Adult
Ages 26+
€28
- Abbey entry — skip the summit queue
- Self-guide booklet in English
- E-ticket reschedulable up to 3 years
Watch the tide turn the abbey into an island
Mont-Saint-Michel skip-the-queue — the Benedictine abbey climbing 80 metres of granite out of Normandy's bay, founded 708 AD and circled twice a day by Europe's fastest tide. E-ticket valid 3 years, rebook anytime.
See ticket options- UNESCO World Heritage since 1979
- 8th century monastic foundation
- 3 M / yr visitors to the Mont
- 92 m tall abbey spire with Saint Michael
Choose your ticket
- Book in your languageYour currency, final price.
- Pro tips includedBest times, secret spots, the room most miss.
- Ready before you flyMobile ticket, ready in your inbox.
- 24/7 human supportReal people, instant answers — any hour, any time zone.
Milan, Italy
“Arrived at 14:00 on a July Saturday — the summit queue was over an hour. Our skip-the-queue got us in via the priority lane in under 5 minutes. Wouldn't attempt the Mont in peak without it.”
Casablanca, Morocco
“We booked the e-ticket in October for a May visit, then had to reschedule twice because of family things. Zero fuss — the 3-year rebooking policy is real. Actually used the ticket finally in March the following year.”
Vancouver, Canada
“Best day of our France trip. Walked across the causeway on a falling tide, abbey with no queue, back to the mainland with the tide fully in. Film-set photography for hours.”
5-minute audio guide
Your Mont-Saint-Michel 5-minute guide
Hand-written, narrated by a heritage host. Five minutes from Bishop Aubert's dream in 708 to Joan of Arc, Wellington's army, and the gulls over the cloister at the top.
Included with your booking — your full guide arrives with your ticket.Get your guide
- Why an angel's fingerprint pierced a bishop's skull
- How the abbey was built on the rock with hidden crypts
- Joan of Arc's link to the Mount through the Archangel
- The cloister garden — a hidden walled garden in the sky
Included free with every ticket. No app, no download — plays in any browser.
About Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island off the Normandy coast that becomes an island twice a day. A Benedictine abbey has crowned the rock since 966 — expanded, fortified, and rebuilt over a thousand years into the Gothic silhouette that now draws three million visitors annually. The abbey's 92-metre spire is topped by a gilded Saint Michael slaying the dragon.
Approach is by shuttle bus or a 45-minute walk from the mainland car park across the modern bridge-causeway. The village below the abbey — a single stepped street — has survived mostly unchanged for 500 years (the souvenir shops are recent). The abbey itself is reached by a further climb up the rock.
UNESCO inscribed the Mont and its bay in 1979. The tidal range here is one of the largest in Europe — up to 15 metres — and the bay is crossable on foot at low tide with a guide. The abbey is the single most-visited monument in Normandy and one of the top ten in France.
Practical information
- Opening hours
- May 2 – Aug 31: daily 09:00 – 19:00. Jan 2 – Apr 30 + Sep 1 – Dec 31: daily 09:30 – 18:00. Last entry 1 hour before closing.
- Closed
- 1 January, 1 May, 25 December. Occasional Monday closures — check on booking.
- Address
- 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
- Getting there
- From Paris: TGV to Rennes (1h35), then shuttle bus or regional train to Pontorson, then free shuttle to the mainland car park. From Paris-CDG direct coach tours exist. Self-drive park in the mainland lot (€15/day).
- From the mainland
- Free shuttle bus (7 minutes) or 45-minute walk across the causeway. Shuttle stops 400m from the village gate. Walking is the atmospheric choice — especially on a falling tide.
- Tide schedule
- Great tides (coefficients 90+) can fully encircle the Mont. Timetable published monthly at ot-montsaintmichel.com — worth timing your visit to one if possible.
- Time needed
- Allow 4–5 hours on the Mont: causeway walk, village, abbey, walk back. Full day with the tide spectacle or a bay walk (mandatory with a licensed guide — not through us).
- Accessibility
- The village climbs steep cobbled steps. The abbey itself has many stairs and uneven floors. Wheelchairs and strollers struggle beyond the first shops. An elevator lift exists for part of the abbey but not all.
- Photography
- Permitted throughout. Best light: late afternoon from the causeway looking back at the Mont. Drone photography prohibited.
About our service
Mont-Saint-Michel Tickets acts as a facilitator to assist international visitors in purchasing abbey entry tickets directly from the Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN), the official operator. We do not resell tickets — we provide a personalised booking and support service in your own language. Our concierge service fee is included in the displayed price. For those who prefer to purchase directly, the official site is abbaye-mont-saint-michel.fr.
Plan your visit
Practical guides written by our concierge team
The Best Time to Visit Mont-Saint-Michel
A month-by-month, tide-by-tide concierge guide to the seasons, grandes marées, pilgrimage feast days and the daily windows that decide whether you see the Mont at its best.
How to Get to Mont-Saint-Michel from Paris
Every realistic route from central Paris to the gates of the abbey — TGV via Rennes, regional train via Pontorson, direct coach tours, self-drive parking and the free Le Passeur shuttle across the causeway.
Mont-Saint-Michel vs Carcassonne: Which Should You Visit?
A side-by-side concierge comparison of France's two most-visited monuments outside Paris — a tidal-island Benedictine abbey in Normandy versus a fortified medieval citadel in Occitanie, both flagship sites of the Centre des monuments nationaux.
Frequently asked
What's included in the skip-the-queue ticket?
Priority entry to the abbey itself — bypassing the summit ticket-office queue which reaches 60–90 minutes on summer afternoons. Includes the free self-guide booklet in 13 languages. Does NOT include the optional guided tour (a small supplement, bookable at the abbey on the day).
Is the abbey the same as the Mont?
No — the Mont is the whole tidal island + village + abbey. The village (one stepped street) is free to walk. The abbey on top is the paid monument. Our ticket is for the abbey.
When should I arrive?
Best light + shortest queues: arrive at the Mont by 08:30, abbey opens at 09:00 (09:30 in winter). Or come for sunset at 18:00 — abbey quieter, village empties. Midday in summer is the worst time.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes — most kids love the climb, the fortifications, and the gothic interiors. Under-6s are free (no ticket needed); 6–17 pay a reduced rate (our Youth tier). Strollers are impossible beyond the first stepped shops — a carrier is the only practical option.
Can I cross the bay on foot?
At low tide, yes — but only with a licensed bay guide (regulated for safety; quicksand is real). We don't book guides directly but can point you to the two main outfits (Chemins de la Baie, Découverte de la Baie). Roughly €15–25/person, 3–5 hours round trip.
What's your refund policy?
Tickets are issued for a specific date and are non-transferable once issued. If your plans change, reply to your confirmation email at least 48 hours before your date and we will rebook your visit to any open slot in the operator's calendar.
What is Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is a Benedictine monastery crowning a granite tidal island off the coast of Normandy, in northern France. The rock rises around 80 metres above a vast bay famous for some of the largest tidal ranges in Europe, which empties and refills twice daily. A sanctuary was first founded on the site in 708 AD, and Benedictine monks established the abbey from 966, building it upward over six centuries into a striking Romanesque and Gothic complex. Its spire is topped by a gilded statue of the archangel Michael slaying a dragon. Notable highlights include La Merveille, a three-storey Gothic masterpiece housing the refectory and knights' hall; the suspended cloister with its rows of slender columns; and the abbey church terrace, which offers sweeping views across the bay. The abbey and its bay were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, drawing millions of visitors each year.
How do I get to Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey?
Mont-Saint-Michel sits on the Normandy coast, around 360 kilometres west of Paris. By public transport, the usual route is a high-speed TGV train from Paris to Rennes, taking roughly an hour and a half, followed by a connecting shuttle coach to the mainland visitor centre. The nearest railway station is Pontorson, about 9 kilometres away, from which a local shuttle bus runs to the site. Drivers should head for the mainland car park, situated roughly 2.5 kilometres from the rock; there is no parking at the island itself, a measure that protects the bay's delicate tidal environment. From the car park, a free shuttle, the Passeur, carries visitors the final stretch to the village gate in a few minutes. Alternatively, you can walk the scenic causeway-bridge in around 30 to 45 minutes, watching the abbey grow ahead of you. From the village, the abbey is reached on foot up a steep, cobbled climb.