On vacation in Britain or road trip in Normandy, you want to discover one of the most beautiful sites in France but you don't know how to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day ?

Me too, I asked myself this question because when you only have one day to visit Mont Saint Michel, you should not miss it. So, I opted for a walking tour of the essential and emblematic sites of Mont Saint Michel.

If, like me, you want to discover the wonders of this tourist site on foot, freely and for free, then my article is for you!

Indeed, below you will find my walking tour to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day with Google Maps of the route to follow in pedestrian GPS mode.

Where to park to visit Mont Saint Michel?

The most practical way to visit Mont Saint Michel is to park your car in the huge car park provided for visitors (which is unfortunately chargeable).

From this car park, either you walk about 30 minutes to reach the entrance to the site, or you take the free “Le Passeur” shuttle. To do this, you have to go next to the Tourist Information Center at the shuttle square. Thus, the shuttle will drop you off in 15 minutes 350 meters from the ramparts of Mont-Saint-Michel.

See its Google Maps location: Car park Mont Saint-Michel

Note that you can take this free shuttle from 7:30 am.

How long to visit Mont Saint Michel?

Qualified as a Wonder of the West, Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay are listed as UNESCO World HeritageUNESCO since 1979. This site receives more than 3 million visitors per year and is the second most frequented tourist site in France. As a result, you have understood that you will not be alone on the site!

So to visit Mont Saint Michel, I recommend that you arrive at the opening and plan the whole day. Moreover, it is better to be well organized, to book your skip-the-line ticket in advance and follow my walking tour (see details and map below).

What time to visit Mont Saint Michel?

To visit Mont Saint Michel before the arrival of the buses that serve the hundreds of tourists, I recommend that you take the first shuttle at 1:7 am. Thus, you will be able to start my circuit on foot and thus be the first at 30 am to visit the Abbey (opening at 9 am from May 9 to August 1). Be careful to reserve this time slot when you order your skip-the-line ticket.

How to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day?

To visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day, you will have the choice between:

• a themed guided tour which is done in groups and which you can book on the website of theOffice of Tourism,
• a private visit with a guide just for you,
• or a free visit that you will do on foot following my circuit (see itinerary and map below).

Map of Mont Saint Michel

You can request a map of Mont Saint Michel directly from the Tourist Office. But if you want to save time, here is the downloadable PDF made available on their site:

Map of Mont Saint Michel

How to visit Mont Saint Michel?

To visit Mont Saint Michel, it is better to start with the ramparts by discovering the different towers (1 hour), then continue with the visit of the Abbey and its cloister (2 hours) and finish with the museums, churches and chapels for the rest of the day. You can also take a gourmet break but also stroll along the Grande Rue to enjoy its pretty shops!

The essential visits of Mont Saint Michel are all quite close to each other and thus makes it possible to visit the site on foot in 1 day. But to optimize your time, I recommend that you follow my circuit which will take you to the main sites to discover (see list below).

What to visit in Mont Saint Michel in 1 day?

Because you don't come to Mont Saint Michel just to see its Abbey, here are the other beautiful visits you can do in 1 day:

• Advance gate
• King's gate and lodge
• Freedom Tower
• Tower Loop
• North Tower
• Abbey of Mont Saint Michel
• Abbey Cloister
• Historical museum
• Residence of the Chevalier du Guesclin (Logis Tiphaine)
• Archeoscope
• St. Peter Parish Church
• Gabriel Tower
• Chapel of St. Aubert
• La Mère Poulard Inn

All of the emblematic sites of Mont Saint Michel can be discovered by following my tourist circuit, the itinerary of which you will find below:

Visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day – Itinerary

Here is the Google Maps of my circuit which allows you to discover Mont Saint Michel on foot.

Just click on "More options" to enlarge the map and switch to pedestrian GPS mode.

Visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day – Walking tour

Before giving you the stages of my circuit to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day, you must understand who is Saint Michel, where does the name of Mont Saint Michel come from?

In fact, in the Bible, Michael is an archangel (chief of the angels). The name Michael comes from the Hebrew Mi ka el which means: Who is like God. The Saint Michel was considered in the Middle Ages as the leader of a celestial Army which fights Evil. But its role is also to judge whether Christians can deserve Paradise or rather Hell. This is what the scales in his hand symbolize (he weighs souls in this way in order to be able to judge them). Thus, any sanctuary built for Saint Michael, such as the Abbey, must be raised to be as close as possible to heaven.

Discover on this video, what you will see by following my walking tour to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day:

Discover now some historical information on the essential visits of Mont Saint Michel for each stage of my itinerary:

How to visit the ramparts of Mont Saint Michel?

My walking tour begins with a visit to the ramparts. To get there, you will have to go through the Porte de l'Avancée, take the Grande rue and finally the Porte et logis du Roi.

This fortress includes the 7 towers which communicate with each other by a walkway open to visitors.

Thus, you will then continue to the Freedom Tower from where you can put my route in pedestrian GPS mode.

Continuing on the ramparts, you will pass through the successive towers.

And finally, to complete the visit to the ramparts, you will arrive at the North Tower which dates from the 13th century. It's a great place to watch the tidal bore phenomenon.

How to visit the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel?

From the ramparts you can reach the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel. You will have to climb the Châtelet staircase, then the Grand Degré staircase. It is indeed at the top that the Benedictine Abbey of the Middle Ages is located. It was built when Bishop Aubert had seen apparitions. He then erected on Mont Tombe a sanctuary in honor of the Archangel Saint Michael.

To visit the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, it is best to book your skip-the-line tickets. With your ticket, you will discover about twenty rooms by following the visit itinerary indicated in the Abbey.

All the places you will discover are those where the monks lived together, isolated from the outside world: Saint-Martin Chapel, kitchens, dormitories, Marvel refectory, crypts, cloister and gardens.

What is the wonder of Mont Saint-Michel?

What is called the wonder of Mont Saint Michel or wonder of the West is the oldest part of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel. This includes the central part under the abbey church (crypt) and the church itself except for the choir which is more recent as it dates from Romanesque times. Its architecture stands on three superimposed levels that reach 35 meters high with 16 buttresses.

The space of wonder is organized as follows:

• Ground floor with the chaplaincy and the cellar where the monks stored foodstuffs + reception room for pilgrims;
• Second floor dedicated to receptions with the guest room and to work with the knights' room or scriptorium in which the copyist monks worked;
• Top floor with the monks' refectory and magnificent cloister.

Visit of the Museums

My tourist circuit continues with visits to museums. Personally, I haven't visited any.

But, it is a good way to discover the history of Mont Saint-Michel and life in the bay in the Middle Ages. For this, here are the 3 museums that you can visit by following my itinerary:

• The historical museum which traces the great eras of the bay of Saint Michel.
• The historic residence of Chevalier Du Guesclin (Logis Tiphaine);
• The archeoscope which recounts the history and legends of Mont Saint-Michel in a fun way.

You will also pass in front of the parish church of Saint-Pierre. It is in fact the church of the inhabitants of the village of Mont Saint Michel which deserves a visit inside.

Compulsory stopover at La Mère Poulard

My circuit to visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day takes you back to the entrance to make an essential visit: Mother Poulard.

Mother Poulard is the name given to the oldest inn in Mont Saint Michel. It is very well known because it prepares omelettes cooked over a wood fire which tourists love so much they are good! This recipe, which has remained the same since 1888, is perpetuated as an emblematic tradition of Mont Saint Michel.

So, even if you don't want to have a meal there, it's still a stopover not to be missed when you visit Mont Saint Michel in 1 day.

Especially since opposite the inn-restaurant, on the other side of the street, is a tasting area where you can have a drink and taste the famous biscuits of Mère Poulard.

Discover the West side of the Mount

Most tourists come to Mont Saint Michel and are content to visit the ramparts and the Abbey. But if you still have time, I recommend that you follow my circuit which will also allow you to discover the west side of Mont Saint Michel.

Indeed, a little away from the crowd, you can enjoy these 2 sites:

• The Gabriel Tower
• The Saint-Aubert Chapel

The Gabriel Tower

Going up on the ramparts of Mont St Michel on the west side, you will find the Gabriel tower and its old mill. This tower was built in the 16th century to defend the western side of the mountain.

The Saint-Aubert Chapel

Listed as a historical monument since February 15, 1908, the Holy chapelt-Aubert is located in the North West and dates from the 12th century. It was built in honor of Saint Aubert who was Bishop of Avranches and above all the founder of the Abbey of Mont Saint Michel.

Where to stay to visit Mont Saint-Michel on foot?

The ideal way to visit Mont Saint Michel is to stay in a hotel in the heart of the medieval village.

Here is a very nice hotel, ideally located in the center in the Grande Rue du Mont Saint Michel: The old inn.

It's not luxury, but its main asset is its atmosphere, its restaurant and the view of the bay of Mont Saint Michel!