Best hotels and accomodations at Mont Saint Michel

Why to sleep near Mont Saint Michel

Sleeping near Mont Saint Michel is not always the most intuitive choice. You think “oh, it’s a quick visit, it’s fine”, so you arrive in the morning and leave a few hours later. Except… everyone does that. So sleeping next to Mont Saint Michel turned out not to be such a far-fetched idea after all, especially for all these reasons:

• you’re the first one there. There are no opening or closing times for the Mont (only for the Abbey), so you can arrive early, visit without anyone and avoid the crowds as it’s very touristy. Especially as the buses and tourist groups arrive at the same time at around 10/12am until 3pm.
• this avoids having to drive a long way before your visit. Mont Saint Michel isn’t flat, there are lots of little things to see everywhere, so being close by means you don’t get slammed in the middle of the visit and get fed up.
• it allows you to take your time, enjoy the Bay, eat salt-meadow lamb and go to the different viewpoints around you
• you can (above all) enjoy the Mont and the pretty views of the sunset and sunrise. When the weather is fine, the lights on the Mont are magnificent, which is really nice 🙂

Now I’m going to tell you about the 3 possibilities around the Mont:

• sleeping in the very heart of Mont Saint Michel. There are several lodgings, flats and inns where you can have the site all to yourself, or almost all to yourself
• on the other side of the footbridge, there’s an area with a few hotels. It’s super convenient for sleeping and sightseeing without taking the car, you just have to walk 30min or take the free shuttle
• sleep in Pontorson or nearby. It’s generally cheaper, but you have to take your car and park it in the pay car park

Come on, let’s get into the details

Sleeping in the heart of Mont Saint Michel, the different hotels

So, sleeping in the heart of the Mont has its advantages and disadvantages. First of all, you should know that it’s not possible to come by car, so you’ll probably have to leave it in the previous area (you’ll be given a code to go through the barrier) or in the car park. So you’ll have to take the shuttle bus, but don’t bring too much stuff with you, because it’s not easy getting up the cobblestones!

Advantages:

• You’re right in the heart of the Mont, there’s no-one there at night, no tourists, and you can visit it on your own, which is just great
• We’re the first to visit the Abbey
• No need to take the shuttle bus in the morning!
• The medieval atmosphere of the Mont
• The view of the bay in the early morning

Disadvantages:

• More expensive than outside
• In general, the quality is lower, but it’s still decent

Some accommodation in Mont Saint Michel

Discover all the accommodation around Mont Saint Michel

Hotels right next to Mont Saint Michel, on the other side of the footbridge

This is the option I preferred on my last visit to Mont Saint Michel: sleeping right next to it without actually being in the Mont. Because just before the footbridge, there is a “private” area where cars are not allowed and where there are several hotels. This area is very practical because only hotel guests can leave their cars there, so there’s no parking to pay for. And you can take the shuttle bus to the Mont and enjoy the surrounding area. It’s so practical!

Advantages:

• it’s cheaper than sleeping in the heart of Mont Saint Michel
• the views of the Mont and the bay, the sunsets and sunrises, are superb
• it’s a car-free zone
• no parking charges

Disadvantages:

• not many hotels, some are good, others are tourist traps

I stayed at the Mercure, really good (great food too) and much more affordable than in the heart of the Mont

Some hotels near Mont Saint Michel

Discover all the accommodation around Mont Saint Michel

Hotels and options around Mont St Michel, near Beauvoir or Pontorson

The first two times I came, I stayed in Pontorson. Firstly because I didn’t know it could be much closer (yes, it was a long long time ago!), but also because there are many more options and it’s also cheaper. And frankly, within a 20-minute radius, there’s some very nice accommodation!

Advantages:

• much more choice, and very good accommodation
• much cheaper
• more choice of restaurants to eat too

Disadvantages:

• you have to pay for parking at the Mont
• you have to leave early to get there early

Discover all the accommodation around Mont Saint Michel

The cheapest hotels and accommodations

For those on a budget, here’s a selection of cheap accommodations, between €50 and €80 a night. Be warned, it does go up a bit in high season, although you can always get decent prices. However, you’ll need to book early.

The big advantage is that there really is quite a lot of choice, here are a few inexpensive examples

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Visit Mont Saint Michel in a day from Paris

So yes it’s not next door and it’s quite a drive. But if you want to visit Mont Saint Michel from Paris in a day, it’s possible!

If you don’t want to worry about anything, there are agencies offering to organise everything for you (bus transport, visit…) from Paris.

You’ll also get a guided tour of the superb abbey.

This usually takes 14 hours, departing from the west of Paris (towards Porte Maillot, to be confirmed)

Discover Mont Saint Michel from Paris

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In conclusion

That’s it, I think I’ve told you everything! I haven’t been able to list everything because there is a lot (a lot!) of accommodation within 1 hour of the Mont. However, I’ve tried to list the essentials, i.e. those in the Mont and right next to it, then the nicest (and cheapest) around Pontorson, i.e. not far.

But above all, and I’d stress this if you can, sleeping there means you can get there as early as possible to avoid the crowds, because it can be really touristy. So hop hop, ideally take advantage of the sunrise over the Mont (the colours are superb) and go off to have the narrow streets all to yourself!

Don’t hesitate to read the following article if you want to know how to get to Mont Saint Michel without a car.

Also, don’t forget Mont Saint Michel is really close to beautiful places like Saint Malo the medieval city, and the beginning of the Emerald coast.

Further west, in the Côtes d’Armor, you’ll find Perros Guirec and if you head south, you’ll find something really interesting, thousands of menhirs in Carnac.