Mont Saint Michel is one of the must-sees in Normandy. In fact, it’s probably the best-known place to visit in France. But given its ultra-touristic aspect, and the unique experience of enjoying the place in the evening or early morning, it’s crucial to know the alternatives for staying at Mont Saint Michel or its close surroundings. With their advantages and disadvantages.
Here, we take a look at where to stay in Mont Saint Michel, based on location, proximity, experience and budget. We also share our accommodation recommendations
Main information
Before going into the description of the places to target when selecting accommodation in Mont Saint Michel, here are the essentials to know from a tourism point of view. They should give you a better idea of the various constraints.
Our favorite places to stay
For those in a hurry, here are our favorite places to stay in Mont Saint Michel:
- $$ this guesthouse, a few kilometers from the Mont, but close to the departure point of a shuttle that links directly to it.
- $$ this establishment intra-muros
- $$$ this 5-star establishment, located in Beauvoir, 5 kilometers away.
Map of different areas to stay
To give you a quick overview of the different places we recommend to stay in Mont Saint Michel, you’ll find on the map below all the accommodation recommendations we’ll be sharing in this guide. You can also use it to locate the different areas we’ll be detailing.
The essentials for choosing where to stay in Mont Saint Michel
Where to stay in and around Mont-Saint-Michel
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of where to stay in Mont-Saint-Michel, with our recommendations by budget. These are the intramural site, the hotel zone a few kilometers to the south (the Caserne), and the surrounding area.
Staying at Mont-Saint-Michel: an unforgettable experience
When looking for accommodation on and around Mont-Saint-Michel, one question inevitably arises: "Is staying on the rocky islet really worth it?".
Aside from thelimited and expensive range of accommodation on offer, staying on Mont-Saint-Michel is first and foremost an experience in its own right. Which makes it the best place to stay during your visit.Spending the night within the walls is an unforgettable experience, to be enjoyed at least once in your life.
There are many advantages to staying in the heart of Mont-Saint-Michel:
- you don't have to travel between the parking lot and the site itself
- the experience is unique and represents the main interest of the stay
When the narrow streets are emptied of visitors, and the daytime activities of the village come to a halt, you experience a completely different atmosphere. You feel as if you're stepping back in time, strolling slowly at your leisure. In short, you rediscover the old-world charm of the medieval village.
Another advantage of staying in the heart of the site during the summer months is that you can enjoy evening tours of the abbey. In July and August, a night-time tour of the abbey takes visitors away from the crowds, with a special light show.
As far as parking is concerned, it's obviously not possible to park directly inside Mont-Saint-Michel when you're staying there. You'll need to park outside, as you would for a traditional visit. For this purpose, there is a dedicated area for hotel guests in the classic parking lot: P3. Entry to this area is via a unique access code supplied by the hotel. Access to the foot of the ramparts is then by shuttle bus (the "passeur").
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At the foot of the medieval streets, this hotel boasts a prime location. Decorated in a classic style, the rooms offer a view of the bay or the abbey. Staying here means you can easily dine in the hotel's prestigious restaurant, where you can sample its famous omelette or traditional dishes.
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This inn is the perfect combination of 14th-century charm and modern rooms. Located right in the heart of the Rocher, this beautiful half-timbered building offers accommodation with a view over the bay, making it an excellent place to stay in Mont-Saint-Michel.
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This historic establishment offers accommodation with views over the bay or the rooftops of the medieval town. Better value than its competitors, it offers modern, comfortable rooms, as well as breakfast in the renowned Auberge de la Mère Poulard restaurant, just a two-minute walk away.
Accommodation at the Caserne: practical but without the charm
La Caserne is the locality at the foot of Mont-Saint-Michel. Set up in 2011 as a tourist stopover, La Caserne welcomes the many travelers who visit the area. It features hotels, restaurants and stores. It lies to the north of the site's public parking lot.
Apart from the view of the Mont from some accommodations, this area has no particular charm. Staying here is therefore only a practical choice for quick and easy access to the site. You can :
- walk to the site and enjoy the beautiful view over the bay. It takes about 30 minutes to walk to the gates of the rock.
- take the shuttle bus ("le passeur"). This is the same shuttle that leaves from the public parking lot.
Accommodation at La Caserne also includes a parking space. Rates are generally lower than on the site.
As you can see, staying at La Caserne is a good compromise between proximity to Mont-Saint-Michel and budget accommodation. There are also a number of good restaurants, such as the "Pré Salé".
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Located right next to a stop on the shuttle bus to the site, this hotel offers comfortable, spacious, modern rooms, some with panoramic views of Mont-Saint-Michel. In some rooms, you can even see the Rock from your bed! The hotel also boasts a restaurant serving traditional cuisine.
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This hotel is located in a green area just 2 km from Le Mont. Spacious, modern rooms and good-value accommodation. The restaurant, renowned in the region, serves seafood and regional specialties. Its "Le Normandy" bar serves cocktails and other drinks in a relaxed atmosphere.
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Located just a few meters from the La Caserne parking lot, this bed & breakfast also boasts a breathtaking view of Mont-Saint-Michel. It is housed in a renovated farmhouse, and offers an exceptional breakfast. It's a great place to stay at La Caserne, as an alternative to intramural accommodation if the latter is fully booked.
Staying near Mont-Saint-Michel: the low-cost alternative
Would you like to stay at Mont-Saint-Michel, but would like to consider an even cheaper option? If so, you'll find accommodation in the surrounding area, some ten kilometers away, notably in Beauvoir or Pontorson, to the south. Or along the bay, at "La Rive ". Here, accommodation is less expensive.
A little further afield is the town of Avranches, some 30 km from Le Mont.
The disadvantage of staying in this area is that it takes a little longer to reach the ramparts of Mont-Saint-Michel than it does to stay at La Caserne.
However, there are some interesting places to stay, such as La Rive, where you can easily reach the site on foot by crossing the meanders. This walk takes place in a setting of exceptional beauty. The walk takes around 50 minutes, but you need to be careful at high tide.
During high tides, Mont-Saint-Michel is close to the sea. To get the most out of this experience, it's important not to rely on luck, but to plan your visit carefully. We recommend that you consult this page, which lists tidal coefficients by date. For your information, the most impressive tides - those that encircle the Mont by water - occur when the tidal coefficient is over 110.
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Located in the village of La Rive, 5 km from Mont-Saint-Michel and 2 km from the parking lot, this bed & breakfast offers a view of the rock. Staying here means you can take advantage of a parking space to walk to the Mont in fine weather. Another great feature of this accommodation is its superb breakfast.
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Decorated in a contemporary style, this charming hotel offers spacious rooms. It is located in the village of Pontorson, a fifteen-minute drive from the Mont parking lot.
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Located in Beauvoir, 5 km from Le Mont, this hotel offers 5-star accommodation. It features a restaurant and a bar with a shared lounge. There's also a shared garden and terrace. It's a great place to stay, just a few kilometers south of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Summary
As you can see, to make the most of this site and enjoy an experience that’s out of the ordinary, you have to try to stay at Mont-Saint-Michel intra-muros. We say “try” because beyond the budget, the number of rooms is limited, which means that hotels are often fully booked well in advance.
In terms of proximity, the area known as La Caserne is generally the best place to stay near the Mont. It’s the perfect compromise between budget and location. What’s more, the Rock is easily accessible on foot in fine weather.
The surrounding villages and hamlets are the last option for those whose search for accommodation is already fully booked.
This is the end of our guide to choosing accommodation in Mont-Saint-Michel. We hope we’ve been able to help!