Mont Saint-Michel

Le Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy. The island is best known as the site of the spectacular and well-preserved Norman Benedictine Abbey of St Michel at the peak of the rocky island, surrounded by the winding streets and convoluted architecture of the medieval town.

Official  website

Basic information

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Mont Saint-Michel (map) and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Over 60 buildings within the commune are protected in France as monuments historiques.

⇒ projetmontsaintmichel.com • ot-montsaintmichel.com

Access to the mount is either on foot across the causeway (about a mile), or by one of the free Passeur shuttle buses which run frequently from 07:30 to 12:00. Attempting to reach Mont Saint-Michel by any other route than the causeway/bridge can be dangerous.

Due to the tourist nature of the mount it can get very busy, especially in high summer. Because of the steep steps up to the abbey, people can sometimes feel unwell, and may want to rest in the numerous gardens throughout the mount with plenty of seats. Keep walking when others are behind you as causing a blockage is likely to annoy them.

Sunday is a good day to avoid visiting the mount as it tends to be the most popular day of the week. It is also best to avoid the middle of the day as coach tours arrive around 10:30 and leave around 16:00, so visiting outside of these hours is advisable to miss the largest crowds.

+ More info: Wikipedia • Wikivoyage • UNESCO

Must to See & Do

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Transport

Page navigation: Basic information > Must to See & Do > Transport

There are no direct train services between Paris and Mont St-Michel, but it is possible to travel to Pontorson (map) by train and then complete the last leg of the journey by bus. The best option is the TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes. All buses stop at the car park, where you can have transfer to the free Passeur shuttle to get close to the base of the mount.

⇒ Arriving by train (bienvenueaumontsaintmichel.com) • Getting to France (uk.france.fr)

sobus.travel — sells bus tickets for all the bus companies.

Ouibus • Isilines • FlixBus • Eurolines • Megabus >> (*Intercity buses in France)

Trains are a great way to get around in France. For regional trains, schedules can be found at ter.sncf.com. You can get from pretty much anywhere to anywhere else by train.

For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, or High-speed train) on which reservations are obligatory. TGV • Thello • Ouigo. + RailEurope • Eurostar • Thalys • izy (Paris-Brussels) • TGV Lyria (Switzerland) • DB (Germany) • RENFE (Barcelona) >> *Rail travel in France

Several weekends throughout the year in France are known as ‘Black Saturday’ (Samedi noir) because of the start or end of school holidays and the coinciding traffic jams on French roads caused by thousands of tourists travelling to and from their holiday destinations. When possible it is wise to avoid these days. For traffic reports, see the website of the French traffic service.

⇒ Driving in France (wikivoyage)

aeroport.fr – list of airports in France. / parisaeroport.fr – Paris airport information.

Brittany Ferries • P&O Ferries • DFDS Seaways

England ⇔ France:

  • P&O Ferries – operate freight and passenger services from Dover to Calais.
  • DFDS Seaways – operate freight and passenger services from Dover to Dunkirk.
  • LD Lines – operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth to Le Havre.
  • Brittany Ferries – operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg, andSt Malo, from Poole to Cherbourg and from Plymouth to Roscoff.
  • Condor Ferries – operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Poole to St Malo and Weymouth to St Malo.

Ireland ⇔ France:

  • Brittany Ferries – operate ferry services from Cork to Roscoff.
  • Celtic Link Ferries – operate ferry services from Rosslare to Cherbourg.
  • Irish Ferries – operate ferry services from Rosslare to Cherbourg and from Rosslare to Roscoff.

Video source: NormandyTourism

Links to additional resources with useful information for planning your trip.