Located in the Normandy region of France, Mont Saint-Michel is one of France’s must-visit places and is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And visiting Mont Saint-Michel is probably on many people’s bucket lists!

Mont Saint-Michel is a rocky island at the mouth of the Couesnon River and one of France’s most emblematic places. Its history began in 708 when Bishop Aubert built a sanctuary in honour of Saint Michael the Archangel (Saint-Michel), who appeared to him in a dream and ordered its construction.

Mont Saint-Michel quickly became a major pilgrimage site. Later, in the 10th century, the Benedictines settled in the abbey and a village developed at its foot.

Today, Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most popular and magnificent sites in France. Despite its small size (4 km²) and only a few residents (less than 40), Mont Saint-Michel receives over 3 million visitors a year.

Throughout this post, you will find all the useful information you need to visit Mont Saint-Michel: what is the best time of year to visit, accommodation, what to visit on Mont Saint-Michel, how to get there and much more.

The weather forecasts for Mont Saint-Michel are not always the most favourable. Located in the Normandy region, the weather is somewhat uncertain and, whatever the time of year, it’s best to be prepared with a jacket and for possible rain.

Mont Saint-Michel is very close to the sea and is therefore subject to strong winds.

Therefore, the best time to visit Mont Saint-Michel is between March and September, when there is a lower chance of rain. However, I just have to remind you that this is a very touristy place, so in the summer period, you can expect more crowds than usual.

Mont Saint-Michel is quite small, and it is possible to visit it in half a day. Assuming you are not staying overnight near the Mont Saint-Michel, it is perfectly doable to visit the Mont Saint-Michel in half a day and reserve the other half for the trip itself. For example, many tourists choose to visit Mont Saint-Michel on a day trip from Paris.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: In my case, I arrived at Mont Saint-Michel at around 12 pm and stayed until 6 pm, not feeling at any point that the visit was rushed.

It is important to bear in mind that certain times of the day will be more crowded. The day trip groups start arriving around 11 am-12 pm.

So, if you want to get away from the crowds, my recommendation is to stay overnight on or near the Mont Saint-Michel so that you can explore the interior of the village early in the morning, reserving the rest of the day for the surroundings of Mont Saint-Michel (such as the bay where it is located or some viewpoints).

This way, you can return to Mont Saint-Michel closer to sunset, when there are few tourists left, and enjoy seeing the magic of the illuminated Mont Saint-Michel at night. However, if you don’t have that much time available, I suggest you stick to the day trip. It’ll still be worth it anyway 🥰.

If you plan to stay at Mont Saint-Michel, I suggest you start looking for accommodation as soon as possible because available accommodation tends to sell out easily.

As for where you can stay, there are several possibilities. Firstly, you can choose to stay within the walls. Here the accommodations are older and smaller, but it is definitely a more authentic experience. Some of these accommodations are:

• Hôtel la Croix Blanche
• Le Mouton Blanc
• Les Terrasses Poulard

The second option is to stay in one of the more comfortable hotels outside the walls but within walking (or shuttle) distance of Mont Saint-Michel. These are some of the options available:

• Le Saint Aubert
• Mercure Mont Saint Michel
• Hôtel Vert
• Hotel Gabriel
• Hotel De La Digue
• Le Relais Saint Michel

Another viable option, and also more affordable, is to stay in one of the villages located in the vicinity of Mont Saint-Michel, such as Beauvoir, Pontorson, Avranches or Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët. If you don’t mind driving for 1 hour, Rennes can be another excellent option for looking for accommodation.

In Rennes, I recommend Aparthotel Adagio Access Rennes Centre. It is very centrally located, and it’s good value for money! Although the hotel is old, the rooms are in good condition and very clean.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you’d also like to visit Rennes, then you should read my detailed blog post with all the tips to visit Rennes.

The closest airport to Mont Saint-Michel is Rennes, and Rennes is located about an hour’s drive from Mont Saint-Michel. This was exactly my choice as it was the fastest and most convenient option (car hire for 1 day, insurance and petrol at Europcar was 75€). The drive from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel it’s quite easy and has no tolls.

However, it is also possible to get from Rennes to Mont Saint-Michel by public transport. You can take a train (about 50 minutes) from Rennes to Pontorson and from there a bus to Mont Saint-Michel (about 25 min).

💡 EXTRA TIP: You can explore other options available on this site.

For those who choose to visit Mont Saint-Michel on a day trip from Paris, I believe the best option is to opt for an organised tour. These Get Your Guide tours have the option of free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity:

The visit to Mont Saint-Michel is free of charge, i.e. entering the ramparts of Mont Saint-Michel is free of charge. However, visiting the interior of the abbey and some of the sights within the walls has an associated price.

Also, if you choose to visit by car, you will have to pay for parking (more information below).

If you choose to visit Mont Saint-Michel by car, please note that it is not possible to leave your car right next to the entrance to Mont Saint-Michel.

There are currently several car parks located around 2.5 km from Mont Saint-Michel. The hourly rate for this car park varies according to the time of year but is quite expensive. However, it is the best option, without a doubt. I’m sharing the price list as of February 2023:

💡 EXTRA TIP: At the entrance of the park, you will collect the ticket to pay at the end in the machines for that purpose.

From the car park, we can walk to Mont Saint-Michel or take advantage of the shuttle bus, which is provided free of charge (note: even if you don’t park your car, you can use the shuttle)!

The shuttle bus makes 3 stops (Route du Mont, Place du Barrage and Mont Saint-Michel) in a journey that takes about 12 minutes and leaves right next to the car park (Place des Navettes). You can find detailed information about the timetable here:

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The frequency of the shuttle varies depending on the time of year and can be between 5 and 20 minutes.

Mont Saint-Michel is known as the place with the highest tides in continental Europe, with differences of up to 15 metres between low and high tides.

Although Mont Saint-Michel is beautiful at any time of day, it is especially magical when there is water around it (the mountain can be reflected in the water in certain light conditions!). So, to catch this effect, it’s important to check the tide times beforehand – you can do so here.

💡 EXTRA TIP: When the tide is very high, the part linking the end of the walkway to the entrance of Mont Saint-Michel is submerged. In this case, all you can do is be patient and wait about an hour for the water to go down.

Given its size, Mont Saint-Michel doesn’t have much to visit. In fact, seeing Mont Saint-Michel from afar is one of the main points of interest on this visit.

So I suggest you get off at the second stop of the shuttle bus (Place du Barrage) and walk the rest of the way to Mont Saint-Michel. It is about 25 minutes, but the landscape is so beautiful that you will certainly take longer. The route is always flat.

When you arrive at Mont Saint-Michel, you enter the wall through Porte de l’Avancée. My first suggestion is to climb the ramparts for incredible views of the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, but also of the medieval-style streets and even the Mont Saint-Michel abbey. You can climb the ramparts as soon as you enter the second door on the right.

💡 EXTRA TIP: When visiting Mont Saint-Michel, be prepared to climb a lot of stairs since, given the small space, many of the accesses are made via staircases.

Then, go up towards the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel – the most imposing monument on Mont Saint-Michel. Visiting the abbey is interesting and there are several signs inside with the recommended route.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The adult ticket to visit the Abbey costs 11€ (+3€ to include audio guide). I recommend buying the tickets online, and you can do it in the morning or afternoon. Opening hours vary depending on the time of year, so I suggest checking the most up-to-date information here.

After visiting the abbey, you can stop to enjoy more views of the bay at Tour du Nord. From here, continue to the Grande Rue – the main street inside the wall and where you can buy souvenirs. Without a doubt, getting lost in the streets of Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most incredible parts of this visit.

In the streets of Mont Saint-Michel you can also find the Saint-Pierre Church, the Maritime Museum and the History Museum. Of these, I only visited the Saint-Pierre Church, as it is said that the museums are not that interesting.

Another activity that can be interesting is visiting the bay surrounding Mont Saint-Michel. Although it is allowed to do this independently, it is not recommended as the tide tends to rise very quickly and there are some parts with quicksand. It is, therefore, better to book a tour with an experienced guide who can explain more about the famous tides of Mont Saint-Michel.

One of the great things about Mont Saint-Michel is seeing it from afar, as it is so photogenic 😍. There are several opportunities to photograph Mont Saint-Michel from far away (namely from the walkway that connects the car park to Mont Saint-Michel).

However, there are other magnificent views from this iconic spot and I will explain below how to get to one of them. This place is a field used for grazing sheep, and you have to pass through two gates to get there.

Parking the car next to the hotel Auberge de la Baie (avoid parking by the gates!!), just walk towards the gates and you will be presented with this view. If you’re lucky, there may be sheep grazing, making the setting even more idyllic.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Although the gates look closed, they are not. They are locked so the sheep don’t run away, but anyone can get there and open them carefully to get through. Don’t forget to “close” the gate again to prevent any sheep from escaping.

Given how big and touristy Mont Saint-Michel is, don’t expect to find good restaurants and cheap prices. In fact, the best-known restaurant (La Mère Poulard) is famous for its omelettes, which cost at least 30€ 😱. Although they have the reputation of being the BEST omelettes, I didn’t have the courage to pay this amount for an omelette and, therefore, I can’t give an opinion on their quality. But if you’ve tried them, let me know what your opinion is in the comments of this post!

So, my suggestion is to grab a quick bite or bring some food and have a picnic in one of the spaces overlooking the bay. It will be much cheaper and you get the extra view!

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