I had dreamed of Mont Saint-Michel for literal decades by the time I got there, so please forgive me for being cynical now. I arrived just after dawn, you have to understand—I expected the sheep shit; I did not expect influencers in flowy, primary color dressed they had clearly purchased just for their visits.
On the flip-side, I probably should’ve prepared myself better for how large the site is, and how much of my time even a cursory exploration of it would take. That much is on me.
Whether you envision it as part of a larger trip around Normandy—or, god forbid, a day trip from Paris—I’m here to answer a critical question for you: Is Mont Saint-Michel worth visiting?
How to Get to Mont Saint-Michel
Technically speaking, you can take a day trip from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel. You’d take a ~90-minute TGV ride from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, and then a bus an additional 80 minutes from there. This is a very long day, even under the best of circumstances. However, keeping in mind how often TGV trains are delayed, it could very quickly turn into a nightmare. I don’t recommend a Mont Saint-Michel day trip unless it’s literally your only option.
Instead, I usually recommend that you visit Mont Saint-Michelle as part of a road trip around Normandy or Brittany. Having a car means you don’t have to orient your entire day around buses and trains; anyway, Mont Saint-Michel is better as a pairing then a main course. If you’re in Normandy, you can head here first thing before moving eastward to Bayeux, Deauville, Honfleur and Èretrat, while you can hop over to Saint-Malo and being exploring Brittany in earnest on the other side.
What to Know About Visiting Mont Saint-Michel
It’s bigger than it looks
Mont Saint-Michel is technically a monastery, but it’s also a citadel—in other words, a walled city. And unlike other citadels in northwestern France (one of which I’m about to compare it to by name in a few paragraphs, it’s as tall as it is wide. This means that although you can of course photograph it quickly truly exploring it can take hours, if not days.
(And further, too)
Likewise, Mont Saint-Michel is far. Both in terms of distance from other places (you can technically do a Paris to Mont Saint-Michel day trip, but only barely) as well as the length and width of its immediate catchment area. To get from Les Méandres (the grassland featured in the main image of this post) to the monastery’s main bridge requires almost an hour of walking!
It’s always crowded
As I explained in the intro to this page, there already several influencers at Mont Saint-Michel when I arrived just after 7 AM. And as you can imagine, this number only grew as the clock ticked. Unless you’re there on a day with extremely bad weather or just get lucky, it’s likely that thousands (if not tens of thousands of other tourists) will be there.
(But not always “floating”)
Searching for the best places to photograph Mont Saint-Michel? Well, you’ll also want to consult a Mont Saint-Michel tide chart. If you don’t (or if you do, and disregard the information within it), you risk not seeing the monastery as an “island,” which is basically the entire point of going.
There’s so much else to see in Normandy (and Brittany)
Mont Saint-Michel was a great way to kick off my latest trip to France in earnest, but it wasn’t my favorite place in Normandy, nor in neighboring Brittany. Did it live up to nearly 30 years of hype? It’s hard to say for sure. But as amazing destinations in France go, it’s not at the very top of the list.
Saint-Malo: An Alternative to Mont Saint-Michel?
Now, I’ll start with a frank admission: Although both are technically island citadels, Saint-Malo is not nearly as dramatic as Mont Saint-Michel. It’s wider (rather than taller), and is a more of a proper city than Mont Saint-Michel, which of course is a monastery. Additionally, while most of what sits onshore just off Mont Saint-Michel is extremely rural, the majority of Saint-Malo’s population lives in the dense urbanization just onshore.
In my mind, of course, the Mont Saint-Michel vs Saint-Malo debate isn’t so much about comparing them as destinations as it is about which makes a better base. Saint-Malo, for one, has more hotels, and also more creature comforts to enjoy when you aren’t sightseeing. Moreover, because it’s a bit further west than Mont Saint-Michel, it arguably situates you better not only to explore Normandy, but Brittany as well.
Other FAQ About Visiting Mont Saint-Michel
How many days do you need in Mont Saint-Michel?
Honestly, unless you want to explore the architecture and history deeply, I don’t even think you need a full day at Mont Saint-Michel. Rather, you can start on the mainland and hike across Les Méandres (watch for sheep and their dropping!) up to the bridge that will eventually take you to the monastery.
Can you visit Mont Saint-Michel on a day trip from Paris?
Technically speaking, you can visit Mont Saint-Michel on a day trip from Paris. You’d need to take a ~90-minute train from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, and then an ~80-minute bus from there to the monastery. However, this would be a very long day, which is why I usually suggest visiting Mont Saint-Michel after you’ve arrived in Normandy and/or nearby Brittany.
Is it worth it to visit Mont Saint-Michel?
The impact of laying your eyes upon Mont Saint-Michel for the first time is undeniable, especially if like me you’ve been looking forward to visiting it for your entire life. With this being said, it’s extremely crowded with tourists and influencers, which makes many travelers believe it no longer lives up to the hype.
The Bottom Line
Is Mont Saint-Michel worth visiting? This will sound unsatisfying, but it honest depends as much on you as it does on the monastery itself. I mean, the place itself is legendary for a reason: A massive, floating holy city rising above chartreuse marshlands in one of the most soulful parts of France. To quote Ina Garten, how bad could that be? At the same time, Mont Saint-Michel is inundated with tourists (much more so than anywhere else in Normandy, or Brittany for that matter) and is also arranged in a way that even touch-and-go visits can take hours. Need personalized help making the call? Consider hiring me as your Travel Coach!
