the abbey on the rock in the middle of the bay, the shuttle and the footbridge, the tides that cover and uncover the sand, the sheep of the salt meadows and the crossing on foot with a guide
Mont-Saint-Michel is a granite islet in the bay where Normandy meets Brittany, and at the top it carries the abbey, with the abbey church and the Merveille, the Gothic monastery built in the thirteenth century beside the church, on the north side. Below, inside the walls that withstood the Hundred Years' War, is the village, a single street, the Grande Rue, which climbs between the houses, the shops and the restaurants up to the gate of the abbey. All around is the bay, with the tides coming and going for kilometres over the sand, the salt meadows where the sheep graze and the islet of Tombelaine. You cannot reach the Mont by motorhome: the car parks are on the mainland, two and a half kilometres away, and from there you go on the free shuttle or on foot across the footbridge, which in 2014 replaced the old causeway road so that the water could flow around the rock again. The motorhome sleeps in the motorhome car park, at a serviced stopover in Beauvoir or at a campsite. The bay can be crossed on foot, barefoot, but only with a guide.
Sleeping
Stops and overnight stays
The motorhome stays on the mainland. The Mont's motorhome car park, P8, is a few hundred metres from the shuttle: you can sleep there, but it is a car park, with no water or electricity. Those who want facilities go to the serviced stopover in Beauvoir, on the road to the Mont, open all year and with its price list already set until the end of 2027, or to the one at the anse de Moidrey, with a view of the Mont; then there are the campsites, at La Caserne near the shuttle, in Beauvoir, in Pontorson and in Genêts, on the other side of the bay.
Parcheggio P8 dei camper
parcheggi del Mont-Saint-Michel, 50170 Beauvoir
the motorhome section of the Mont's car park, run by Keolis for the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel, the public body that manages the Mont, about three hundred and fifty metres from place des Navettes, where the free shuttle leaves. You take a ticket at the barrier and pay on the way out, at the barrier by card or at the pay machines along the central avenue and at the Centre d'Information Touristique. Booking online, with arrival before 10:00 or after 15:00, saves 2 euros. At night the motorhome can stay parked, but the rules forbid camping: no tables or chairs outside, no fires or barbecues, no hookups; beyond two days in a row the stay is unauthorised. There is no water or electricity; the toilets of the Centre d'Information Touristique, next to the shuttle, are open day and night. Keolis customer service answers every day from 10:00 to 18:00
services not recorded
In 2026, from March to June and from September to 1 November, 19 euros up to three hours, 22 euros up to six hours and 25 euros up to 24 hours; the first half hour is free, and outside July and August those who enter after 18:30 and leave before 3:00 do not pay. In July and August 22, 26 and 30 euros; from November to February 14, 16 and 18 euros. The price includes the shuttle for everyone in the motorhome. The 2027 price list has not been published yet · +33 2 14 13 20 15 · montsaintmichel.gouv.fr
Area Camping-Car Park del Mont-Saint-Michel, Beauvoir
route du Mont-Saint-Michel, 50170 Beauvoir
an enclosed stopover of the Camping-Car Park network, on the road to the Mont, with 180 large marked pitches, 120 sockets of 16 amps, four bollards for water and emptying, wifi and recycling bins. It has no toilets or showers. The card is swiped on the way in and on the way out, even when the barrier is open. Barbecues, tents, and tables and chairs outside are forbidden; dogs are allowed on a lead. On the edge of the stopover there is a coin-operated launderette, and nearby a small supermarket. To get to the Mont the operator recommends the cycle path; place des Navettes is about two kilometres away. The stopover is in a flood risk area, and the operator may close it for safety. The phone number is that of the network's customer service, every day
180 motorhome pitches
ElectricityWaterGrey water
16.70 euros for 24 hours, a price valid until 31 December 2027, plus the tourist tax, in 2026 1.30 euros for 24 hours; for a five-hour stop with the facilities, 6 euros · +33 1 83 64 69 21 · campingcarpark.com
Area Camping-Car Park dell'anse de Moidrey, Pontorson
23 route de la Grève, 50170 Pontorson
a stopover of the Camping-Car Park network along the Couesnon estuary, with a view of the Mont, next to a private business with a bar, mini golf, a swimming pool, a sauna and bicycle hire, all paid separately. The sockets are 6 amps; there are a toilet and a shower, a launderette and wifi. You go to the Mont on foot or by bicycle on the voie verte, and the operator writes that the bus stop is a hundred metres away. The Moulin de Moidrey is a kilometre away, Pontorson three
84 pitches with a hookup
ElectricityWaterGrey waterToiletsShowerLaundry
17 euros for 24 hours, a price valid until 31 December 2027, plus the tourist tax, in 2026 1.30 euros for 24 hours; for a five-hour stop with the facilities, 6 euros · +33 1 83 64 69 21 · campingcarpark.com
a four-star campsite of two hectares, of the Homair chain, next to the Camping-Car Park stopover on the road to the Mont, with pitches reserved for motorhomes, an indoor heated swimming pool, a bar, a grocery and bicycle hire. Place des Navettes is about two kilometres away, on foot or by bicycle on the voie verte that runs alongside. It is the only campsite on the road to the Mont that has already published its 2027 dates
ElectricityGrey waterLaundry
The price of a pitch is given by the online booking system · +33 1 59 00 84 99 · camping-auxpommiers.com
route du Mont-Saint-Michel, La Caserne, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel
the campsite of La Caserne, the hotel area on the mainland, near the Couesnon dam, among the trees: it is the only one a hundred and fifty metres from a shuttle stop, Route du Mont. The pitches range from 70 to 100 square metres, and the electricity, 10 amps, depends on the pitch booked; the Mont's public body writes that water and electricity are only available on very few pitches. To enter the La Caserne area by motorhome there is a barrier: you need a Keolis access code, which you receive before you arrive and pay for on the way out. Booking, the campsite writes, is strongly recommended; you get in touch by email or with the form on the website
89 pitches in all
ElectricityGrey waterToilets
In 2026 from 22 to 29.50 euros a night for the pitch, depending on the season, plus 4 euros a night per adult, 3 euros for young people from 3 to 18 and 4 euros a night for a pet; on top of that the Keolis access code for the La Caserne area, 11.50 euros for 24 hours in spring · camping.le-mont-saint-michel.com
a three-star campsite of eight hectares on the bank of the Couesnon, in Pontorson, with an outdoor swimming pool, in 2026 from 1 May, a sauna, free wifi and bicycle hire. The shops and public transport are two hundred metres away, and from the campsite starts the voie verte that leads to the Mont, about nine kilometres away
115 pitches in all
ElectricityGrey waterLaundry
The price of a pitch is given by the online booking system · +33 2 33 68 11 59 · vacances-seasonova.com
Area del Camping Sandaya Mont-Saint-Michel, Genêts
26 route du Bec d'Andaine, 50530 Genêts
nineteen motorhome pitches inside a four-star campsite, on the other side of the bay, on the road to the Bec d'Andaine, where the crossings on foot towards the Mont start. The campsite has a bar, a restaurant, a grocery, a launderette and two heated swimming pools, one of them indoor. It is the stopover for those who want to do the crossing from Genêts
19 motorhome pitches
ElectricityWaterGrey water
The price is given by the online booking system · +33 2 61 69 07 55 · sandaya.fr
You reach the Mont on the free shuttle or on foot across the footbridge; inside the walls you walk, uphill and up steps. The motorhome stays on the mainland, and around the bay you get about by bicycle on the voies vertes or by motorhome from one village to the next.
The Le Passeur shuttle is free all year: for those who arrive with a vehicle it is included in the car park. It leaves from place des Navettes, in front of the Centre d'Information Touristique, stops at Route du Mont, in the hotel area, and at the dam, and arrives three hundred and fifty metres from the walls, in about twelve minutes, with a wait of up to twelve minutes depending on the crowds. In 2026 it runs from March to June and in September and October from 7:30 to 23:00, in July and August from 7:00 to 1:00, from November to February from 8:30 to 22:00; outside these hours there is an on-demand service, on +33 2 14 13 20 15. Dogs are not allowed on the shuttle, unless in a bag or a basket, and neither are bicycles
On foot: from place des Navettes the dam is fifteen minutes away, the Mont forty-five. The footbridge, 2.2 kilometres long, is open day and night, except at the highest tides, when the Mont becomes an island again for about an hour. Dogs on foot must be on a lead
By bicycle: you can also cross the footbridge by bicycle, at any hour, on the west pavement, and on foot when it is crowded; those who arrive by bicycle pay nothing. There are bike racks at car park P9, at the dam and at the Fanils, below the walls, where a strong tide can reach. Around the bay run the Véloscénie, the Vélomaritime, which is EuroVelo 4, and La Régalante cycle routes, and the voies vertes that lead to the Mont from Pontorson and from Beauvoir
By bus: the nearest railway station is Pontorson, nine kilometres away; from there line 2 runs every day, in about twenty-seven minutes, to the Le Verger stop, near place des Navettes, where you take the shuttle. From Avranches there is line 308 of the Nomad network, forty-seven minutes, one outward and one return journey a day from 1 May to 30 September, only at weekends and on public holidays the rest of the year; timetables and tickets with the Atoumod app
By motorhome, getting there: from Caen take the A84 towards Rennes, then the N175 as far as Pontaubault, and the D43, the D75 and the D275; from Paris it is 337 kilometres by the A13 and the A84. Motorhomes cannot drive up to the Mont: the footbridge is only for the shuttle, pedestrians and bicycles, and the hotel area of La Caserne can only be entered with a code from a hotel or the campsite
Low emission zones: the Mont, Pontorson and Avranches have none, and neither does the rest of the Manche. Heading towards the Loire, from 1 January 2027 Rennes bans vehicles without a class and Crit'Air 5 inside the ring road, which itself remains open; in Caen the zone only bans vehicles without a class. The Crit'Air sticker is ordered on the official website certificat-air.gouv.fr
Seeing
Sights
A full day for the Mont: the shuttle or the footbridge, the gates, the Grande Rue or the ramparts, the abbey, and the walk on the sand below the walls at low tide. Then the bay, with at least one more day: the crossing on foot with a guide, Genêts and the Bec d'Andaine on the other side, the Écomusée in Vains, Avranches with the Scriptorial and the Jardin des Plantes, and towards Pontorson the Moidrey mill. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
1
Place des Navettes and the Centre d'Information Touristique
Point of interest · free entry · 48.61256, -1.50680
50170 Beauvoir
the square on the mainland where the shuttles to the Mont leave, next to the car parks. In the Centre d'Information Touristique of the Mont's public body there are information, the car park pay desks, toilets, a space for small children and a hundred luggage lockers. There is also a kennel with five places, only for dogs, with their health booklet, to be requested at the Keolis desk and collected before closing time: it is there because dogs are not allowed on the shuttle unless in a bag, and are not allowed in the abbey.
Opening hours the Centre d'Information Touristique every day, from 1 April to 30 September 9:00-19:00, from 1 October to 31 March 10:00-18:00; closed on 25 December and 1 January. The toilets are open day and night · luggage storage 2 euros a locker; kennel 8.60 euros a day per dog · +33 2 33 70 74 65 · montsaintmichel.gouv.fr
since 1995 a large project has been working to make the Mont an island again: the sand brought in by the tides was filling up the bay. The dam on the Couesnon, built between 2006 and 2009 to replace one of 1969, uses the force of the tides and the river to flush away the sediment: at times linked to the tide the gates open, and the release, which lasts three hours at most, raises the water by forty centimetres: you watch it from the dam viewpoint, one of the finest views of the Mont. The times of the releases are published by the Mont's public body the day before. From the dam starts the footbridge, opened in 2014 to replace the causeway road of 1879, which did not let the water through: 2.2 kilometres to the entrance of the village, to be walked at least once, on the way there or on the way back.
the village is open day and night, without a ticket. You enter through the porte de l'Avancée, of 1530, and then through the porte du Roy, of around 1430, with the drawbridge and its chains; when tides are above 12.20 metres the Avancée and the Fanils entrance are closed, and you go through a passage in the rocks. The walls, from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, with the wall walk and the towers, du Roy, de l'Arcade, de la Liberté, Basse, Cholet, Boucle, du Nord, and the tour Gabriel of 1534 towards the Fanils, held firm: during the Hundred Years' War the English besieged the Mont in 1424 and assaulted it in 1434, but never took it. From the wall walk you look out over the bay, far below. At low tide you can also walk round the outside, on the sand, from the tour Gabriel to the tour du Nord. At the porte du Roy and on place de l'Avancée there are the commune's toilets, at 1 euro, and a left luggage.
the only real street of the village, which climbs narrow from the porte du Roy to the abbey, between half-timbered houses, souvenir shops, restaurants and stairways that slip between the houses. Just after the gate is the Mère Poulard, where from the street you can watch the eggs for the omelette being beaten with long whisks in copper bowls. Along the street there are also the small private museums of the same group as the Mère Poulard: the Logis Tiphaine, the fourteenth century house of Bertrand du Guesclin and his wife Tiphaine de Raguenel, the astrologer; the Musée Historique, with the prisons and the periscope over the bay; and the Musée Maritime on the tides. They cost 9 euros each, with a combined ticket at 18 euros, and are free under 12.
the parish church of the village, halfway up the Grande Rue, which according to tradition goes back to Aubert, the founding bishop. As it stands today it dates from the fourteenth, fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, and its apse arches over an alley. Next to it is the commune's small cemetery. Since 1886 it has been the sanctuary of Saint Michael, where the pilgrimage moved from the abbey church, and at the foot of the bell tower there is a chapel of the archangel. Dogs are not allowed.
the Benedictine abbey founded in 966, which grew for centuries on the rock, one part on top of another, because at the top there was no room: the oldest church, Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, was buried under the later buildings and only found again in excavations between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. You climb on foot, up many stairs, to the West Terrace, in front of the façade of the abbey church, with the bay all around; then the abbey church, with the Romanesque nave and the Gothic choir, rebuilt after the collapse of 1421, beneath the late nineteenth century spire with the golden archangel, and the Merveille, built between 1212 and 1228: the hanging cloister, with its two rows of staggered columns, the monks' refectory, the Guests' Hall and the Knights' Hall. Along the route is the great wheel of wood that was used to haul up loads. After the Revolution the abbey was a prison, until 1863. Tickets are bought online from a month in advance, with the time of the visit, or at the ticket office; they include the self-guided visit with a leaflet and the forty-five minute commented tour, in French or in English, depending on the places available. Paid separately are the augmented reality tablet, the two-hour lecture tour, which also opens rooms that are usually closed, and at weekends the climb to the terraces of the choir, among the flying buttresses. From the car parks to the entrance it takes from forty-five minutes to an hour. Animals are not allowed, not even in a bag, nor are suitcases and large rucksacks, nor any kind of knife; the left luggage is at the Centre d'Information Touristique or at the porte du Roy. In the abbey there are toilets, at the start and halfway along the route, and the bookshop can be visited without a ticket.
Opening hours from 1 May to 31 August 9:00-19:00, from 1 September to 30 April 9:30-18:00; last entry one hour before closing. Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December · 13 euros; free under 18, and from 18 to 25 for citizens of the European Union and residents of France; free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month from November to March; reduced with the full price ticket of the Scriptorial in Avranches · +33 2 33 89 80 00
the fifteenth century chapel on the rocks, at the foot of the Mont on the west side, dedicated to Aubert, the bishop who had the first sanctuary built. Today it is closed: the Mont's public body is raising funds to restore its roof, statue, altar and stained glass windows, and once the work is finished it will only be visited in small groups, on guided tours and crossings. You can see it from outside, from the sand, at low tide, walking round the walls from the tour Gabriel.
the other granite islet of the bay, a few kilometres north of the Mont, on the bank of the Sée, which can be reached on foot at low tide, with a guide. Since 1985 it has been a reserve for seabirds, with one of the largest colonies in Normandy, gulls and little egrets, which you watch with binoculars from the sand. The bay guides take you as far as the islet, starting from the Mont or from the Bec d'Andaine, in about three and a half hours; today you cannot go up onto the islet, neither to the ruins nor onto the cliff.
the bay can only be crossed with a certified guide, recognised by the Prefecture of the Manche: never on your own, because of the tide that comes in fast, the rivers to wade, the quicksand and the dam's daily water releases. The classic crossing starts from the Bec d'Andaine, in Genêts, or from Saint-Léonard, in Vains, and goes to the Mont and back: thirteen or fourteen kilometres, about six hours, with three quarters of an hour at the Mont. You walk barefoot and in shorts from April to early November, with the water of the fords reaching up to mid-thigh; in your rucksack a rain jacket, a warm top, water, sun cream, a hat, a towel and an empty bottle to wash your feet. Découverte de la Baie, the Maison du Guide in Genêts, takes children on the crossing from the age of nine, and for them recommends the return by bus; Chemins de la Baie, also in Genêts, on +33 2 33 89 80 88, opens its outings to children except those early in the morning and at night. There are also short outings around the Mont, at sunset, on the quicksand or with the rising tide and the mascaret. Dates and times change with the tide and must be booked: all the outings of the bay guides can also be bought at the ticket desk of the Mont-Saint-Michel Normandie intercommunal tourist office. At the Mont the two groups of guides wait in two different places: Découverte de la Baie to the right of the main entrance, outside, at the foot of the ramparts; Chemins de la Baie at the Fanils entrance, fifty metres to the left. Arrive at the car park of the starting point an hour before. Dogs on a lead are allowed, but not on the outings with the return by bus.
With Chemins de la Baie the return trip on foot 22 euros, 13 euros from 3 to 14 years, and the outing to Tombelaine 20 and 11 euros; with Découverte de la Baie, in 2026, the return trip 23 euros, 15 euros from 3 to 14 years, and the outward trip on foot with the return by bus 33 and 25 euros. Free under 3 · +33 2 33 70 83 49 · decouvertebaie.com
the village on the north shore of the bay, with a view of the Mont and of Tombelaine, from which pilgrims once left the mainland to cross the sand. A kilometre and a half from the village is the Bec d'Andaine, the point of dunes and beach where the crossings start: the car park, from 1 April to 31 October, costs 6 euros a day, with the first two hours free, and there are free toilets with taps to wash your feet, the guides' desk and a restaurant. In the village is the Maison du Guide of Découverte de la Baie, at 1 rue Montoise.
the museum of the bay of the Manche department, on the east shore, towards Avranches, next to the starting point of the Saint-Léonard crossings: the nature of the bay, the tides, fishing, hunting, and a reconstructed saltworks where you see how salt was extracted from the sand, and from which you leave with a little bag of salt. Dogs on a lead are allowed. Outside there are picnic tables, and no bins: you take your rubbish away with you.
Opening hours in 2026 from April to June and during the school holidays, except the Christmas holidays, 14:00-18:00, from July to September 10:00-18:00; closed on 1 May. Last ticket one hour before closing · 6 euros, reduced 4; from 7 to 18 years 3 euros; free under 7; family 18 euros with two adults and at least two children · +33 2 33 89 06 06 · ecomusee-baie.manche.fr
the museum of the manuscripts of Mont-Saint-Michel: the medieval books of the abbey, displayed in rotation, with a temporary exhibition every year. The ticket is valid all day, and you can go out and come back in; you can only pay on site. With the full price ticket of the Scriptorial you get a reduction at the abbey, and with the abbey's ticket the reduced rate here. Avranches is a few kilometres from the A84, the motorway between Caen and Rennes.
Opening hours from April to September 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, closed on Monday; in October, November, December, February and March 14:00-18:00, closed on Sunday and Monday; closed in January, on 1 May, 1 November and 25 December. Tickets until 17:00 · 9 euros, reduced 6, also with the full price abbey ticket; free up to 25 years, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month from April to September · +33 2 33 79 57 00 · scriptorial.fr
the garden on the spur of rock above the bay, created by the Capuchins and a botanical garden since 1895, three hectares divided into twelve spaces, with camellias, rhododendrons, maples and the cherry tree lawn. From the viewpoint at the end you see the whole bay with the Mont in the distance: it is the view of arriving in Avranches at sunset described by Maupassant. There are two entrances on place Carnot, one for those who have difficulty walking, and one lower down, opposite the theatre; dogs are allowed, and there are toilets, a playground and a picnic area. Next to it is the commune's motorhome stopover.
Point of interest · paid entry · 48.58528, -1.50618
35 route des Moulins, 50170 Pontorson
a windmill of 1806 on the hill of Moidrey, five kilometres from the Mont towards Pontorson, restored and grinding again since 2003. The miller shows it in a thirty-five minute visit and sells his flours, buckwheat, wheat and rye: buckwheat flour is the flour of galettes. There is a picnic area, and dogs are allowed. Opening times change with the season, so ask before going. Below the hill is the anse de Moidrey, along the Couesnon, with the sentier des Pélodytes, named after a small amphibian of the bay, the parsley frog: a seven kilometre loop on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.
At the Mont the events are mostly in summer and autumn, with the evening openings of the abbey and the concerts, and in December, with Mont et Merveilles, the new Christmas of the Mont's public body. In spring there is the pilgrimage on foot from Saint-Malo, around 8 May, the old feast of the archangel; in March 2027 the marathon also returns.
Next: Marché de Noël du Prieuré · 22 Nov
22Nov
Marché de Noël du Prieuré
in November
the Christmas market of the monastic communities that pray in the abbey, at the priory of Ardevon, on the mainland, at 2 rue du Prieuré: in 2026 on Sunday 22 November, from 9:15 to 18:00, to support the communities
20-21Mar
Marathon du Mont Saint-Michel
in March
after eight years it returns in 2027 with five races: the marathon from Cancale to the Mont, the half marathon from Saint-Jean-le-Thomas to Avranches, the ten kilometres in Cancale, two trails from Avranches and from Fougères, and free races for children
6-9May
Pèlerinage de saint Michel
in May
the pilgrimage on foot from Saint-Malo to the Mont, a few days of walking with nights in tents, around 8 May, the old spring feast of the archangel. Those who arrive become a miquelot and receive the pilgrim badge. Registration for 2027 opens in December 2026
This year's dates are not out yet
Mont et Merveilles
in December, until early January
the Christmas of the Mont, born in December 2025 with the Mont's public body: three weeks of lights, concerts, shows, vigils and readings, more than half of the events free. The second edition has been announced
Les Nocturnes de l'abbaye
in July and August
every summer the abbey opens in the evening, with a trail of lights and sounds: in 2026 from 19:30 to midnight, at 21 euros, reduced 18
Journées européennes du patrimoine
in September
on the third weekend of September the abbey is free, and spaces that are usually closed are opened, such as Notre-Dame-sous-Terre
Via Æterna
from mid-September to early October
the festival of early and sacred music of the bay, with concerts in the abbey, on the dam and in the churches around
Bayman
in October
the triathlon of the Mont, a weekend in mid-October, with swimming in the Couesnon and running up the Mont: around the bay traffic is restricted
Remember
Useful tips
The abbey is closed on 1 May; from 2 May it is open with the summer hours, from 9:00 to 19:00. Tickets can be bought online from a month in advance, with the time of the visit: on busy days you avoid the queue
The Mont's public body advises arriving before 10:00 or after 15:00, avoiding the holidays and the long weekends, and booking the car park and the abbey online. In 2027 the spring holidays of the schools of Normandy and Brittany, zone B, run from 17 April to 2 May, and school starts again on the 3rd; 1 and 8 May fall on a Saturday, and Ascension Day, Thursday 6 May, makes a long weekend until Sunday 9
The village is open at night too, and outside July and August the car park is free for those who enter after 18:30 and leave before 3:00: in the evening you walk up the Grande Rue without the crowds. Those who leave the motorhome at P8 for the night should remember that it is a car park, not a stopover: no tables or chairs outside
There is no water or emptying at P8: you fill up and empty at the Beauvoir stopover or at the one at the anse de Moidrey, with the five-hour stop at 6 euros
Dogs are not allowed on the shuttle unless in a bag, and are not allowed in the abbey, not even in a bag: you walk across the footbridge, and for the visit there is the kennel at the Centre d'Information Touristique. Large rucksacks and knives are not allowed in the abbey either, not even a pocket knife
Check the tides before setting off. The Mont's public body publishes the calendar for the year, with the heights of the water: from 12.20 metres the entrance goes through the rocks, from 13 the Mont is an island for about an hour, longer with the highest tides, and the footbridge is closed. To see the mascaret, the wave of the tide running upstream, arrive from an hour and a half to two hours before high tide, and when the Mont is cut off, wait
Away from the walls, never walk in the bay on your own, even if the sand looks dry and close: the water rises fast, even in fine weather, and there is quicksand. In fog or a thunderstorm, give up; the emergency number is 112. Drones are forbidden
The Scriptorial in Avranches is closed on Monday: those passing on a Monday see it the next day, on the way out, and from April to September it opens in the morning at 10:00. In Avranches the commune has a motorhome stopover in chemin de la Bourdonnière, next to the Jardin des Plantes, with a view of the bay; in October 2026 the water and emptying were closed, waiting to be brought up to standard, and you could still stop there
Mussels in cider can be made in a motorhome with a large pot and a saucepan; in early May the bouchot mussels of the bay are not in season, and you use whatever you can find
Mont-Saint-Michel · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
Taste
The bay has two products with a protected designation of origin. The salt meadow lamb, the AOP Prés-salés du Mont-Saint-Michel, grazes on the herbus, the meadows covered by the highest tides, for at least seventy days and at least half of its life, among salty plants that give it its flavour; the AOP is recognised by the Prés-salés MSM mark on the meat and by the breeder's name on the label, and the nearest restaurants on the list of the protection body are on the Breton side of the bay, in Saint-Broladre and Vildé-la-Marine, while at the Mont many menus say "pré-salé" without the AOP. The bouchot mussels, the AOP Moules de bouchot de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, grow on posts driven into the sand, sweet and with yellow or orange flesh, but they are harvested from 15 June to 15 February: in early May the AOP ones are not available. At the Mont there is the Mère Poulard omelette, born in the nineteenth century for the pilgrims who arrived at all hours with the low tide, beaten and cooked over a wood fire; the recipe is secret, and on the autumn 2026 menu the omelettes cost from 45 euros upwards. From Normandy come the sablés, the Norman biscuits, and cider, pommeau, which is apple must and calvados, and calvados; in early May the apple trees are in blossom. The oysters are those of Cancale, on the other side of the bay. The nearest markets are in Pontorson on Wednesday morning, from 8:00 to 13:00, and in Avranches on Saturday morning, from 8:00 to 14:00.
Mont-Saint-Michel behind a meadow of white and yellow flowers, under a blue skyPhoto: Maëlick, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0a shuttle to the Mont at the stop: it has a driving cab at each end, because there is no room to turn round at the foot of the MontPhoto: Celeda, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0salt-meadow sheep grazing in front of the Mont, in JulyPhoto: Thomas Fuhrmann Jakobsthal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0three salt-meadow sheep grazing on the grass of the bay, in AprilPhoto: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the water of a spring tide at the entrance to the village, under the arch of the first gate, in SeptemberPhoto: GoginkLobabi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Les Fanils, the buildings at the foot of the Mont, seen from the esplanadePhoto: Olaf Meister, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Porte du Roy with the drawbridge chains and the Tour du Roy, and on the left the sign of La Mère PoulardPhoto: stephanemat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Grande Rue full of people, among the signs of shops and restaurantsPhoto: Joan Vilafranca, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0a narrow alley between the half-timbered houses of the villagePhoto: Gzen92, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the bell tower of the Église Saint-Pierre above the small cemetery, under a blue skyPhoto: Olaf Meister, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the south side of the abbey, with the abbey church, the tower and the spire on topPhoto: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the façade of the abbey church on the West Terrace, in AprilPhoto: Antoine Lamielle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Gothic choir of the abbey church, lit by its tall windowsPhoto: Arwin Meijer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the cloister garden with its hedges and red flowers, among the slender columnsPhoto: Dennis G. Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0a cloister walk, with its two staggered rows of slender columns and carved archesPhoto: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the monks' refectory, with the narrow windows between the columns and the wooden ceilingPhoto: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Guests' Hall, with its vaults on a row of slender columnsPhoto: Ptyx, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Knights' Hall, with its sturdy columns and rib vaultsPhoto: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the great wooden wheel used to haul up loads, lit up in its recessPhoto: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the ramparts and the houses of the village seen from the sand, with people walking below the wallsPhoto: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the wall walk with a turret, and below it the bay where the Couesnon flowsPhoto: chisloup, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Chapelle Saint-Aubert on the rocks at the foot of the Mont, under a blue skyPhoto: Pethrus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Mont surrounded by the high tide seen from above, with the footbridge linking it to the mainlandPhoto: Thomas Fuhrmann Jakobsthal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the bay from the air at low tide, in 2006: the Mont, the channels in the sand and Tombelaine at top leftPhoto: Uwe Küchler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the islet of Tombelaine on the sand of the bay, seen from the shore at Huisnes-sur-MerPhoto: Bernard DUPONT, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0a group sets off on foot across the sand from the Mont towards GenêtsPhoto: Nikater, Wikimedia Commons, pubblico dominioa channel in the meadows of Genêts, with the Mont and Tombelaine in the distance, in early MayPhoto: Vains50, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the bay seen from the viewpoint of the Jardin des Plantes in Avranches, with the Mont in the distance on the leftPhoto: Xfigpower, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0rhododendrons in flower in the Jardin des Plantes in Avranches, at the end of MayPhoto: Tangopaso, Wikimedia Commons, pubblico dominiothe Moulin de Moidrey on its hill, with yellow flowers in the grass, in AprilPhoto: PdeNantes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
