One day, I was browsing through a friend’s Facebook page and came across a picture of him with the amazing castle on the backdrop. My mind was blown and quickly asked him what the name of the castle was. He said: Mont Saint Michel. Since then, I vowed that if I can only see one castle in Europe, then it must be this island castle.
Located in Normady in France, this castle has been used as a strategic fortification since the 8th century AD. Nowadays, millions of tourist flock to this famous site to see the beautiful island castle.
Step 1: Take the train from Paris’ Gare Montparnasse to Rennes
Depending on where you are staying in Paris, you’ll need to take the metro until you reach Gare Montparnasse. From there, you can purchase a train ticket that will take you to Rennes. The train ticket will cost you roughly between 20-25 Euros. Once you’ve purchased your train ticket and boarded the train, expect the journey to take between 2H07 mins to 2H46 mins.
Step 2: Take the Keolis bus outside the Rennes train station to Le Mont Saint Michel
Once you reach Rennes, I highly recommend you stay there one night so you don’t feel rushed to see Mont Saint Michel. It is possible to do a day trip there but I wouldn’t recommend it if you want to enjoy seeing the amazing island castle.
After you’ve dropped off your luggages in your accommodation, you’ll now need to take the bus from Rennes to Mont Saint Michel’s visitor centre.
The bus service that will take you to the visitor’s centre is called Keolis and is located just outside the Rennes train station. If you can’t find it, simply ask a staff member inside the train station for help and they’ll point you to the right direction.
You can find the bus schedule on this website. There is usually four buses a day that leaves Rennes to go to Mont Saint Michel. The times they leave are typically:
- 9:40AM
- 11:45AM
- 12:45PM
- 16:45PM
Be sure to plan your trip accordingly because there is also a limited amount of return buses available. I paid 30 Euros for a round trip bus ride between Rennes and Mont Saint Michel.
Step 3: Take the free shuttle service from the Mont Saint Michel visitor’s centre to Mont Saint Michel
Once you reach the visitor’s centre, hop one one of the many free shuttles that will take you to Mont Saint Michel. Entry to the island castle is for free; however, there is a fee if you want to see certain the very inner areas.
Conclusion
Personally, I think Mont Saint Michel is the most beautiful castle I have seen while travelling through Europe. I don’t think you can take a bad picture of this place. The bridge that takes you to this castle is awesome and exploring the alleyways and pathways once inside is a surreal experience. To be honest, you’re definitely missing out if you don’t visit this castle.
If you ever visit France, I would argue that you should make Mont Saint Michel your main priority. I know I had a blast seeing it and I can’t recommend it enough to everyone.
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3 thoughts on “The Step-by-Step Guide to Seeing Mont Saint Michel Starting from Paris France”
Like this article, like to see this place, and like to add this place on my bucket list. We did not see this place when we went there quite a few times. We were just focusing on art, museums and the wine county. Good for you next time we will explore the castles and mountains.
Thanks Angela, do go see it when you get the chance. It’s a must!
Thank you for the detailed info. Greatly appreciate the insights. Eva