How to get to Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey · 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel

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By car

From Paris, take the A13 towards Caen and then the A84 towards Avranches and Rennes. From Nantes it is about 188 km.

Cars park about 2.5 km from the rock. The main car park has charging points for electric cars, and you can book a space online. Pay when you leave or at the pay stations.

The free shuttle, Le Passeur

The shuttle is free, runs all year and is open to everyone. It leaves from the shuttle square near the Tourist Information Centre and takes about 12 minutes. The last stop is about 350 metres from the ramparts.

The wait is at most about 12 minutes, depending on the season. Strollers are allowed. Check the current times before you go: they change with the season.

On foot or by bike

The causeway is 2.2 km long. From the shuttle square, the first hotels are 10 minutes away, the dam 15 minutes and the Mont about 45 minutes.

You can go straight onto the causeway by bike, at any hour, all year. When it is crowded, you push your bike.

By train and bus

From Paris Montparnasse, take the TGV to Rennes, about 2 hours, and then a bus to the Mont, about 1 hour 10 to 1 hour 15. Another way is to go by train to Pontorson: the station is 9 km from the Mont, and bus line 2 takes about 27 minutes and stops about 350 metres from the entrance of the village.

Bus times change, so check them before you leave.

Tides: when the Mont becomes an island

The bay has some of the highest tides in continental Europe, with up to 15 metres between low and high water. At low tide the sea goes out by about 15 km and comes back very fast.

The Mont becomes an island again only on days of very big tides, and only for about an hour. The causeway is open all year except during those tides. If you want to see it surrounded by water, arrive 1 to 2 hours before high tide.

Do not walk out onto the sand alone: it is extremely dangerous, even close to the Mont. If you want to walk in the bay, go with a qualified guide.

Visitors with reduced mobility

The site is on a rock with many steps and is difficult for people with reduced mobility and for strollers, which have to be folded. The shuttle has ramps and places for wheelchairs.