Mont St. Michel

I felt like a disney princess. It is a rather remote location and you will go to this area for just one reason – Mont St. Michel. And it’s worth it.

Budget: EUR135 (~USD152)

• EUR25. Train from Paris to Pontorson.
• EUR25. Train from Pontorson to Paris.
• EUR70. One night stay at Pontorson
• EUR10 . Abbey entrance fee.
• EUR5*. Bicycle rental.
• *Not sure how much it was, sorry.

Visit Date
September 9, 2018

When to Go
Anytime during the year! But you’ll have to check the tides, the sunsets/sunrise schedules. They recommend that you go at high tide, given that it will be surrounded by water, but I think it’s magical either way. Please try to go at NIGHT (or if you have the money, stay the night).

Special Notes
It is highly recommended to stay at Mont St. Michel itself. One night is around EUR195 though. An alternative is to find a nearby location, and what I found was Pontorson, which has public transportation to Mont St. Michel and Paris. At EUR70 a night, I’m willing to commute.
My hostel had a bicycle rental, so I decided I’d rather bike.

Itinerary
Mont St. Michel visit (time are estimates)

• 02:00pm. Start biking. It was a mainly flat 10km route, with a path two meters wide following the river. It is a beautiful biking path, and felt safe. Bikes are not allowed at Mont St Michel from 10am to 6pm, so I had to park the bicycle at the designated areas before crossing the bridge. There are three designated areas one near the information center and two near the dam/river bank. There’s a free shuttle, but I opted to walk.
• 03:00pm. Entered Mont St Michel and walked around, went inside the Abbey. I realize that sunset is at 9:00pmish, which means I have a lot of time to kill. I basically sat inside the abbey with my book waiting for time to pass.
• 06:00pm. Had dinner and one of the famous eggs – which are about EUR25 per serving. NOT worth it. The entire time I generally walked back and forth the Abbey, and explored. Since I wanted to see it during the night, I had to spend a couple of hours here.
• 9:30pm. I started biking back to the hostel. That’s when I realized there are NO LIGHTS on the path. The rental bicycle has a light, but streetlights are still important.

The start of my cycling adventure. 

Enjoyed a flat, straight ride. 

Whoa, hey St Michel!

Welcomed by the famous egg place. 

Very, very crowded street. 

The view at the top. 

Inside the chapel. 

Enjoying some green at the top. 

Beautiful vie.

Took the time to explore the inside of the abbey. Also sat down in one of the nooks for about an hour or two reading a book. 

One of the many accommodations inside the fort. 

The facilities around the place - either hostels or tourist shops. 

Going out again and walking on the sand to see the abbey.

Back at the top walking all around. 

A lot of walks. Sunset was at 9:30pm!!!

Finally, the sun sets. 

The crowded street is now empty. 

The sun setting on Mont St Michel

Other people waiting for the sunset. 

Almost too dark in the alleys now. 

There she is all lit up. 

Another angle/camera spec. 

Saying good bye to Mont St Michel. 

She's still there. That little collection of lights - that's her.