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Is it worth visiting Mont St-Michel?
It is worth visiting Mont Saint Michel if you want to tour one of France's most famous ancient attractions. This medieval village, which is surrounded by water when the tide is in, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour. Its staggeringly beautiful construction, architecture, and surrounding shops will capture your heart and make it hard to leave.
What is the best way to get to Mont-Saint-Michel?
Getting to Mont Saint Michel isn't overly difficult, considering you can take a train, bus, or private door-to-door transfer service. However, the best way to get to Mont Saint Michel from Paris is with Daytrip's private car service. Not only is Daytrip time productive, safe, reliable, comfortable, and exciting, but it's also a customizable service that allows you to sightsee.
What do you need to know before visiting Mont Saint Michel?
The attraction is home to a village with year-round residents. The tides can be unpredictable, and there is quicksand, so stick to the roads and bridges. Thirdly, be prepared for a lot of walking and stair climbing, especially if you want to visit the abbey.
How do I get from Paris to St. Mont Michel?
To get from Paris to Mont Saint Michel, you can take a train or bus or drive by private car, like Daytrip. Driving with Daytrip offers many benefits that public transportation cannot, but it is slightly pricier than the train or bus.
Why do people visit Mont Saint Michel?
Most people visit this island village because it is a place of worship and because the abbey offers a glimpse into medieval life in France. The abbey has more than 20 visitable parts, from a guest hall and abbey church to a scriptorium. Plus, despite the island's small size, there's much to see and do.
Is Mont St-Michel a day trip from Paris?
Although Mont Saint Michel can be a day trip from Paris, it is advisable to stay overnight in a nearby city or in the village on the island. Traveling to Mont Saint Michel to spend a few hours in the village before driving back can be incredibly exhausting and a little frustrating.
Overview: car trip from Paris to Mont Saint Michel
When you drive from Paris to Mont Saint Michel, you'll pass diverse scenery and several picturesque landscapes. From Paris, you'll say goodbye to urban cityscapes and iconic landmarks and drive with Daytrip through lush green countryside, vast fields, gently rolling forests, hills, and farmlands until you reach Mont Saint Michel. Unlike the greenery seen along your travels, Mont Saint Michel is characterized by its tidal flats, marshlands, and dramatic island scenery with shimmering waters you won't soon forget.
Along the way from Paris to Saint Michel, you'll have the opportunity to make a few sightseeing stops at some of the most beautiful places in the region. You can start your journey at Claude Monet's Garden at Giverny to step into the world of Monet in the garden that inspired some of his most famous works. Then sniff around Fromagerie Graindorge for a fascinating look at NormandyтАЩs famous cheeses. Finally, tour Cornille Havard Bell Foundry, one of the last in France, to learn about this age-old tradition.
Your journey will culminate in Mont Saint Michel, where you'll witness the stunning gothic abbey perched atop a small rock island. Daytrip will drop you off at this iconic abbey after accommodating these sightseeing stops and more based on your travel schedule.
About Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is located off the coast of Normandy in northwest France. Unlike many other travel destinations, it is unique in that it is not a city or town but rather a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey perched upon a rocky islet.
Visitors to Mont Saint-Michel will not be visiting a typical urban area but rather an immensely popular attraction in France. In fact, more than three million visitors make their way to Mont Saint-Michel every year. The only attractions in France that are usually more popular are the nearby Palace of Versailles and Paris's Eiffel Tower.
Mont Saint-Michel was constructed over several centuries, from the 11th to the 16th centuries. It is dedicated to the Archangel Michael, hence its name. The golden statue atop the abbey's spire depicts this Archangel. Although Mont Saint-Michel is not a city, town, or country, it has developed over the centuries and is surrounded by a tiny village of hotels, shops, and restaurants you can explore.
According to local legend, Mont Saint-Michel was constructed in 708 AD after Saint Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches, dreamed that Saint Michael instructed him to build an abbey on the rocky island. Before the bridge was built to the abbey, medieval pilgrims would fearfully cross the sand to reach it while the tides were out. Since much of the surrounding sand was quicksand, this was a perilous journey and was justly nicknamed "In Peril of the Sea". Even today, visitors are advised to avoid walking across the sands without a guide.
Since 1979, Mont Saint-Michel and its bay have been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its fairytale appearance is also said to have inspired numerous movies. When you visit, you can look forward to majestic views from the fortification walls, a medieval main street that you can walk along for shopping, and eating salt-meadow lamb тАУ a local delicacy тАУ when dining out.
From Paris to Mont Saint Michel: travel tips
We can't blame visitors for completing a Paris to Mont Saint Michel transfer to view the incredible abbey found on this Island in France. As one of the most popular attractions in France, with more than 1,000 years of history under its belt, it sees its fair share of visitors.
However, with so many visitors making their way to Mont Saint Michel from Paris, it's important to plan properly, and this involves keeping in mind a few travel tips. Below, we've shared a few things you need to know before you make this trip to ensure you enjoy a memorable experience.
### Remember to sightsee along the way
The distance between Paris and Mont Saint Michel is about 225 miles or more than 300 km. This means that it is quite far, and depending on how you travel, it can take more than four hours. The upside of the journey being so long is that if you travel with a private door-to-door car service like Daytrip, you'll get to stop and sightsee many amazing places.
### Remember to check the tides
After you've seen the many places on your travel itinerary along the way, it's important to remember that Mont Saint Michel only becomes an island when the tides are incredibly high. So, if you're planning to cross the bridge and see an almost floating abbey perched upon cliffs, you'll need to visit during a supertide.
But this isn't the only time you can visit. Even when the tide is out or low, you can still make your way to Mont Saint Michel. You just shouldn't expect it to look the same. So set your expectations accordingly and search for tidal information before you visit or while driving to the attraction with Daytrip.
### Consider staying overnight
It is possible to make a day trip from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel, but it will be a long and exhausting journey. That's why it's a good idea to stay overnight in the area. If you cannot find accommodation in Mont Saint-Michel's village, you can book a hotel in a nearby town.
How to get from Paris to Mont Saint Michel
A Paris to Mont Saint Michel transfer can feel like a daunting thing to plan, but if you know how to get from Paris to Mont Saint Michel, it's not as difficult as you might imagine. Below, we've shared a few of the best transportation options for this trip.
From Paris to Mont Saint Michel by bus
Taking the bus is the least expensive way to travel from Paris to Saint Michel, with tickets costing an average of $21. The best bus line to book with to complete this trip is Flixbus since they offer trips in the mornings, with two trips offered daily. If there are no stops and you take a direct bus, you can expect the trip to take just under 5 hours.
However, trips can take as long as five hours and 35 minutes. It's also worth noting that bus trips are sometimes uncomfortable, no sightseeing stops are permitted, and transportation schedules often change. Also, bus trips can be exclusive to different seasons so they might not be available when you want to travel so keep this in mind when choosing your transportation for this trip.
### From Paris to Mont Saint Michel by train
The fastest way to get to Mont Saint Michel from Paris is by taking a train trip. Unfortunately, the downside is that train trips along this route often involve transfers, and can be canceled if the railway workers strike.
If you book using the TGV train line, you can expect to travel by train from Paris to Rennes, which takes about two hours and costs $70. Once you're in Rennes, you will travel by train to the Mont Saint-Michel station, which usually takes about 40 minutes and costs $11 on average per ticket.
Alternatively, you can book with the SNFC train line, but these trains tend to take longer to reach their destination. The trains depart from the Paris Gare Montparnasse station five times daily.
The journey costs about $45 and takes an average of 4.5 hours to complete. Once you arrive at the transfer station, you will continue with an SNCF train to Mont Saint Michel. This can be tricky and often involves lots of planning.
### From Paris to Mont Saint Michel by private car transfer service
The distance between Paris and Mont Saint Michel is about 225 miles, which means that if you travel with a private car service like Daytrip, you will reach your destination in about 4.5 hours. There are different routes to take, so choosing how to get to this island can be difficult, but your Daytrip driver will handle that for you.
They will handle any traffic and your luggage. Your professional English-speaking driver will also provide travel tips about places you shouldn't miss and some local insights. Along the way, you can even stop for sightseeing to enrich your time in France.
You'll also love that prices are affordable, the luxury cars are comfortable, and your time is optimized since you won't need to consult public transportation timetables and schedules. You'll get to choose when you travel, the time you travel, and your stops.
Things to do when you get to Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint Michel is not as big as other travel destinations, so there won't be as much to see and do as there are other places in France that you might visit. However, that doesn't mean it isn't worth planning a trip from Paris to Mont Saint Michel. Below, we've shared a few of the best things you can get up to in this tiny island village.
Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel
The main attraction in Mont Saint-Michel is the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which is the reason the destination exists. This abbey has stood for more than a thousand years and is often the final destination for pilgrims and tourists in France. You can reach the abbey by walking up a steep, winding village street.
However, along this street, there are restaurants, museums, shops, and hotels that you can explore depending on how much time you have to spend in the village. Once you get to the abbey and begin touring it, you will undoubtedly be amazed by the imposing architecture dating back to medieval times and the serene atmosphere of the church.
Be prepared to be impressed by the section 'The Marvel,' which is a remarkable example of medieval engineering positioned dramatically on the rock face.
### Bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel
After touring the abbey, you can sightsee the bay of Mont Saint Michel. This bay often experiences some of the world's biggest tidal ranges, allowing it to create an ever-changing seascape, with the island reappearing and disappearing depending on the day and the tides.
When looking out onto the bay, you can see that the water patterns change by the hour. And if you visit during spring, you're in for a treat. Often during this season, the waters of Mont-Saint Michel withdraw as far as 25 km from the shore before the water rushes back into the bay like a galloping horse. It's a sight you won't want to miss.
### Mus├йe Historique and Arch├йoscope
There are two museums you should visit when you visit Mont Saint Michel. These museums are the Mus├йe Historique and Arch├йoscope. The Musee Historique allows you to learn more about the region through exhibits showcasing old weapons, ancient artifacts, and historical documents.
On the other hand, the Archeoscope Museum offers you an audio-visual show demonstrating the construction of Mont Saint Michel. Both are worth spending an hour or two in to understand this island village set apart from the rest of France.
When is the best time to visit Mont Saint Michel?
A trip from Paris to Mont Saint Michel needs to be carefully planned. Part of this planning is knowing the best time to visit the island and the abbey.
Usually, since the climate of Mont Saint Michel is mild with lovely warm weather from May to September, anytime between these months is the best time to travel. Spring is especially nice since there are fewer tourists and that's when the abbey sees the largest tidal changes. Not to mention, many events happen, so you will get to experience the culture of this little island in France.
However, it's important to note that this time of year is very busy, so you will encounter crowds and warm weather, especially during July and August, which are peak travel months. If you want to stay on the island, accommodation is most expensive at this time and often sells out.
Step into a Monet or two as you walk through the gardens that inspired some of his most famous works.┬аA Beautiful Impression┬а
Chateau de Bizy
With a particularly impressive pedigree, this fine estate is a museum to the quintessential French aesthetic.┬аPetit Versailles┬а
Notre-Dame de Louviers
The ornate carvings and sculptures that ornament this Flamboyant Gothic church make it one of the finest examples of the style in all of France.┬аLacey Tracery┬а
Fromagerie Graindorge
Learn about the history and production of NormandyтАЩs distinctive cheeses at this family-run fromagerie.┬аSmells Like Culture┬а
Caen
Though it was all but destroyed during World War II, this medieval city has moved forward without forgetting its past.┬аRemembering the Rubble┬а
Cornille Havard Bell Foundry
A tour of one of FranceтАЩs last bell foundries gives visitors a rare glimpse into this centuries-old tradition.┬аChime of the Times┬а
