Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey

The Benedictine abbey is the reason for the trip: a church at the top of the rock and, beneath it, a pile of Gothic halls, crypts and staircases that support it. The village and the ramparts are free; what you pay for is this. It is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, the French monuments body.

What you see

You enter from the top, after climbing the Grande Rue and the Grand Degré steps, and go down through the inside. First the west terrace, with the whole bay in front of you, and the abbey church, Romanesque in the nave and Gothic in the choir. Then La Merveille, the three-storey Gothic building on the north side: the cloister, hanging over the void with its double row of small columns, and the monks' refectory. Then the rooms below, the Guest Hall and the Knights' Hall, the crypts that support the choir and the great wheel with which provisions were hoisted up when the abbey was a prison. The route is signposted and has many stairs.

Opening hours

From 1 May to 31 August it is open from 9:00 to 19:00; from 1 September to 30 April, from 9:30 to 18:00. Last admission is one hour before closing. It is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and on some days the opening time changes for events: check the notice on their website before you go.

Prices and booking

Entry costs €13 from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 and €16 from April to September. It is free for under-18s, for young people aged 18 to 25 from the European Union or resident in France, and for everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December and on European Heritage Days. The tablet audio guide, Revelacio, costs €6 and comes in several languages. The guided tour costs €20.50 in winter (€6 for ages 6 to 17, free under 7). Buy online at the national monuments ticket office; groups of ten adults or more must book. If you arrive on the Keolis Armor coach, the ticket gives you a discount code for the entry bought online.

Getting there and how long

From the mainland car parks it is between 45 minutes and an hour on foot to the abbey entrance, depending on the crowds; the free shuttle shortens the flat part. Inside, allow an hour and a half or two hours. Pushchairs must be folded to enter and access is very difficult with reduced mobility. Animals are not admitted, not even in a carrier, except guide and assistance dogs.