My First Trip to Normandy and Brittany

I’m ashamed to admit that I’d never heard of the floating city of Mont St. Michel before doing research for my trip to Normandy and Brittany this summer. But then..the regions of Normandy and Brittany often get swept aside while the focus gets put on more famous and popular regions such as Provence or Loire and cities such as Paris or St. Tropez.

I chose to spend a month in Normandy on my most recent trip to France due to the extremely affordable French language program and accommodation I found there.

Luckily for me, the location of the program prompted me to start researching Normandy and what it had to offer (beyond the Normandy Beaches which, while they have historic significance, are not the most exciting destination nor the most beautiful).

I had no idea what riches this region held!

The Floating Island of Mont St. Michel

Le Mont-Saint-Michel is an island located in the Normandy region on the Northwestern coast of France (though some of it extends into Brittany).  It is impressive for so many reasons, the most famous being that it appears to be a floating island when the tide is high (during many parts of the year you cannot enter or leave the island during certain hours due to the walkway being completely submerged).

Visiting the Island

During the day, and up until dinner time, there are so many people crowded into the narrow little streets of Mont St. Michel that it’s hard to move above a snail’s pace. People shuffle along behind one another, brushing up against one another and sweating in the heat that feels hotter once inside the walls of this tiny island.

Is it worth it to brave the crowds to see this natural and architectural wonder? Most would say yes.

I, however, am one of those travelers that would prefer to avoid this type of site or watch from afar unless I can do it in a unique way or off-season when there are fewer crowds. The day that I visited (with my travel partner) we spontaneously opted to experience Mont St. Michel in a way that would allow us to enjoy it in a much more leisurely and hectic way. At night- after the tens of thousands of people had gone home…

After the Crowds Have Gone Home

It was absolutely magical to be able to take our time and see everything we wanted, without the crowds. And, seeing everything lit up at night was beautiful.  I felt like a kid in a candy shop.  We ran up and down, here and there, toasted our glasses of Muscadet over a cannon overlooking the bay, and under arches carved in the 12th century.

We exhausted ourselves by exploring until the wee hours of the morning (easy to do when it stays light until 11 pm!) and then awoke in the morning to seagulls cawing outside our window as we hastily packed for our drive back to Rouen.

The experience of spending the night on this tiny island, far from the noise and cattle-like experience so common during the day, was utterly magical. I can’t think of a better way to fully appreciate this amazing historic site!

Finding our hotel

We stepped into one of the first hotels we saw on the island and asked if they had a room available and then kept doing this til we found one that had a room. There are a few fancier (i.e. more expensive) hotels and then some middle-of-the-range hotels. We got one of those, and while the hotel itself was nothing special we thought it was a bargain at only around 85 euros/night! Where can you stay somewhere this special for 85 Euros a night in the U.S?

Mont St. Michel-Is it Brittany or Normandy?

The answer? Both. Mont St. Michel sits between the two regions with a large portion extending into the half on the Brittany side even though most people consider it to be a Normandy site.

At the end of the day does it matter? Probably not. But it’s fun to ask a local on either side this question 🙂

How to Get to Mont St. Michel

Normandy and Brittany are best explored by car, but if you need to use public transportation to get to Mont St Michel there are options.

Mont St. Michel from Paris by car

The drive to Mont St. Michel from Paris is 4+ hours, but many people opt to take a train from Paris to somewhere like Rennes or Caen and then rent a car to drive around Brittany and Normandy.

Mont St. Michel from Paris by Train

You can take a train (high speed TGV)  from Montparnasse station in Paris towards Rennes or Dol de Bretagne and then take a bus from Mont Saint Michel when you arrive at the stations. This journey takes around three hours. There is no train that goes directly to Mont-Saint-Michel.

There are other non high-speed trains available as well at a lower pricepoint including the affordable Le train du Mont-Saint-Michel which can cost as little as 27 Euros (one way) and takes around four hours.

Prices can vary greatly based on how much in advance you are booking and on which day you are leaving. The last time I checked I found at least one deal per day (when booked a month in advance) that cost only 27 Euros and had a travel time of 3.5 hours (usually leaving around 7:30 am).

Flixbus from Paris to Mont St. Michel

The most economical option at only a little over 20 Euros each way currently, is a Flixbus from Paris to Mont St Michel but these have a travel time of 5 or 5+ hours and only leave at specific times. These buses leave from Paris (Bercy Seine) or Paris La Défense with the journey being a bit shorter if you leave from Paris La Défense.

Regardless of how you reach Le-Mont-Saint-Michel, you will have to take 30 minute (free) shuttle bus from the parking lot to the island or walk about 45 minutes.