Travel Information

Le Mont St-Michel is located just off the coast in the extreme west of Lower Normandy very close to the border with the neighbouring region of Brittany. The nearest major towns in Normandy are Avranches to the east and Pontorson to the south.

Le Mont Saint-Michel by Road

Access to the Mont Saint-Michel is usually from other parts of Normandy and in this case that means from the north and/or east:

• the A84 motorway to the east
  The route via the A84 heads southwest from Caen before reaching Avranches and then cutting to the south into Brittany (it eventually ends up at the regional centre of Rennes). Those arriving from the Cotentin peninsula will generally hit the same motorway somewhere south of St Lô unless taking the scenic route down the coast via Granville. Either way there is little option but to pass through Avranches and then follow the signs for the Mont Saint-Michel on the minor roads slightly inland from the coast.
• the A84 to the south
  This is the route heading north from Rennes. Here it is probably most convenient to head to the same junction south of Avranches for the minor roads mentioned above.
• the N176 to the west
  The coastal route from Brittany in the west may be of interest to those arriving from the port of Saint-Malo or from Brest over on the western coast. The junction for Le Mont Saint-Michel is just before the town of Pontorson.

Bus services are available from Rennes and there is a regular shuttle service from the nearby town of Pontorson (which is the closest railway station).

The car park is located on the mainland with regular shuttle services to the entrance which are included in the price of the parking. It is also possible to walk across on pedestrian walkways.

Le Mont Saint-Michel by Rail

The closest railway station to the Mont St Michel is 9km away at the town of Pontorson. (The station is called Pontorson - Mont Saint-Michel.)

It is served by the following routes:

• Caen - Bayeux - Saint Lô - Avranches - Pontorson - Dol de Bretagne - Rennes
  (This is an infrequent route linking Caen and Rennes.)
• Saint Malo - Dol de Bretagne - Pontorson - Avranches - Granville
  (This is the summer 'Ligne de la Baie', which is an amalgamation of local trains and/or bus routes along the coast between Saint Malo and Granville.)

Le Mont Saint-Michel by Air

The two most convenient airports for the Mont Saint-Michel are at Dinard and Rennes - both in Brittany and both served by low-cost airlines.

Dinard is just to the south of Saint Malo and 70km to the west of the Mont Saint-Michel. The airport offers routes from Leeds-Bradford, East Midlands, Guernsey and London Stansted airports in the UK.

Rennes is the regional centre for this part of eastern Brittany and 75km southwest of the Mont Saint-Michel. The airport offers flights from the following UK airports: Southampton, Birmingham, Exeter, Manchester and Edinburgh.

Le Mont Saint-Michel by Ferry

The closest ferries to the Mont St-Michel are to and from St Malo in Brittany. Brittany Ferries offers daily services to Portsmouth and a weekly sailing to Plymouth. Condor Ferries offers services from Poole via the Channel Islands to St Malo.

Another option somewhat further away would be Cherbourg, with services offered by the same companies.

Travel Resources and Map

Visitor Car Park - www.accueilmontsaintmichel.com
Bus Keolis Emeraude - www.destination-montsaintmichel.com
Dinard Airport - www.dinard.aeroport.fr
Rennes Airport - www.rennes.aeroport.fr
Saint Malo Port - port.saintmalofougeres.cci.fr
Brittany Ferries - www.brittany-ferries.co.uk
Condor Ferries - www.condorferries.co.uk

Mont Saint-Michel Hotel Accommodation

There is some debate about whether or not to stay on the Mont itself, as there are few hotels and those that exist are expensive. An alternative is to stay in one of the functional chain establishments and take a trip in to the historic location.

Our own view is that if anyone is going to spend the night in this area to visit the Mont then they should spend the extra and experience the medieval stairs and alleyways in the evening as well, once all the coach tours have departed.

Accommodation Deals at Le Mont St Michel