Day Trip: Paris to Mont Saint Michel
ne of the most breathtaking sights in France is seeing the island of Mont Saint Michel floating off Normandy’s coastline. While it may look like a castle floating on water from afar, Mont Saint Michel is actually home to a medieval village and abbey, and was once one of Europe’s most popular pilgrimage destinations. Considered as one of the most important sites of medieval Christian civilisation, Mont Saint Michel was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
For me, the most fascinating thing about Mont Saint Michel is its location as a tidal island. I absolutely loved the idea of a place that could only be accessed via a treacherous journey during low tide, as if it were some kind of mysterious and secret place. Turns out it’s not as romanticised as that nowadays, because a modern causeway has been built that connects Mont Saint Michel to the continent, making it easily accessible regardless of the tide, and a much safer journey.
You might be thinking “how dangerous could crossing the mudflats to Mont Saint Michel be anyways?” The answer is VERY DANGEROUS. In fact, Mont Saint Michel’s tides were (and still are) considered so dangerous, that the place was nicknamed by medieval pilgrims as “St Michel, peril of the sea.” The tide is said to travel at extremely fast speeds with waves as high as 14 metres. And if you thought the tide was all you had to worry about, the mudflats also act like quicksand in areas and could swallow you alive. With the journey being considered so difficult, medieval pilgrims saw it a test of penitence, sacrifice and commitment to God.
1. Mont Saint Michel Was Built Thanks to Divine Intervention (of sorts…)
In 708A.D, Aubert, bishop of the town of Avranches claimed that Archangel Michael appeared to him in a dream and told him to build a church on top of the island. I was further shocked to find out that when Aubert ignored the angel’s message, Michael returned at burnt a scar in his head (you can actually see Aubert’s skull with the scar at the Saint Gervais d’Avranches basilica) along with a message that if he builds the church, the pilgrims will come. This time, Aubert listened and as prophesied, the pilgrims did come.
2. Mont Saint Michel survived the hundred years’ war…and inspired Joan of Arc?
Having conquered all of Normandy, the English tried multiple times to conquer Mont Saint Michel, but failed. As a result, Mont Saint Michel became a symbol of French national identity and the news of Mont Saint Michel’s resistance (apparently) reached the then young peasant, Joan of Arc. Inspired by the news, she grew up to help recapture France from the English.
3. Mont Saint Michel was used as a prison
In 1791, the abbey was closed and converted into a prison after it’s popularity as centre of pilgrimage by the time of the French Revolution. It was a prision until 1863, where the Mont was to be restored to the national architectural treasure that it was.
Things to See and Do
Take Photos by the Dam
ondering where I took this photo? It was at Mont Saint Michel’s dam. In fact, the dam’s design is so pretty, that I didn’t even realise it was a dam! Situated close to the carpark, the dam was my first pitstop on my walk to Mont Saint Michel. I was surprised at how quiet the dam was at midday! Perhaps most people had flocked to the Mont by this time, bu there was only a small group of 15 people sitting here and having lunch. On the opposite side of the dam, I could access a small area of grassland which had absolutely no one in shot! So I set up my tripod on the dam and took some shots with my remote.
You might be wondering, why does Mont Saint Michel have a dam? Well, it’s to regulate its water flow. Over time, human and tourist developments significantly impacted the landscape around Mont Saint Michel.
The tourist development that caused the most problems was the old causeway – a large road built on ground that connected the island to the continent. At this time, the visitor carpark was situated at the base of the Mont. The old causeway interfered with the flow of water and caused sediment to build up around the island. If nothing was done, the sea around the island would cease to exist and vegetation growth would be surrounding the island within 40 years! In 2009, a new dam was built to regulate the water from the Couesnon river, giving it enough force to push the sediment back out to sea. The carpark was removed from the base of Mont Saint Michel and moved back to the continent where a shuttle bus service helps takes tourist to and from Mont Saint Michel. Finally in 2015, the new and elegant walkway bridge was complete. Suspended from the ground, the bridge allows water and sediment to flow through without causing sediment buildup.
The most fascinating thing about Mont Saint Michel is its location as a tidal island. I absolutely loved the idea of a place that could only be accessed via a treacherous journey during low tide, as if it were some kind of mysterious and secret place.
Explore the Medieval Streets
When you arrive at Mont Saint Michel, the first thing to do is to explore the medieval streets. Go everywhere. You’re allowed to explore all the nooks and crannies so I encourage you to! I’ve read online that many people compare the streets of Mont Saint Michel to a real life Diagon Alley and I guess it’s the closest comparison I can think of too.
When you arrive at Mont Saint Michel, you’ll cross a medieval drawbridge – still fortified with its portcullis – to reach Grand Rue, the main street of the village. The street is narrow and cobblestoned with charming medieval buildings lining either side. I was so hoping for the stores that occupied these buildings to have kept a slice of tradition, much like you still see in the little towns across France like Èze or Annecy
with their artisanal boutiques and food. But I was really disappointed – most stores comprised of gimmicky souvenir shops, modern clothing stores, modern takeaways and restaurants (some kept their traditional charm though).
Looking up from street view, gorgeous steel signs are suspended from the entrance of buildings and the crowds really do help create the illusion of bustling medieval streets. Veering to the left side, I started climbing some of the steps past the small chapel, and entered the Logis Tiphaine Museum which had a great view over the Grand Rue. Looking down from here, I was really able to take in the street, architecture and flora as a whole and it was really beautiful. Exploration is really the key to finding beautiful little surprises around the village.
Signs hanging from the buildings
View of Grand Rue from Logis Tiphaine Museum.
Visit The Museums
s you’re strolling through the medieval streets of Mont Saint Michel, it’s likely you’ll come across some museums. If you’re into the historic significance behind the places you’re travelling to, Mont Saint Michel’s Abbey and 4 museums work together to paint a complete picture of Mont Saint Michel’s 1000 year history.
The museums are quite small and you can get them done in around 20 minutes. If you’re interested in seeing all 4 museums, you can get a combined ticket for 18 euros and save a bit of money (otherwise each ticket is 9 Euro). See more on museum pricing. Find out more information on each museum below:
The Archéoscope
This museum is not really a museum, but a multimedia sound and light show that aims to tell the history and legends of Mont Saint Michel in a unique way. Involving a 3D model, video, light and holographic projections, the show aims to completely immerse the viewer, but falls short according to Trip Advisor reviews. Visitors claim the Archéoscope was a waste of money primarily because it was so out-dated and only narrated in French. If you don’t speak French, you won’t get a lot of value out of the show. I personally decided to skip this museum.
THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM
The Historical Museum dedicates itself to Mont Saint Michel’s 1000 years of history and covers information about the monks who built the Abbey and the Mont Saint Michel prisons. It houses a collection of ancient weapons, art, torture instruments from the Middle Ages, the iron cage of Louis XI and the oubliettes (dungeons). Similar to the Archéoscope, tourists have not been impressed with this museum for similar reasons: outdated wax figures, the “dungeons” were not real and made from fabricated plywood and almost everything was in French.
Museum of the sea and ecology
This museum deep dives into Mont Saint Michel’s environment – the tides and the bay’s flora and fauna. The museum comprises of models of wartime ships, commerce, fishing and boating. There’s also a video that explains the tidal phenomenon, the islands silting problems and restoration work.
If you only have time to visit one museum, we recommend visiting the Logis Tiphaine Museum
Again, this museum has pretty bad reviews online, as all videos and signage are in French only.
The Logis Tiphaine Museum / Maison de Bertrand du Guesclin
Out of the four museums, I had time to visit one and I’m so glad I instinctively chose the best one! Although the reviews are also, not great for this museum, the ratings are better and I happened to really enjoy it! Again, most of the signage and information in here is in French, but this museum had access to English translation via a smartphone app (this was limited though compared to what’s available in French, but I still enjoyed it).
This museum is the historical house of Knight Bertrand du Guesclin, which he built for his wife Tiphaine to keep her safe during the wars. Bertrand was constable of the armies of the King of France (14th Century) and one of France’s best known Knights. His wife Tiphaine de Reguenel, was a famous astrologer and sorceress known for reading the stars and people’s futures. Inside, you’ll walk through various rooms of the house and a small garden and see period furniture, a bridal suite, tapestries and paintings, Bertrand’s armour, Tiphaine’s astrology cabinet and…a MIDDLE AGES CHASTITY BELT?? I was actually super intrigued by this and found it fascinating…why did she have one? Weren’t they married? Was Bertrand somewhat controlling/abusive? Did she actually wear it? Is it even real?
This museum is small, but I was actually happy for this bite-sized piece of history since I had limited time in the area. It wasn’t crowded so I could view everything at leisure. Overall, I do recommend a visit – you can see my pictures below!
Eat A Traditional Omelette
part from the amazing abbey, one of the other things Mont Saint Michel is famous for are its omelettes! The best are said to come from the famous La Mere Poulard and her traditional recipe from 1888. Today, the restaurant is immensely popular and was completely booked the day I went (much to my dismay) however there was smaller La Mere Poulard takeaway shop just opposite selling only omelettes (at least there was when I went there though I can’t find any evidence of this online, so I’m assuming it’s new!). The omelettes are world famous due to the number of famous personalities that have dined at the restaurant and you can watch them being made from the restaurant’s main window. The chef’s beat the batter to a unique and catchy beat and I wonder if this is part of the secret? La Mere Poulard’s omelettes are then souffléd over high heat making them extremely fluffy.
If omelette’s are not your thing, other traditional dishes you can enjoy include Crêpes, meadow salted lamb, Normandy apple tarte and Normandy style mussels (which I dined on mmmmm):
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While expensive, the famous omelette’s are said to have a unique smokey flavour, a light fluffy consistency and ooze with egg foam.
Take a Tour of the Abbey
If you want to see medieval architecture at its finest, then look no further than the Mont Saint Michel Abbey – the highlight of a trip to Mont Saint Michel. Being shaped like a pyramid, you can just imagine the challenges faced during its construction – and remember they didn’t have our technology back in the day either! The abbey required creativity in design and extremely precise technical calculations by medieval builders.
The abbey church was built on the top of crypts, strong enough to take the weight of an 80m high church! The layout of the abbey itself is influenced by the principles of monastic life, prayer and work, and the rooms were arranged around these activities. The abbey is topped with a golden statue of Archangel Michael.
To see the abbey, you can opt for an audio guide for 3 Euro, but I would recommend taking the free tour (available in English and French year round and for a few other languages in peak season) to get the most out of the experience. It takes about 1 hour and 15minutes and you’ll explore 20 different rooms. If you’d rather be a lone soldier, there’s also a free pamphlet in various languages that guides you through the different sections of the abbey.
My favourite part of the abbey was the gorgeous views from the top viewing platform.
In summer, a light and sound display in the abbey grounds last from around 7pm to 10:30 pm. Visitors, who entered before 6 pm may linger for free, otherwise you will need to purchase separate tickets for the event.
Outside view of the abbey
The gift shop also had some interesting Manga souvenirs!
Walk Across the Bay
View of the Traversée from the Abbey
rom the ground, the bay might look like a sandy uninteresting pile, but from from the sky it looks so beautiful – it was a pleasant surprise!
If you feel like getting dirty, you can walk on the traversée just like the early day pilgrims. It is strongly recommended you venture onto the traversée with a certified guide and not by yourself – if fact I’ve posted a sign with all the possible dangers below haha.
Most notably is the quickness in which the tide can come in and the pits of quicksand that a scattered throughout. If you do a tour, the guides will point out what the quicksand looks like too.
The best way to find a guide is to prebook a tour – I’ve got some links at the end of this post, or to enquire at Mont Saint Michel’s tourist office (though it can be busy so things can book out fast!)
It is strongly recommended you only venture onto the traversée with a certified guide…going without one could get you injured or even cause death.
e prepared, it’s going to be a long journey. Mont Saint Michel is located about 4 hours from Paris and when taking public transport, you know that’s going to take longer. The closest train station to Mont Saint Michel is Pontorson and you can get there from the following train lines:
- TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes or Dol de Bretagne, then a coach from Rennes or Dol de Bretagne to Mont-Saint-Michel.
- Trains from Paris Saint-Lazare to Caen, then a TER train from Caen to Pontorson, then the shuttle bus from Pontorson to Mont-Saint-Michel.
- Trains from Paris Montparnasse to Granville, get off in Folligny and get another train to Pontorson, then the shuttle bus from Pontorson to Mont-Saint-Michel.
Download Shuttle Bus Schedules from Pontorson to Mont Saint Michel
The direct shuttle bus from Pontorson station to Mont Saint Michel and stops at a few stops along the way. Getting off just before Mont Saint Michel (See point 4 “Route du Mont” bus stop on the map below) will stop you right near the dam and the shopping village where you can find restaurants.
While this is the typical journey, it is not the journey I took because I went for the cheapest option at the time that was suggested to me by my Trainline App. From Paris Point De Neuilly, I caught the OuiBus. It was a 5 hour ride, but very enjoyable and comfortable especially because it was direct – no changing stations etc. We arrived at 12:10PM, which is peak hour when it comes to crowds, and were dropped off in the coach parking lot (P7 on map below). It was a short work to the tourist centre, dam and the Passeur shuttle service connecting Mont Saint Michel to the continent. OuiBus is not always available and I believe only runs from Paris to Mont Saint Michel during peak season.
I found out a couple of days before that my OuiBus for the way back to Paris was cancelled and replaced with a solution via train, which was a bit more involved as a journey. From Mont Saint Michel, I caught the public bus to Villedieu-les-Poêles train station, then a train to Paris Montparnasse 3 Vaugirard. I was a little confused at first as to which public bus to catch and where the bus stop was, but the tourist centre was very helpful.
A loooong day, but definitely doable and there was plenty of time to do everything.
Arriving By Car:
Arriving by car is definitely the most convenient way to travel to Mont Saint Michel, though will cost a bit extra as you will need to pay for parking. For more details and costs, click on the links below:
Route: Paris to Mont Saint Michel by Car
Prices for Parking at Mont Saint Michel
How to Get to Mont Saint Michel from the car park.
The Mont Saint Michel carpark is located on the continent and is about a 35 minute walk to Mont Saint Michel. The good news is there is a free shuttle bus (The Passeur) that runs from the car park (see departure point 2 on the map) to Mont Saint Michel and takes about 10mins.
Alternatively, you can also take a traditional Maringote, used as transport by the pilgrims to venture across the bridge. This is a paid service that costs 6 Euro and takes roughly 25 mins.
- Skip the queue and pre-purchase your tickets to the abbey: As you read above, the only way to purchase tickets to the Mont Saint Michel Abbey is to purchase at the abbey itself and this can often mean super long queues! We invite our readers at The Hidden Thimble the opportunity to skip the queue, by pre-purchasing their tickets. This ticket includes entry with the self tour brochure (which you can also find here, simply select your language and download the guide). Audio guides are an additional 3 euro.
- Mont Saint Michel Full Day Tour
: Includes travel from Paris in a luxury air conditioned coach, lunch, guided walking tour of Mont Saint Michel, free time to explore and travel back to Paris.
- Mont Saint Michel Walking Tour In the Bay: Go barefoot on Mont Saint Michel’s mudflaps just like the early day pilgrims. Learn about the flora and tides around Mont Saint Michel and even discover its quicksand traps!
Wow, this is just incredible. I am loving your detailed post on your visit to Mont Saint Michel. The medieval village and abbey does look like a castle from afar. It is definitely a stunning sight to behold. So much of amazing history as well. Thank you for sharing. I am craving that La Mere Poulard’s souffléd omelette. It looks more like a pastry. Yum, Yum!!!
Xx
Nikki
http://www.nikkilivinglife.com/blog
Thanks for your comment Nikki!! It definitely beautiful see Mont Saint Michel in the distance – it truly does look magical! Hoping one day you can satisfy your La Mere Poulard’s omelette cravings!
What a fabulous place to explore and you did a wonderful job with your description and the beautiful pictures! I’d love to be able to visit some day. I’ll definitely wear a short skirt and sandals so I can go out onto the Traversee. I love a challenge! Thanks so much for doing such a wonderful job in painting a picture of this amazing place!
Ruth
http://www.VogueFauxReal.com
Aww thank you for the wonderful comment Ruth! Yes it’s a once in a lifetime experience so definitely try everything including walking on the traversee! haha