Oh, Mont Saint Michel. If, like me, you have already been to this very special place in Normandy several times, you will know about the magic of this region, especially “Le Mont” itself. Wide mudflats. Grazing sheep. Quiet villages, screeching seagulls. Sun from above and the eternal play of the tides in view. A flat even 360° panorama, interrupted only by the eternal eye-catcher of one of the most famous fortified church buildings in the world: “La Mérveille”, the miracle, as Mont Saint Michel Abbey is also known, cleverly constructed on a rock jutting out of the mudflats.
Right away, here’s my first tip for you: Enjoy a barefoot walk along the coastline with majestic Mont Saint Michel in view.
So how do you plan a visit that isn’t spoilt by the onslaught of thousands of visitors at the same time, long queues and whining little kids? My husband and I have taken the plunge, bringing back these tips for you on how to combine cultural tourism in such an extraordinary place with the needs of young children.
Travel tip Mont Saint Michel with young children #1 : Choosing the right accommodation (La Jacotière B&B) closeby.
“La Jacotière”, a former farmhouse that is now run purely as accommodation for guests, is located right at the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Mont Saint Michel. We therefore didn’t have to walk far with our little ones, which really helped.
From the cosy terrace in the courtyard, we have a direct view of Mont Saint Michel about a kilometre away: a dream. Véronique, our hostess, prepares a great breakfast, takes time for her guests, has a few games for babies and children on offer and even lends us her guest buggy for walks. She gives us the tip to book a table for dinner in the village in advance: “There’s just so much going on here in the summer months, you don’t want to be late or take chances with the little ones.”
Staying at our family room in “La Jacotière”, having found and booked it via AirBnB. We really love it here.
From the terrace of our accommodation …
… the sweeping view includes Mont Saint Michel right there at the horizon.
Véronique lends us this buggy (right), which perfectly complements the one we brought with us. Again, really helpful when travelling with young children.
Travel tip Mont Saint Michel with young children #2 : Buying tickets in advance – and knowing where to go to avoid the masses.
We let our intuition guide us – and bought our tickets to visit Mont Saint Michel Abbey already one day prior at the local visitor centre (children are free, even young adults up to 26 don’t have to pay, for both of us the tickets cost € 25).
Mont Saint Michel itself, i.e. the village and the shuttle bus to Mont Saint Michel, is generally free to enter. However, to avoid (sometimes really long) queues at the entrance to the abbey, it is definitely worth buying tickets for the visit in advance.
Once you are there and look up in amazement at the foot of the world-famous pilgrimage site, I recommend that you turn LEFT immediately after the main entrance. This will take you up the Mont via a “back path” almost to the entrance of the abbey church! The best thing about it: compared to the only other road through the village of Mont Saint Michel, this path is almost deserted! What a contrast to the constant stream of tourists on the main road.
Check this out.
Ready for visiting Mont Saint Michel with our two young children!
Once we have left the entrance to the village and the main road with its thousands of tourists behind us, this is what awaits us: Pure magic and SILENCE at the transition from the rocks to the mudflats.
The back road to Mont Saint Michel offers breathtaking views of the medieval architecture: a new humility before the skills of the master builders of that time is spreading.
Only a little while later, we make it to the top without having to wait: Liam and Levin on the terrace of the abbey church of Mont Saint Michel …
… with a view towards the mainland: Wow, Mum, we really walked up all this way! Well, truth be told: Mont Saint Michel really isn’t weelchair- or stroller-accessible. So you’d better plan enough breaks to catch your breath!
We are lucky to attend a mass being held at the abbey church at the time of our visit.
Always breathtaking: The famous cloister at Mont Saint Michel.
Descending from the centuries of stunning medieval architecture …
… we treat ourselves to a lunchtime snack in one of the many restaurants in the town of Mont Saint Michel. Levin then takes a nap for over three hours, while Liam and we spend the rest of the afternoon playing games. What a day!
Travel tip Mont Saint Michel with young children #3 : Taking regular (foodie) breaks and extra time to explore.
As mentioned at the beginning, we always booked dinner in advance by telephone for the two nights we stayed at Mont Saint Michel, namely at La Salicorne restaurant. We were so satisfied with the quality of the food and service there that we also came back on the second evening.
In addition, I can advise to spend not just a few hours, but at least one or two days in the region: This also leaves time for doing something fun with the kids, like “wading through the mudflats”! However, please be careful: I only recommend you to stay in the immediate vicinity of Mont Saint Michel. If you really want to explore the Wadden Sea, you should only do so with one of the many certified nature guides in the area, because the danger of quicksand in the Wadden Sea is real.
Once our boys are a bit older, I would definitely like to come back for such a tour, lasting several hours to discover this unique natural landscape around Mont Saint Michel. Particularly for people from a landlocked country like us, the Wadden Sea is basically as exotic as the Caribbean: we really don’t have anything quite like it! 😀
Taking our time on the second day of our visit, we explore the sandy mudflats in the immediate vicinity of Mont Saint Michel.
Always a guarantee to make kids happy: Playing with water and sand at Mont Saint Michel.
Be sure to order your fresh serving of oysters here.
And here’s another tip for travelling with children: The Mont Saint Michel fire brigade is stationed in the immediate vicinity of La Salicorne restaurant, with this unique “mudflat vehicle” that also drives over sand and water. VERY spectacular for children of all ages!
Travel tip Mont Saint Michel with young children #4 : Adding the TGV speed train experience from or to Rennes.
Last but not least, I recommend organising your arrival and departure to Mont Saint Michel directly and conveniently via the TGV connection to Rennes. I know the route from when I lived in Paris and also know that you should always book these trains in advance.
No sooner said than done – the TGV from Rennes takes us directly to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and from there back home again. But not without first enjoying a 24-hour stay in Rennes – typical Breton crêpes included.
A look at the menu in Rennes: enjoy typical French galettes (savoury crêpes) with cider at L’Instant Crêperie on Rue Saint-Georges in Rennes.
Early on the day of our departure from France …
… we celebrate the end of the trip with this special TGV experience, a delight for the boys!
Bye bye, Mont Saint Michel and our wonderful family trip here.
Fancy even more “France with kids” travel tips? My first such blog post talks about France with kids: Bordeaux and the largest sandpit of Europe, as well as road-tripping at or near the Atlantic Coast in France: France with kids: Road trip from La Rochelle, Atlantic Coast, to Angers in the Loire Valley.