Mont Saint-Michel Tour: Full-Day Excursion from Paris

Embark on a magical journey to Mont Saint-Michel with an expert.

$2,478 and up

Private

N/A

Small group

Tour Details

About the Tour

Category: Excursions, Newly Added
Duration: 8 hours
Location: Paris

Photos & Highlights

Day-long excursion from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel
Intimate tour led by a local historian
Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel

Tour Description

Perched atop a rocky outcropping in the bay separating Brittany from Normandy, the Mont Saint-Michel is one of the most breathtaking landmarks in France. The bay witnesses daily high tides that, as Victor Hugo described them, come racing in at “the speed of a galloping horse,” spectacularly transforming the abbey into an island. Nicknamed the Marvel of the West, the abbey was erected in the 10th century over a sanctuary dedicated to the Archangel Michael and expanded several times over the course of the Middle Ages as it grew into one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe.

On this full-day excursion, we’ll take the train from Paris to Rennes, where we’ll meet our driver. We’ll then drive to the commune of Mont Saint-Michel, where we'll meet our local expert to walk us through the turbulent history of the abbey, its strategic location, its architecture, and its religious significance.

The Village

At the same time that construction on the abbey began, a village started growing up at the base of the rock. During the Hundred Years War in the 14th century, a series of defensive walls and towers were added to the outside of the village to protect its inhabitants from a relentless thirty-year siege. We will begin our visit to the Mont Saint-Michel by passing through these imposing walls and entering into the maze of narrow, winding streets and steep stone steps of the medieval village. As we begin our climb toward the abbey, we will explore the architectural complexity of the village, built over the course of several centuries, and learn about the site’s links to its Norman origins.

The Abbey

We’ll then make our way from the village below up toward the apex of the rock where we will visit the gravity-defying structures of the abbey. At the summit, we’ll learn about medieval building techniques and styles as we explore the series of soaring Gothic spaces that grew up around the original Romanesque core of the building between the 13th and 15th centuries. (Interested in architecture? Check out our Paris Gothic Architecture and Making Modern Paris tours.) We might also discuss how art, religion, and politics worked together to shape the space, how the abbey was transformed into a prison during the French Revolution, or how it was restored in the 19th century.

The Bay

Finally, after touring the village and monastery, we’ll spend some time along the coastline–the best place to take in the majesty of this magical landmark. Being sure to steer clear of the “galloping” tides, we’ll investigate how the unique geography of the site, coupled with the pull of the sun and moon, create the greatest tidal variations in the world. We’ll also learn why this location, so often cut off from the outside world by water, was ideal for the Benedictine monks who made the island their home.

We’ll head back to Paris having learned how this 1000-year-old site, originally intended to separate monks from the outside world, became an important center of pilgrimage and a strategically-important location for the kings of France.

FAQ

Where do we meet? Where does it end? You will take the train independently from Paris to Rennes, where your private driver will be waiting to take you to Mont Saint-Michel, a 1.5 hour drive. Your expert will meet you on site in Mont Saint-Michel. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at Rennes Train Station, where you will take the train back to Paris. We will pre-purchase train tickets for you. We'll email you the tickets before your trip.

How long is the train ride from Paris to Rennes? About 2 hours each way.

Will we be taking the TGV (high speed train)? Can I upgrade to first class train tickets? Yes. We normally purchase 2nd class train tickets for the TGV, but we could purchase 1st class tickets instead for an additional cost. Please let us know and we will contact you to discuss pricing options.

Can we arrange a car from Paris instead of taking the train? Yes. Please contact us about pricing options. The drive from Paris to Mont Saint Michel is about 4 hours each way.

I'm not staying in Paris! What should I do? See our Mont Saint-Michel Tour from Normandy.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible? Please contact us to discuss in more detail your mobility concerns so that we can best advise. We can arrange a car service for visitors with mobility concerns. We don't recommend using public transportation to travel to and from Mont Saint-Michel. Please note that there is no elevator on the Mont Saint-Michel and there are multiple steps to climb to access the main sites. The main street is paved and a progressive steep solve, so moving around in a wheelchair can be very difficult.

Where You'll Start

Tour Experts

Alexander

Alexander got a First in modern history at Oxford and retains an abiding passion for the subject. He has lived and worked – mainly in publishing – in France for over twenty years, first in Paris and now in Normandy, where he is carrying out an eco-friendly restoration on his old fisherman’s cottage in Port-en-Bessin. This small fishing port, noted for its scallops, is situated on the coast just 10 km north of the medieval splendors of Bayeux, and is tucked into the cliffs which separate the sites of the American and British D-Day landing beaches. His knowledge of the Normandy landings is enhanced by the fact that his father was a member of the British commando unit which liberated his adopted town in June ’44, and indeed Alexander has recently published a book on this very subject. His love for the region also led him to study to qualify as an official regional guide, and sharing his enthusiasm for Normandy and its long history has become something of a vocation.

William

William studied history and art history at Bristol University and did his MA at the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual arts at the University of East Anglia Norwich, specializing in Westminster Abbey. He taught history to university entrance for ten years before marrying and settling in France where he set up his own tour guide business based in Caen, Normandy. In 1991 he became a nationally accredited Guide-conférencier des Monuments Historiques et des Sites, and a Guide-Interprète régional. Since 1994 he has written nine guide books for Pitkin Guides and the French publisher Pro Libris, all on the theme of D-Day and the battle of Normandy: these are sold in English and in French throughout the region and in every museum related to 1944. He has given lectures on Silver Seas cruises and the Silver Cloud II. Off season he teaches English to engineers and lawyers at the University of Caen - and writes. Since 2002 he has been the President of the Franco-British Association in Caen, the city where he intends to age gracefully.

Geoffrey

A native of Australia, Geoffrey has been guiding in Normandy for over 17 years. He specializes in the D-Day landing beaches and Mont Saint Michel; however, he knows the whole region inside out and enjoys sharing this beautiful part of the country and its history to visitors of France.

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