this place once in their life).

So, lets talk about Mont St Michael. Personally, we think the best time to see this city is after dark from a distance. The city itself is basically a walled fortress with a road that winds up to the top. Inside there are the usual touristy shops and a Monastery. We think the overall view and setting of the place is far better then the actual town, which now exists solely to serve tourists. When we parked our car at Mont St Michael we had to watch the clock since the parking area was scheduled to be underwater in a few hours. But we understand they have recently built a new parking area that stays above the tides.

Now I will interject a personal "editorial" opinion. We think that every American needs to see Normandy and try to absorb what happened at that place. It should give one a deep appreciation of the sacrifice that people made so we can live in a free society (although one can debate whether we are truly free these days). In American today, we no longer ask our youth to make any sacrifice for their country and most now just take for granted the freedoms we have. Kids (and many adults) have no clue. The lesson of Normandy (and WWII) which is really spelled out in detail at the Peace Musuem, is that if you stop being vigilant and lose the willingness to defend what you have, there is always somebody (or some country) that will try to take it away from you. Some would argue that we have already forgotten this lesson and this does not bode well for our future.

Hank

Since we do these places on our own we can only guess at how they do it on tours. But we can assume that most are going to take you to Omaha Beach where you get to see Point du Hoc which is cliff-like area overlooking Omaha Beach (this was taken by US Rangers in am amazing battle). The tour will take you into some bunkers and also give you an overview of the battle. I think every tour will also include a visit to the American Cemetery which is truly an amazing place where it seems like every blade of grass is manicured. This was the place used for the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan." This is actually a very "moving" place and many find it hard not to shed a few tears. There are other interesting places in the region such as the small town of St Mere Eglise.

 

If you are an American or Canadian, it is hard to describe the emotional impact of seeing these places. I am a Veteran of the Vietnam War, but came away from Normandy totally overwhelmed by the bravery of these men. DW kept saying, "how can you get men to do what those guys did." There is also a wonderful museum in Caen called the Peace Museum which is visited by a few tours (we think everyone should see this place once in their life).

 

So, lets talk about Mont St Michael. Personally, we think the best time to see this city is after dark from a distance. The city itself is basically a walled fortress with a road that winds up to the top. Inside there are the usual touristy shops and a Monastery. We think the overall view and setting of the place is far better then the actual town, which now exists solely to serve tourists. When we parked our car at Mont St Michael we had to watch the clock since the parking area was scheduled to be underwater in a few hours. But we understand they have recently built a new parking area that stays above the tides.

 

Now I will interject a personal "editorial" opinion. We think that every American needs to see Normandy and try to absorb what happened at that place. It should give one a deep appreciation of the sacrifice that people made so we can live in a free society (although one can debate whether we are truly free these days). In American today, we no longer ask our youth to make any sacrifice for their country and most now just take for granted the freedoms we have. Kids (and many adults) have no clue. The lesson of Normandy (and WWII) which is really spelled out in detail at the Peace Musuem, is that if you stop being vigilant and lose the willingness to defend what you have, there is always somebody (or some country) that will try to take it away from you. Some would argue that we have already forgotten this lesson and this does not bode well for our future.

 

Hank

Loved reading this Hank, really great sentiments. For me it would have to be Normandy, as it means so much as to how we live today. For the OP this is not much of a video but shows a bit of what MSM is about. Very nice place, great views but no substitute for the alternative, of you can do only one of them.

[YOUTUBE]DKD33uIuvW8[/YOUTUBE]

Mont St. Michel would be my pick and I have been several times.It is just unique,and if you are not in top tourist season it is delightful to walk about. Maybe I have been warred and ruined out over time.I like the past inclued with the now altho I have great respect for the beaches of Normandy.

Since we do these places on our own we can only guess at how they do it on tours. But we can assume that most are going to take you to Omaha Beach where you get to see Point du Hoc which is cliff-like area overlooking Omaha Beach (this was taken by US Rangers in am amazing battle). The tour will take you into some bunkers and also give you an overview of the battle. I think every tour will also include a visit to the American Cemetery which is truly an amazing place where it seems like every blade of grass is manicured. This was the place used for the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan." This is actually a very "moving" place and many find it hard not to shed a few tears. There are other interesting places in the region such as the small town of St Mere Eglise.

 

If you are an American or Canadian, it is hard to describe the emotional impact of seeing these places. I am a Veteran of the Vietnam War, but came away from Normandy totally overwhelmed by the bravery of these men. DW kept saying, "how can you get men to do what those guys did." There is also a wonderful museum in Caen called the Peace Museum which is visited by a few tours (we think everyone should see this place once in their life).

 

So, lets talk about Mont St Michael. Personally, we think the best time to see this city is after dark from a distance. The city itself is basically a walled fortress with a road that winds up to the top. Inside there are the usual touristy shops and a Monastery. We think the overall view and setting of the place is far better then the actual town, which now exists solely to serve tourists. When we parked our car at Mont St Michael we had to watch the clock since the parking area was scheduled to be underwater in a few hours. But we understand they have recently built a new parking area that stays above the tides.

 

Now I will interject a personal "editorial" opinion. We think that every American needs to see Normandy and try to absorb what happened at that place. It should give one a deep appreciation of the sacrifice that people made so we can live in a free society (although one can debate whether we are truly free these days). In American today, we no longer ask our youth to make any sacrifice for their country and most now just take for granted the freedoms we have. Kids (and many adults) have no clue. The lesson of Normandy (and WWII) which is really spelled out in detail at the Peace Musuem, is that if you stop being vigilant and lose the willingness to defend what you have, there is always somebody (or some country) that will try to take it away from you. Some would argue that we have already forgotten this lesson and this does not bode well for our future.

 

Hank

Could not have said it better myself! Normandy gets my vote. MSM is beautiful from a far, but the history found in a beaches tour is something to remember.

Last year we took a Seine River cruise. My purpose for the cruise was to visit Paris and surrounding villages. I didn't give Normandy much thought. But once I started absorbing what occurred and the sheer guts and bravery of our greatest generation, the visit equaled the visit to Paris. This is living history

We will be in Cherbourg from 7am to 5pm. We can only pick one tour. Any suggestions between these two? Thank you?

What are your own interests and preferences?

I've never been to Mont St. Michel so I can't compare it to a visit to the Normandy Beaches, but I am intensely interested in WW II history, and the day we spent visiting D-Day sites with Overlord Tours was incredible. I can't imagine anyone not being moved by the experience, but that's me. Maybe you would react differently.

I would suggest that you gather as much information as possible and decide based on your own interests. And I second the advice above to book a private shore excursion; see if you can get others on your Roll Call to join you, as it will lower the pp cost. If you decide on Normandy, I would also suggest watching (or re-watching) "The Longest Day" before you go. A little dated and cheezy by today's filmmaking standards, but the history is spot on and you'll appreciate your visit even more.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

Could not have said it better myself! Normandy gets my vote. MSM is beautiful from a far, but the history found in a beaches tour is something to remember.

Hank's words reaffirmed our own thoughts and we chose Normandy Beaches for our tour next month. Our fathers both served in WWII and my dad was a 17 year old paratrooper in the Battle of the Bulge.

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We will be in Cherbourg from 7am to 5pm. We can only pick one tour. Any suggestions between these two? Thank you?

Done both on land-based holidays.

Mont St Michel is impressive, no doubt, but it is a complete tourist trap from start to finish.

Normandy beaches are not to be missed, IMO. I drag my children to these types of places to make them think and reflect and be thankful. I've also sent them all to Ypres. Visits to Normandy and Flanders change you.

I like the area centred around Pegasus Bridge. This area is also convenient for a trip to Bayeux (of 1066 fame).

Both are well worthwhile, but I'd rate the D-Day tour more traveller-friendly.

Mont St Michel is about a 2 hour coach ride each way.

The coach then parks at the bottom.

The walk up is steep.

Yes, I mean really steep.:eek:

If it's a large-group guided tour, it may not go at your speed - because you can't keep up, or because the guide will be going too slowly for you to allow for those who are struggling.

The D-Day tour is about half the distance with, I'm presuming, several stops. Omaha & the American cemetery plus Pointe du Hoc for sure, mebbe Utah, mebbe Ste Mere-Eglise.

I'd be inclined toward D-Day.

JB :)

We have been to both, if I had to choose one it would be Normandy. I am a huge history buff so it was special for me.

The Normandy trip is very moving. I was glad to be able to pay my respects to those who died there

About a month ago I've been to both places on a "land-based" week-long trip and not on a cruise.

Mont St.Michel sees 3 Millions Visitor each year and was very crowed during the day. I enjoyed beeing able to sleep there one night and I had the hill almost to myself later in the evening and early in the morning.

I spent 5 nights in Caen and did almost all the D-Day-sights on my own with public transport. It was great (especially to meet two veterans at Omaha Beach during my trips).

So my vote is for D-Day-excursion.

Mont St.Michel will involve probably a two hours drive (each way just to reach the parking lot) then another half hour each way for the transfer from the parking to the Mont. Then a very crowded and steep road up to the monastry, a guided walk through the monastry and some time for a very expenive shopping opportunity (everything in the shops on the Mont is much more expensive then everywhere else).

I've seen some Buses from a Princess Cruise in Arromanches.

So my guess is that you'll see and experience much more on a D-Day-Trip as I'm sure they stop in Ste-Mere-Eglise, at Pointe-du-Hoc, Colleville (American Cementery) with Omaha-Beach and Arromanches (where you can see the remains of the aritfical Mulberry-Harbour and Gold-beach).

All in All the driving might be the same, but only in shorter intervals.

An my opinion is that not only Americans should see this place, but everybody in the world should see, what sacrifice where done 70 years ago, that such things never have to happen anymore.

We did the DDay beaches in May of this year and Mont St Michel last week. Although I loved both, I also would vote for the DDay Beaches. It is such as moving place and I think everyone needs to go there to learn what occurred there 70 years ago!