Where is Mont-Saint-Michel? Department, region and map

Mont-Saint-Michel is in the Manche department (50), in the Normandy region, according to the official geographic code of INSEE. It rises in the bay of the same name, on the north-west coast of France, on the border with Brittany.

Which department is Mont-Saint-Michel in?

The Manche. The commune of Le Mont-Saint-Michel has the INSEE code 50353. It belongs to the arrondissement of Avranches, the canton of Pontorson and the Mont-Saint-Michel-Normandie urban community.

Is Mont-Saint-Michel in Brittany or Normandy?

It is in Normandy: the commune belongs to the Normandy region. The question keeps coming up because the bay itself is shared. The Normandy prefecture describes it as lying “at the crossroads of Brittany and the Cotentin peninsula”, and the protected listed site extends over two regions, Normandy and Brittany. Several coastal rivers flow into the bay, including the Couesnon, on which a dam near the Mont was brought into service in 2009.

Which sea surrounds Mont-Saint-Michel?

The English Channel (La Manche). The bay of Mont-Saint-Michel lies at the far end of the Normandy-Brittany gulf, which Ifremer describes as a crossroads between the eastern and western Channel. The bay covers about 500 km², including 250 km² of sand flats and salt meadows, between Granville and Cancale. Its tidal range reaches 15 metres: see understanding the tides.

Where is Mont-Saint-Michel on the map of France?

On the north-west coast, in the corner formed by Normandy and Brittany. Distances published by the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel:

• Paris: about 337 km, via the A13 then the A84, or via the A11, A81 and A84.
• Nantes: about 188 km via the A84.
• Dinard airport: about 70 km.
• Rennes airport: about 75 km.
• Caen-Carpiquet airport: about 130 km.

To locate the Mont, the car parks and useful addresses, open our interactive map.

What is the nearest town to Mont-Saint-Michel?

Pontorson, whose station is 9 km away. Bus line 2 links the station to the Mont in about 27 minutes. Other towns are linked by coach:

• Avranches: a 47-minute journey.
• Saint-Malo: about 1 hour, with operating days that vary by period.
• Rennes: about 1 hr 10 to 1 hr 15, several return trips a day.
• Granville: 1 hr 49 on line 308.

All journeys are detailed on the page getting there by train and coach.

Where is the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel?

Between the Pointe de Granville, on the Normandy side, and Cancale, on the Brittany side. The Normandy prefecture states that the foreshore uncovered at low tide covers 250 km². The property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 is named “Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay”, a sign that the rock and its surroundings form a whole. To explore the bay on foot, always go with a guide: see crossing the bay.

What can you see around the Mont?

A landscape of sand flats, salt meadows and rocks. The Normandy prefecture’s fact sheet gives the main landmarks:

• Tombelaine: like Mont-Saint-Michel, it is a granite outcrop rising from the sand flats.
• The coastal rivers: the Sée, the Sélune and the Couesnon flow into the bay. At their mouths, the salt meadows cover some of the largest areas in France.
• A protected wetland: the bay has been a Ramsar site, of international importance, since 1994, and a stopover on the main bird migration route of Western Europe.

To discover these landscapes, the Établissement public lists more than 40 waymarked trails around the bay.